Hi peeps.

Just thought id ask a couple of questions and see what came back re some things im not quite sure of/lacking ideas.

I have been working on my micro isp idea for a while (to fill a niche, not easy to host (Obscene publications act anyone ;) ?)

I have done all my sums etc and the plans im doing are good VFM. I have toiled over spreadsheets and played with figures re: what each account consists of. (I even include a bi monthly backup F.O.C)

I worked out that I can make a reasonable profit after all expenses have been taken into account and the support is via mail.

Some questions though.

Is it wise/good to list a mobile number for support/emergencies (I have a dayjob as a windozee admin ;) but the boss is ok with it as long as its not ringing all day long) Would a mobile number encourage or discourage you.

I know my markets and my areas to spend advertising in. Whats a "reasonable" amount to spend on advertising ?

Also, being a kinda veteran of the www for some time I look to see how long a host has been running, ie the company has traded for x years. How do I get around this problem.

Lastly (yay I hear you cry) I was going to do paypal/online transaction services for payment. Is this a good idea, or do I *really* need CC taking capability ?

BTW if anyone wants adult hosting let me know ;)

Is it wise/good to list a mobile number for support/emergencies (I have a dayjob as a windozee admin but the boss is ok with it as long as its not ringing all day long) Would a mobile number encourage or discourage you.

Considering you won't be doing this full time, this would be a darn good idea. If people can't contact you the eight or so hours that you're at work, then you're looking for trouble. If you are skittish about having a mobile number listed, then get a toll free line from someone like www.telcan.net or www.kall8.com and have it directed to your cell phone.

A mobile number wouldn't discourage me though. Actually, unless someone lives in the same town as you, no one would know the difference.

I know my markets and my areas to spend advertising in. Whats a "reasonable" amount to spend on advertising ?

The most that you can afford to. Do small test advertising in different fields and then drop the cash into what is getting you the best return.

Also, being a kinda veteran of the www for some time I look to see how long a host has been running, ie the company has traded for x years. How do I get around this problem.

You don't. You're new, so there isn't a whole lot that you can do. However, you can play up the advantages of being small, i.e. personalized support, etc.

Lastly (yay I hear you cry) I was going to do paypal/online transaction services for payment. Is this a good idea, or do I *really* need CC taking capability ?

It is an absolutely horrible idea considering that PayPal will take your funds and freeze your account if you are running an adult service or adult webhost. Even if you weren't, I would still say to stay away from accepting PayPal as your only form of payment. They're a fine thing to have as a secondary processor for people that already use PayPal, but many people don't. If you're looking a local markets, you definitely need to have your own merchant account.

1. Using a cell phone is fine, perhaps tie your support requests to send a text message to you would work better.

2. As much as you can afford, it's good that you have a target audience, that will help you focus your ads. You can't spend enough on ads, but you can spend too much in the wrong areas, so spend a bit there and a bit over there, and pay attention to your ROI.

3. You can get around it by being honest about your hosts age and stressing your hosts quality and personal experiences. In a couple years you'll have been around for a couple years so it won't matter. =)

4. Do not use paypal as your sole means!!! WARNING WIL ROBINSON DANGER DANGER!. Hehe, that aside, it's okay to use alongside another means, preferably with a merchant account to accept credit cards.

The number one thing I recommend with PayPal is to extract your money as soon as you get it. Don't leave it in your PayPal account, get one of their debit cards and take it out often.

A lot of people get into this weird train of thought that PayPal money is not real money, so they spend it faster for some reason, don't do that, get it into your bank account.

In fact the more avenues for people to pay you the better. =)

Good luck.

I'm guessing that as you mentioned the obscene publications act you're British right? So people will know if you're using a mobile (all mobiles in the UK start with 07...a bit of a giveaway). I think settng it up so that if an email comes in it texts your phone is a good idea...but of course that means you wouldn't offering phone support hmmm

you could setup a virtual redirection service to fwd calls from an 0870 number to your mobile - you have to pay for the incoming call but might solve the "its a mobile" problem with potential clients.

you are also *presumably* looking @ colocating the server outside of the UK, with decent links/peering to get at the data ?

and be aware the "adult" oriented sites can be very space and resource intensive, combined with higher-than-average hack attempts and DoS etc

Thanks for all the advice peeps. Im gonna ring orange later to see how much an 0800 number would cost me.

As for hacking and DDOS I realise that it could be a potential problem. From what I know there isn't much you can do to stop ddos attacks :( Sad when you have to think about such things so early on.

With regard to transaction providers. Does anyone/can anyone suggest a good quality provider at reasonable (not cheap) cost ?

I wouldn't approach Orange for the 0870/0800 number if I were you - they'll probably charge a substantial amount of money.

You would be much better off with an independent telco or reseller, who'll probably give you the number for nothing and charge a reasonable amount for the calls to it.

Colin

You'll need your own merchant a/c and something like secpay - check with their t&c's

People like worldpay wont touch the adult market

Paypal for business just looks to amateurish, it gives the impression it's run by a 12yr old who cant get a proper bank a/c

some form of chargeback insurance is an absolute must