Jared Johnson sits down with Paige Wiese, founder of Tree Ring Digital, a 16-year full-service digital marketing and web agency, to unpack the part of buying or selling a business that almost nobody plans for: digital asset transfer. Paige explains why domains, hosting, email, social accounts, analytics, third-party tools, brand files, and even AI/GPT logins often sit in personal inboxes or with old vendors—and how that can stall or even devalue a transaction. She walks through her two-step approach (digital asset assessment, then a 300+ point audit), why buyers should ask earlier for logins and proof of marketing performance, how sellers can show up more prepared, and what can go wrong when a domain expires or the recovery email is deleted. They also get into the new issue of employees training GPTs on company data under personal accounts, and why companies need standards now: one company-owned AI account, clear rules on what data can go in, and a plan for what happens when an employee leaves.

Main Takeaways:

- Most businesses cannot produce logins on demand and access is scattered across staff, vendors, and old emails

- Digital assets (domains, hosting, email, website, social, analytics, third-party tools) are business assets and should be part of the deal

- A two-step process works best: identify gaps, then audit and recover everything before close

- There are far more digital data points in a modern business than owners realize, often 300+

- Expired domains, deleted recovery emails, and vendor deaths can take 1–2 weeks to unwind

- Sellers who package digital assets cleanly reduce friction and protect valuation

- Buyers should ask early for proof of marketing performance and actual ownership of key platforms

- Key employees should not be single points of failure for website SOPs, renewals, or platform access

- Use a single company-controlled email (webmaster@ / marketing@ / info@) for all third-party tools and renewals

- AI/GPT tools introduce new risk when staff train models with company data under personal accounts

- Companies should provide the AI account, define what can be uploaded, and make it portable on exit

- Auditing tools also surfaces unused SaaS/AI expenses and can save money while organizing assets

Episode Highlights:

[00:00:21] Why digital asset transfer is an overlooked part of ETA and small business deals

[00:02:05] Paige’s background, 16 years running Truing Digital

[00:04:12] “Do you have the login?” and why clients rarely have everything in one place

[00:08:17] Preparing to sell in 6–12 months: start with a digital asset assessment

[00:10:43] The 300+ digital data points behind a business

[00:15:48] Extreme case: developer dies, everything was on reseller accounts, legal recovery required

[00:20:22] Standards of practice: one shared email for renewals and third-party tools

[00:26:14] Post-transaction integration: re-running the checklist once the buyer owns the business

[00:28:32] The “website is down six months after close” call and why it happens

[00:31:40] AI complication: personal GPTs trained on company data

[00:33:27] Policy solution: company-provided AI accounts and data rules

[00:37:25] Document everything before IT wipes a departing employee’s machine

Connect with Paige:

Website: https://www.treeringdigital.com/beforeyoubuyorsellabusiness

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigewiese/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreeRingDigital/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treeringdigital/

Tree Ring Digital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/treeringdigital/posts/?feedView=all

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@treeringdigital

Connect with Jared:

If you have questions for Jared, visit: https://jaredwjohnson.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredwjohnson/

DISCLAIMER:

The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the guests and host. They do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of my employer.

Keywords:

digital asset transfer, ETA, small business acquisition, website ownership, domain recovery, hosting and SSL, marketing ops, AI account governance, GPT workplace policy, third-party tools, renewals management, post-transaction integration, seller preparedness, buyer due diligence, SOPs for logins, SaaS sprawl, data security