I have a couple of issues, I recently started a web hosting business. But a couple of things are making me quite frustrated.

1) Marketing, getting the name out there is really tough, alot of people are interested and loved my prices but they never bought and I never heard from them again.

2) My host is cheap, I get great disk space and bandwidth and this allows me to make my plans look real good. But I got what I paid for, the owner of the company is the only one who does everything (like me) but he does not do anything, it takes a day or two for him to respond to tickets! And his responses aren't even helpful

3) Can't find a new host comparable to what I get right now $9.95 a month for 100 GB Space and 1000GB Transfer.

Can someone please tell me what I should do? I am getting a headache by trying to figure out how to fix all of this:(

Thanks,
Nick

Hi,

Sorry to see you are in trouble. I woul reccomend you to get a good and inexpensive dedicated server with preinstalled software. You need your own machine if you want to start producing web hosting services. Now you are reseller of a web hositng plans build by someone else. A good dedicated server would cost you no more than $150 per month. If you have one you will be able to create plans and to manage them.

Hope you are good enough to manage a server because if you are not... then you need a managed one... and the price goes up.

Once you have all this you can say I have a start-up web host and you can start selling. I can advice you to learn everything about the software applications you provide so you should be able to explain the service and to distinguish your service from tons of web hosts out there.

Then you can talk to people who need and advice, to respond on shared hosting requests and to put ads somewhere but for less.... it is not easy to establish a company... but don't get discouraged. Anyone who works hard can make it.

you have answered your own questions in 2nd and 3rd point.
i guess you are on reseller and 100 GB/1000 GB for $9.99 reseller is NOT possible and you cant expect good support either. Get a quality reseller account first and make your plan reasonable instead of competing on storage and bandwidth with 1000GB reseller accounts.
someone explained here "I am not overselling as my reseller provides me unlimited resources"
hope it helps :)

Thanks for the help guys but I just don't have the budget, I was hoping this would get me by for now and then when I got a little more money, I would then upgrade to a dedicated server, but it doesn't seem possible right now as my budget is low..:(

I would suggest getting a reseller from a better company, because you get what you pay for as far as support.

Can you suggest one? I've been looking for 2 hours:(

3) Can't find a new host comparable to what I get right now $9.95 a month for 100 GB Space and 1000GB Transfer.


How is the uptime? I don't think you can survive long with that crazy space/bandwidth spec.

Uptime is not bad, it's pretty good just every once in a while it will drop for a couple seconds and come back

Well you are getting what you payed for. And you might just been lucky with the downtime so far.
Don't think that you'd be really able to use that 100 gb of space, that's just plain overselling.
You should look for a host with a better support and that doesn't oversell their reseller plans.

Cabron, I am actually looking into being hosted by you:)

But I would like to further talk about it over AIM, MSN, Skype, or Phone

LOL.
Why don't you try live chat?

I am on MSN with them, I thought you were the owner.

Thanks for the help guys but I just don't have the budget, I was hoping this would get me by for now and then when I got a little more money, I would then upgrade to a dedicated server, but it doesn't seem possible right now as my budget is low..:(

That's not gonna cut it in the hosting industry. You can't just hope to start up with a few dollars a month and hope people will just come without you having to spend a decent amount of money on it. If you can't afford it, perhaps you shouldn't be doing this, or perhaps you should wait till you do have the budget?

I'm not saying necessarily you need a dedicated server right away, but you're not going to find something comparable to your host that will be reliable in any sense of the term. These types of things cost. Just a reality check.

Well, I guess I needed that reply.. I was questioning myself too:( I just don't know anymore:(

Well, I guess I needed that reply.. I was questioning myself too:( I just don't know anymore:(

It can definitely be frustrating for many, many reasons. But I think you could be much more successful if you sat down and planned out all of this, found a way to get a better budget for your hosting and advertising, found an appropriate niche you can enter and did research on that niche. You can't just hope to sell on price, space, and bandwidth anymore because there will always be someone cheaper than you, and you really don't want to play that game. Do this properly and it can be rewarding.

