How Trust & Will Secured TrustAndWill.com for $2,000
When Cody Barbo and his co-founder Daniel were building an online estate planning platform in August 2017, they knew they needed the perfect domain name. What they found was a lesson in creative problem-solving—and a $2,000 investment that became the foundation of their brand.
The Search for the Right Name
Trust & Will is an online estate planning platform, often described as "TurboTax for estate plans." Their mission is to make estate planning accessible, allowing families to complete their plans in 30 to 45 minutes. Since its inception, Trust & Will has served over a million people across all 50 states.
As Cody prepared for marriage and began thinking about estate planning, he realized that while many people recognized its importance, procrastination often won. This personal experience became the catalyst for Trust & Will.
When searching for a name, they initially considered "Legacy," but quickly discovered that Legacy.com was already taken by a large obituary website. They then shifted to more specific terms related to estate planning, landing on "Will and Trust."
The Minnesota Attorney with the Lion Tie
When Cody and Daniel looked up WillAndTrust.com, they found it was owned by a Minnesota attorney named Bob who had a bold tie with a lion on it. The domain was merely forwarding to his law firm's website.
They decided to reach out, calling the law firm and playing the role of eager college students working on a "school project," hoping to negotiate a deal. Unfortunately, the receptionist was not impressed and abruptly hung up on them.
The Lightbulb Moment
Undeterred, Cody and Daniel had a revelation: what if they reversed the order of the words? A quick search on GoDaddy revealed that TrustAndWill.com was available for purchase—for just $2,000.
While the price was steep for a young startup, Cody was determined to secure the domain. After a brief deliberation, he reached out to his dad, who fronted the money. The domain was theirs.
Building Consistent Brand Identity
Cody emphasized how crucial it was for Trust & Will to maintain consistency across all digital platforms. They managed to secure the TrustAndWill handle on major social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, which solidified their brand.
He also shared a humorous story about an alternative domain they considered: Adulting.com. They initially thought it could work as a catchy name, playing on the popular term "adulting." However, upon visiting the site in a co-working space, Cody quickly realized that Adulting.com was far from appropriate for their purposes—an embarrassing but valuable lesson in domain research.
Today, Trust & Will has become a well-known name in the estate planning industry, with consistent branding across TrustAndWill.com and all major social media platforms.
And it all started with reversing two words and a $2,000 loan from dad.