Peter Askew

Domain investor who turns premium .com names into businesses — and sells onions online

@searchbound Savannah, United States26K followersE-commerce Community Builders Acquirers & Indie Investors Creators & Writers

About Peter Askew

Peter Askew is a Savannah, Georgia–based solo operator and domain investor famous in the indie world as "the onion guy." After being laid off several times, he started teaching himself to build websites in 2004 and discovered that premium .com domain names could serve as both business inspiration and an unfair distribution advantage. He runs his projects under Deep South Ventures, a domain-driven web development incubator.

His best-known venture began in 2014, when he bought VidaliaOnions.com at auction with no farming experience. He partnered with Vidalia farmer Aries Haygood to sell the sweet onions direct to consumers; they expected around 50 orders in the first season and received more than 600. His 2019 essay about selling onions on the internet became a Hacker News favorite, and the business later expanded with Onions.com.

Alongside onions he runs niche job boards such as RanchWork.com and ZooJobs.com, and he grew DudeRanch.com into a hub for the dude ranch vacation industry before selling it in 2025. Other exits include CallTracking.com, KeyLimePies.com, LandBetweenTheLakes.com and SEOjobs.com. He is a proud Ole Miss alum who also donated OleMiss.com and RowanOak.com, and he writes candid essays about building small, boutique web businesses at an unhurried pace.

Products by Peter Askew

VidaliaOnions.com

vidaliaonions.com

Direct-to-consumer Vidalia sweet onions shipped from a partner farm in Vidalia, Georgia.

Onions.com

onions.com

Online onion shop and resource built on a premium category-defining domain.

RanchWork.com

ranchwork.com

Niche job board for ranch, equestrian and outdoor jobs.

ZooJobs.com

zoojobs.com

Job board for zoo, aquarium and animal care careers.

DudeRanch.com

duderanch.com

acquired

Directory and booking resource for dude ranch vacations, sold in 2025.

Deep South Ventures

deepsouthventures.com

His domain-driven web incubator and blog of essays on buying and developing domains.

Exit story

DudeRanch.com

buyer undisclosed · 2025

Peter Askew said he felt he had accomplished what he set out to do with the site and that it had given him as much as he had given it.

by Peter Askew

Peter Askew's journey, 2004–20256 milestones · self-reported

First product
Exit
Launch / milestone
Started 2004

2004Milestone: Began buying domains and teaching himself to build websites…
2014First product: Launched VidaliaOnions.com
2014Milestone: Bought VidaliaOnions.com at auction and partnered with farmer…
2017Milestone: Appeared on the DNW Podcast to discuss building web…
2019Launch: Published the essay about selling onions on the internet
2025Exit: Sold DudeRanch.com to a friendly competitor in the dude ranch…

Timeline

2004 — Began buying domains and teaching himself to build websites after repeated layoffs.
2014 — Bought VidaliaOnions.com at auction and partnered with farmer Aries Haygood; the first season brought 600+ orders against a goal of about 50.
2017 — Appeared on the DNW Podcast to discuss building web businesses from domain names.
2019 — Published the essay about selling onions on the internet, which became a Hacker News hit.
2025 — Sold DudeRanch.com to a friendly competitor in the dude ranch industry.

How Peter builds

A great domain name can be the business idea itself — let the name inspire the project.
Partner with a real domain expert (like a farmer) and be the web person.
Focus small job boards and shops on a single niche industry.
Run a portfolio so one project's rough year is cushioned by the others.
Purpose and customer relationships matter more than squeezing out profit.

Learn from Peter Askew

[newsletter]

Deep South Ventures essays

Essays on developing premium domains into small, durable web businesses.

by Peter Askew

[template]

Build a Side Business (with domain names)

His free starting guide to buying and developing neat domain names.

by Peter Askew

[podcast]

How I Sold 64,000 Pounds of Onions Online — Side Hustle Show #424

Interview on how VidaliaOnions.com works.

by Peter Askew

[podcast]

Peter Askew — Domain Expertise (The Bootstrapped Founder #202)

Conversation with Arvid Kahl on monetizing and buying domains.

by Peter Askew

Peter Askew FAQ

Who is Peter Askew?

Peter Askew is a Savannah, Georgia–based domain investor and solo builder best known for VidaliaOnions.com, which sells Vidalia sweet onions directly to consumers.

How did Peter Askew start selling onions online?

In 2014 he bought the VidaliaOnions.com domain at auction and partnered with a Vidalia farmer; the first season produced over 600 orders.

What other businesses does Peter Askew run?

He runs Onions.com and the niche job boards RanchWork.com and ZooJobs.com, and he has sold domains and sites including DudeRanch.com, CallTracking.com and SEOjobs.com.

What is Peter Askew's approach to domains?

He buys premium .com names and develops them into humble, niche websites, treating the domain itself as the business inspiration and distribution advantage.