Danny I regard you are the first prominant person on the search engine scene. It’s very important I feel you keep your focus here.
Absolutely do not fall for any job offer or any corporate bullshit.
I recommend you develop your brand further and control the conferences and your own brand.
This way you will always be in control of your destiny, your brand/business will have greater value. You’ll also get incredibily rich very quickly, but you aren’t doing this for the money, or are you?
Either way, absolutely get everything outside of your mind except developing your own brand.
You clearly have no idea how powerful your brand is to this day, you don’t need jupitor or invision or anybody else. You can generate plenty of traffic on your brand-strength alone.
I’m quite happy to advice you regarding this, but please make the right decision. Don’t go wasting your time with corporate bullshit and getting ripped off again. You will need to considerably change your mindset first, I suggest you read books like “Rich Dad Poor Dad”.
You don’t know it yet, but this is the best thing that ever happened to you, and the best thing for the Industry, it all hangs on you now making the right decision.
Don’t think anything else but:
Danny Sullivan Consultancy ltd
Danny Sullivan Conferences Ltd
Danny Sullivan Associates Ltd
Build, your IP and your brands, forget about making other people rich.
I just hope your realise that if you go for “job=just over broke” and developing other peoples brands making other people rich, you’ll have made the wrong decision, you’ll just end up where you are now later.
Just think back how you strated. Start again, and this time don’t sell it to anyone, unless you are retiring of course then you can take your millions and have fun. But until then, keep focus on your brand.

Danny I regard you are the first prominant person on the search engine scene. It’s very important I feel you keep your focus here.
Absolutely do not fall for any job offer or any corporate bullshit.
I recommend you develop your brand further and control the conferences and your own brand.
This way you will always be in control of your destiny, your brand/business will have greater value. You’ll also get incredibily rich very quickly, but you aren’t doing this for the money, or are you?
Either way, absolutely get everything outside of your mind except developing your own brand.
You clearly have no idea how powerful your brand is to this day, you don’t need jupitor or invision or anybody else. You can generate plenty of traffic on your brand-strength alone.
I’m quite happy to advice you regarding this, but please make the right decision. Don’t go wasting your time with corporate bullshit and getting ripped off again. You will need to considerably change your mindset first, I suggest you read books like “Rich Dad Poor Dad”.
You don’t know it yet, but this is the best thing that ever happened to you, and the best thing for the Industry, it all hangs on you now making the right decision.
Don’t think anything else but:
Danny Sullivan Consultancy ltd
Danny Sullivan Conferences Ltd
Danny Sullivan Associates Ltd
Build, your IP and your brands, forget about making other people rich.
I just hope your realise that if you go for “job=just over broke” and developing other peoples brands making other people rich, you’ll have made the wrong decision, you’ll just end up where you are now later.
Just think back how you strated. Start again, and this time don’t sell it to anyone, unless you are retiring of course then you can take your millions and have fun. But until then, keep focus on your brand.

OK, I’m relaxing now. Looking back on that SES it sure seemed like business as usual. I suppose most everyone going forward will carry on in a professional manner, just as you did in San Jose with all the sessions, keynote, etc. etc., even knowing things weren’t settled with your contract.
I think I’d be up for doing the training again in Chicago. I have to admit again – even in a groggy state with a bad neck from trying to golf through an injury the day before, it was pretty awesome. One student had her photo taken with me, and a couple of others asked me to sign a copy of my book. Try getting that kind of celeb treatment out of a 12-minute presentation at regular SES!
Have a great weekend, people.

