Digital Asset Transfer, AI Ownership, and Cleaning Up Your Tech Stack with Paige Wiese

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