Ever feel like all the little hassles, bs, problems, setbacks etc... when it comes to running a web hosting company just isnt worth it? ever feel like web hosting is so cut throat it is almost not even worth being involved with it?

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yes, I also have bad days, but at the end I think it's a good sector to be in ;)

I always try to look around when things are bad and realize that the bad comes before the good, and eventually it all will be worth it.

I'm still here aren't I?

Running a business in general is hard work and running a hosting is a tough and competitive business. Everyone has their bad days. But every business and everybody will need/want a website. This business is never going away and it will keep getting bigger. It's a big enough market to support many different types of hosts. So figure out your strengths and niche and focus!

I look at it this way. There must of been something that made you start, where has that gone?

You have to keep faith, Also knowing what your doing and having a buisness plan helps. All the good things in life are hard.

Nope, I enjoy it tremendously. But that's most likely because I've been doing it for years and enjoy a successful business. I also attribute this to me being a networking geek, most likely. However if you're feeling so put off, you need to find ways of enriching your services so that you get a breath of fresh air. Some change always feels good. ;)

Ever feel like all the little hassles, bs, problems, setbacks etc... when it comes to running a web hosting company just isnt worth it? ever feel like web hosting is so cut throat it is almost not even worth being involved with it?
No, no and no.

I love hosting and am glad I got into it. Walking into the office, sitting on one of the couches and asking, whats happening is great.

We don't compete with the b.s. of the industry, therefore we don't have to worry about it.

However, my friends come to me to vent and I listen and always offer the same words in return. You'd never know just how great the good times were if there weren't bad times.

Ever feel like all the little hassles, bs, problems, setbacks etc... when it comes to running a web hosting company just isnt worth it? ever feel like web hosting is so cut throat it is almost not even worth being involved with it?

I must admit yes, I never knew what I was getting into when I started webhosting.. Its so much harder then I expected it to be.

But I still enjoy it. :)

Any business and any line of work has its difficulties, hosting isn't different.

I think it is harder at the start, when you are trying to make a name for yourself and get those valuable connections. I think its like 50% of businesses fail within the first 6 months, i think in web hosting this % is probably higher. Once you get past the start successfully you have a strong chance of success. Of course your business model has work to get to that stage.

You know to be perfectly honest i have asked myself those very same questions quite a few times..but im not going to give up..through all the crap you deal with in hosting you learn 10 times that. Sure ive had my hard months/days but you take them and learn from it and keep moving towards your goal.

just my 2 cents...

Ever feel like all the little hassles, bs, problems, setbacks etc... when it comes to running a web hosting company just isnt worth it? ever feel like web hosting is so cut throat it is almost not even worth being involved with it?
You need to change the way you think. Stop having hassles, bs, problems and setbacks! Have challanges and overcome them! Any and every business is a challange, if your an entrepreneur and start a business, embrace those challanges. It'll make you and your business better.

Ever feel like all the little hassles, bs, problems, setbacks etc... when it comes to running a web hosting company just isnt worth it? ever feel like web hosting is so cut throat it is almost not even worth being involved with it?

Given time and allowing experience to accumulate, those setbacks, hassles, problems, etc. will become easier and easier to overcome. Don't give up :)

thanks for your encouraging words, they helped.

Where would you be if you didnt have to deal with these things?

Also, not meant to offend, but maybe you shoudl take care of potential problems before they happen

If you are proactive, this business can be a lot of nice extra money with a little extra work. I find that you can never get rich with it, but you can have a nice comfortable life, at least where I live.

No, no and no.

I love hosting and am glad I got into it. Walking into the office, sitting on one of the couches and asking, whats happening is great.

We don't compete with the b.s. of the industry, therefore we don't have to worry about it.

However, my friends come to me to vent and I listen and always offer the same words in return. You'd never know just how great the good times were if there weren't bad times.

Agreed - this is a great industry where innovation and solid performance is rewarded! I will point out, however, there are many general business rules that some hosts either don't know or forget that they apply to the hosting industry.


Kind Regards,

Websoltech - you sound really down there, pal! Don't be - if you are already in business then you made it over the first hurdle which most folks never do - that is you understand that there is ultimately little future in working for someone else - you have the true entrepreneurial spirit!

That is not to say that working for yourself is a bed of roses either - it's sometimes hellishly tough, compared to being an employee of a company.

I don't know what you offer clients who are looking for hosting - but if you are offering the same as everyone else, then it's going to be hard to succeed against all that UNDIFFERENTIATED competition - and that's the key - to differentiate your offering in the perception of your market. All major companies know this - even the soap powder companies do it, with their branding and heavy millions on advertising - when in fact the products are all the same!

We don't have those budgets, but you should seek ways to genuinely raise the profile of your offering by adding something more than the others, that looks like value and is calue but costs you nothing or little.

I'll give you an example that we use - after several of our clients websites were hacked in one night (index page defaced - not serious), we offered to scan their sites twice daily for any future similar occurrences.

With a little bit of free software this is now happening automatically - and we now advertise that as an included service. It's no lie - we are doing it and many host companies do not do it - just visit anti-hacking sites to see how many website pages have been hacked and are still available in their hacked state because no one knows they have been hacked! Soooo embarassing to a business owner - you can help him avoid that - with your excellent customer-focused service, which offers value to clients. They always know value when they see it!

Thats just a "for instance " - as someone earlier said "there are no problems, only opportunities"

well.. that depends how many client you have and how much money you're making from them... ;)

Like so many of life's questions, the answer I'd suggest to you would be to make a list. Make a list of all of the things that you don't like about the business, most loathsome at the top, and then take them one by one and figure out ways to minimize either how much they happen to you or how much they bring you down.

Then maybe make a list of the things you like and try and maximize them.

hosting is the hardest business I know, probably it can be compared with real estate market, but at least when you know that you are SMTH on it you can say to yourself, hey, guy, you did it and keep doing well, and this is really a good feeling

thank you all for your wisdom, im getting through it, i genuinely appreciate your words... it is good to work for yourself.

Hold your head up high, and keep looking forward, looking back makes you go back IMHO.

Thats how I see it, bad stuff happens, but its the good you get out of it. It's all running of my lips tonight/morning where ever you are.

Running a web hosting business is tremendously low key compared to other jobs.

Hi,

Sorry to hear that you're down. I think every web hosting business owner gets that from time to time. Whether its the fact that a server will go down at the worst time possible or that a customer has decided to make you miserable, we all have our bad days.

We are lucky that in web hosting, revenue is recurring, we (hopefully) don't make one time sales like many other industries - chances are that our customers keep coming back and we know we will be paid next month.

Keep your head up, provide a valuable service for your customers & keep at it. It's a rough, rough 24x7 job, but if it works, there's nothing better than being your own boss :)