> But based on your latest post, which explicitly links to the Incisive Training post-SES which seems to have been a bone of contention, I thought it important to clarify where those of us participating (at least me) stand in relation to that.
Yes, the training program was an issue with me, mainly because it had come largely out of the blue. But understand I have no issues at all with those who participated — not at all, Andrew. It wasn’t a “siding” thing in any way. Moreover, whatever I do going forward, I really don’t want people to feel they have to take sides in anything. I want people to do what they think is best for themselves or for those they will be interacting with.
And I’m glad you all did your best in preparing. You’re all excellent people, and I wouldn’t have expected less

Hi Danny,
We’ve already been in contact on some of these specifics. But based on your latest post, which explicitly links to the Incisive Training post-SES which seems to have been a bone of contention, I thought it important to clarify where those of us participating (at least me) stand in relation to that.
I was contacted by Incisive to participate in this brand new thing. My first thought was far from “uh oh, this is something that is going to antagonize Danny.” In fact, for whatever reason, I assumed that it was your idea, and that you – with Incisive – planned it with a view to offering more drilldown possibilities for topics that are tough to cover in a short period.
Like many extracurricular activities, one always weighs whether something is giving away too much of my expertise and time and effort, for relatively little (and in many cases zero) money. In the majority of cases I have said yes to speaking events of substance – not just for the exposure or from an indirect financial standpoint, but for the goodwill, human contact, learning opportunity, and because it keeps me on my toes.
Frankly because I did not want to disappoint, I spent much time holed up in my room in San Jose, preparing. So – I wouldn’t want anyone to be under the impression that involvement in these longer sessions was some kind of jab, or act of disloyalty. Quite the contrary! I’m sure you could ask Greg, Shari, and Dan, and hear back that we agreed because we aim to please.
As it turned out, in spite of the limited sleep all week, the session turned out to be a joy. The opportunity for live interaction and drilldown into campaign issues was a real plus for me, and I hope for attendees. I was already considering specific ways the session could be improved on.
The bottom line is, we are all working hard in this business and it goes without saying I can’t think of anyone I respect more for work ethic, leadership, and even-handedness than Danny S., which is why it’s so important to make it clear that it really should not be portrayed, even slightly, as a case of somebody “siding with” Incisive over Danny. As most of us haven’t been privy to the internal politics, Jupiter and now Incisive have been (as far as the shows go) been our “bosses,” as far as we know. In the end, the strength of both Danny and Incisive/Jupiter is recognizing that the audience is boss. Which is why it’s such a shame that the two (Danny, the founder) and Incisive (the new owner) cannot be viewed as one and the same, and in fact have decisively parted ways. Frankly, it’s confusing for all of us. Many of us really don’t know what to do next.

Danny:
I have been a reader of your newsletter since 1997 and watched it evolve from a SEO tip sheet to the definitive voice in the world of search marketing.
Congratulations on whatever you choose to persue next and on having the fastest PR jump of any blog in history. I bet you go from a 4 to an 8 in a week!

I have added Daggle to my blogroll as well as used your example to write a post warning to business owners not to confuse their packaging with their substance. While you graciously give credit to the people around you who helped make SES a success, at the end of the day you are the brand.

I hope you find a second to read my post and enjoy the good wishes sent by the many people are affected by your decision!

Earthquake – Danny Sullivan Fired

Hi Danny,
I officially joined the SEO industry in 2001 after having dabbled in it for several years, and met you at the SES Frisco conference that year. As many others have stated, I was — and remain — grateful to you for being a “regular guy” in your dealings with your colleagues. That attitude is so rare in business, that it shines like a bright light. You’ve definitely set a fine example for the industry.
Best wishes for your future — I’m sure whatever decisions you make, your devotion to the SEO community will ensure that those decisions will benefit the community and the industry.
It’s also nice that your wife and kids are able to view this outpouring of respect and appreciation — while you’re still alive! Most families hear such accolades only during a memorial service.

Danny, I sent you my thoughts about your influence a couple of months back via email (and yes, you replied), so I’ll not repeat it yet again. I’m pleased that you have such a good understanding of your position in the search community, and that you now have hard evidence of the respect the wider community has for you.
Just remember that for so many of us, you are the guiding light in our industry. Please keep holding that torch!
Thanks for all you’ve done, and for all that you will do in the future. Good luck!