So with Derrick’s self-destructive immaturity in mind, Ivan thought of every way to cut his ties, including paying Derrick a lump sum of cash under the witness of his lawyers and a notary public that would hold Ivan not accountable for how Derrick chose to spend it. He also started paperwork to set up trust accounts for his three nephews that would take care of them regardless of their father, because the man could no longer be trusted to do the right thing with money.

That issue led Ivan to consider the offers he began to receive in reference to the value of his website. His small start-up brand continued to grow, reaching as high as two million impressions per day and an email list that was approaching a hundred thousand names. The IDPromotions.com link to the tourism industry for family vacations, national boat cruises, and airline deals, combined with the rentals and sales of luxury cars, homes, private yachts, and private jets, became a masterful idea.

Ivan had reasoned, “If outside viewers are already looking at San Diego as a tourist attraction, then it makes sense for us to show them other locations and things to do elsewhere, even for the people who live here in San Diego.”

He added, “And for our wealthier viewers, who search for news and items at the Executives’ Club, if they can afford to buy or rent luxury in one place, then they can rent and buy cars, boats, and planes in another.”

Eddie K. loved the idea. His goal had been to make IDPromotions.com a valuable national brand from day one. He saw no use in an internet vehicle having the same limitations as a physical newspaper. The internet had an instant, international reach, and he had continued to view it that way.

The expanded content, marketing approach, and focus of the website also allowed the advertisement and sales force to become more assertive in their efforts to establish regional rates. Ivan even began to think of taking the company public, but he was unsure if his brand was as strong as he would like it to be yet. Nor was he sure if he was personally ready to stomach the emotional roller-coaster ride of the stock market numbers game.

Whenever you take your baby public, you can end up losing a bunch of sleep, while being dictated to by public company numbers, he pondered. And that’s when the shit stops being fun.

He learned that from the executive clients he had worked with at Hutch & Mitchell.

He thought, But I’m already making good money. I’m set to bank ten million this year after taxes. But how much more could I make if we go public…?