Ok, so because of everyone's great advice and some somewhat exhaustive research, I think I have decided to go with hostnine.com and their entry level reseller plan.

Now the question is this... What up front costs am I looking at realistically? Obviously there is the $20 for the hosting plan; I assume I will need an SSL license so my clients can conduct business securely from my website. That is probably another $20 or so. What would be needed to resell domain names. I think I saw somehwere that enum requires $100 up front. It sure would be nice to offer domain names without the up front cash.

Is there anything else I have missed? Is there anyway around the up front cash to resell domain names?

Thanks for all the input.

Hi,

If you are really serious of entering the business

billing software = 20-25 / month
support software = there are freeware as well as paid. (Paid usually better)
chat software = do you need chat support for your client?
support fees = are out outsourcing or doing it yourself?
enom = 100 min
SSL = price varies depending on your needs.

legal aspects
business license = 45-90 (depending on the county)
DBA license = varies from county to county
merchant account or 3rd party ? = fees are different on your decision. This is how you collect money.


marketing expenses
ppc = pay per click
affiliate = how much will you pay per customer
SEO = doing it yourself or hiring someone?

These are the only things that come to mind but there are several others.