I was wondering how long it took for most of you to make a profit (or get customers) from your web hosting business?

My approach will be different. I am going to have a very strict policy of not doing business with friends. I have gotten burnt doing that in the past, so I am going to leave that alone. :) That will mean that advertising in my own back yard is out, and will have to rely soley on new customers.

I looked at the thread here on the hosting directories, but the majority do not seem to have been updated in a while.

So, assuming your are extremely dedicated, active in forums, and have your site in the popular directories, approximately how long would it take to get customers?

Also, I was thinking of holding a sign-up for free hosting for some people while I work out the bugs in my support programs, etc. Has that worked for anyone else? I am hoping that if they like my services, they will spread the word. :)

I am not looking for a get rich quick scheme. I have every intention of putting in many hours of work and I am very dedicated. Financially, I want to know what to prepare for.

Also, I will be reselling for another company, just in case that makes a difference. I realize that some people will not give me a chance because of that, but the minute I have enough customers, I am going to get my own server.

Your should get at least 1 customer in the first week or so, and make a profit in the first year (usually in the first 6 months)

Unless you become a reseller first, then you will see a profit right from the beginning (sometimes this is the best way to do it)

[Edited by CRego3D on 01-10-2001 at 06:31 PM]

Starting out as a reseller is the way to go for most people. You are supposed to provide the support for your customers, but if you run into a problem, you still have your host to fall back on. Start out on a dedicated box, and you are pretty much on your own.

Also, starting out as a reseller will allow you to build a customer base of paying customers before you have your own servers. Then when you have enough customers to pay for the server you can switch.

If this is the route you take, look for a hosting company to resell for that has a control panel you can use when you move up to a dedicated server. If you want to get a dedicated server from Ala., them find a hosting company currently using them, and resell for them. If you want to use the VDI control panel, look for a host using this control panel and resell for them. This will make the change from a reseller to your own server much easier. The customers will be used to the control panel, and the directory structure of the server should be the same, allowing you to transfer the files easier.

My best guess is that you should start mking profit within the first 3-4 months. I recommend you to try out GoTo.com and FindWhat.com for very affordable (don't pay more than 5c/click) and EFFECTIVE (worked for me) advertising... also check out http://payperc.com/

Good Luck (I'm starting a new web hosting biz now too, so I'm interested in finding out about other new ones as well)

Boris

'word of mouth' indeed is an effective way of getting customers, but sometimes for new hosts, it is not easy to even get the first 10 customers if you are not known to the netizen.

There are a lot of work to be done initially to get known. If you have limited funds, ads are out of your options, what else can you to get known, search engine ? indexes ? forums ? how to go about it ?

Plan youself well for all this, majority of your work initially will be to 'get known'.

good luck.