I will recommend CartikaHosting (http://www.cartikahosting.com/) for a reseller account, as they are an excellent provider though much pricier than your current one.

Thanks, but a little pricey:(

That's cheaper than your previous host...you're really pushing it looking for those types of hosts. I've never heard of them but if I were you, I'd never put clients onto a host with those types of plans.

Ya, I clicked the wrong link, anyways, I'm going to let my current customers payments run out and then quit this.. I do not have the budget for this:(

<snipped>

I'm going to let my current customers payments run out and then quit this.. Better let the customers know about this in advance as well. :)

1) Marketing, getting the name out there is really tough, alot of people are interested and loved my prices but they never bought and I never heard from them again.As a small reseller you are not in the position to fight the pricing war, so don't try it. Sell something else besides numbers. Sell your technical/years of experience, your friendliness, your humor even. And put your service in the hands of an experienced reseller hosting provider.

Up your budget like the others mentioned and it will open up a whole new world to you :)

There is a saying that goes something like this:

"If you always do what you have always done, your always going to get what you always got."

If you keep looking in that shared hosting range for a reseller account, your always going to get what you already have.

Best of luck to you!

-Tracy

Hi!
Alright. I don't usually respond to posts like this..but..I just can't resist. Sooo many people get reseller accounts and instantly think they can build a business with little or no investment.

Wake up, people! It's a pipedream. Dreams are ok..to a certain point. Having a positive mental attitude is swell..but that by itself ain't gonna make anything fly.

It blows my mind that many people do not start locally. SPECIALIZE. Who do *you* know that may need hosting?
Printers? Small Gift Shops? Restaurants? Restaurant owners are *always* looking for new and inovative ways of building their customer/client base.

Come up with something nobody else is doing. Or do what the others are doing better. I know a person who does only Church websites. That's it..just churches.

Talk to customers/potential customers. How many of you never even bothered running any of your ideas by a friend? co-worker?

Any market..there is always room for people who can justify a reason for people to shell out $10-20/month..for whatever.

Do the homework. research. Where is there opportunity?

Bryon

Giving oversold plans to resellers is worst than giving oversold plans to end users. Because the reseller is going to use all that space but the end user isn't.

Alright. I'm fired up now.

Here's something else: Not everybody is cut out to start their own business. Some people can't..won't..be successful..no matter what. It's a fact.

I'm not saying you have to be crazy (good crazy) but it helps!
I still have not found my place in all this...but I'm still looking..still trying (Curse you Hosting Vortex(tm)!)

Feh.

OK..here I go again..free consultant to the hosting industry!

Why is marketing always the one that gets the short stick? It's the most important piece to the puzzle..and yet...how the heck does it get left out so many times?

You can have the best service, best uptime, best prices and most features..but if people don't know about you..well...it's all for naught.

many of you mention 1&1's huge marketing ads. Some even critisize them for spending all that dough..does it work, though?

Yes..it does. First..you don't realize *why* those ads are so large and ran so often. It is cheaper. They enter into monster long-term ad contracts with these magazines..and..believe it or not..they pay a lot less for them than you might think.

Call up any of these magazines and talk to a ad rep...and you'll learn that what I say is the truth.

Do they make money? On me..they certainly don't. And can't..because I won't allow them to. Most people learn the hard way they make money on the backend..with those wonderful little extra overage charges.

Small hosts can learn tons from the big guys..if you pay attention. Watch. Listen. Learn.

Take a look at their FAQ section. Here is a biggie. I don't think I have ever seen a more comprehensive FAQ section..bar any host. Take a look at it. See how easy it is to use. See how 99% of the questions most people are going to ask are there..already answered. Even though their support is slow and bad (in my opinion)..most people will never have to use it.

Well...that's the last freebie of the day, folks.

I'm gonna do some more fishing. Here fishies!

Bryon