I've been thinking...:idea:

IF I had my own really good server with Linux and Apache and Sendmail and all, that hosted my own site...

IF I had a really great internet-connection with fiberoptics...

IF I offered small specialized plans...

IF I explained that I do it from home and goes to work every day so support can't be instant, but mails will be answered ASAP (because I can read it from work) and minor problems will be solved with 24 hours, hardware problems as soon as parts can be bought and replaced...

... would I get any customers or would they all go away as soon as they find out that I'm a new host and support isn't through the phone 24/7?

Just thinking...:idea:

We do not offer phone support 24/7 and we get new customers every day ;)

I also started the business from home, not that I hosted my servers at home, I had rented colo space, but my original "office" was at home and to be honest, even though we now have a normal office I still like working from home, it is more comfortable :D

As long as you provide a good, reliable and in some way unique service, you will get customers and have success.

Good luck!

It really depends on a lot of factors and what expectations you have. Some weeks I get two new customers, some weeks I get no new valid orders. My hosting customer base grows very slowly, but it is just steadily getting larger since most customers stick around.

I work out of my home and I have two partners who work out of there homes as well. We do a decent amount of consultant work and software development so I do not think office location matters too much. The servers are kept in a top-notch co-location facility so the bandwidth and other protections are industry standard.

Considering my business, I can work practically from anywhere as long as I have my laptop and a cell phone. (Okay, so a high-speed Internet connection is helpful).

The benefit of an office really only comes when you have more than a few people working together and a central facility helps to keep a team organized. (It may not be nice to say, but I think there is a lot of "babysitting" going on in the workplace today as well.)

Only time can tell. Running a small business is hard work, but I find it very enjoyable overall. To me now working with computers and other people is like playing legos as a child (hours and hours of fun). As long as my software and services continue to sell, perhaps I will be able to avoid having to ever getting a "real job."

working from home should be no problem, not having phone support is common.

Of course - you wouldn't talk about your weaknesses, you would just state what you offer & then talk about your strengths.

Getting customers is more a function of marketing what you offer than what you offer - at least at the start. Once you build some clients you will get custoners via word of mouth.

With the hosting market - no matter what you offer - at least 100 other hosts offer the same thing. This business is a service wrapped around a product, rather than a product wrapped around a service

You'll be fine provided you can afford the time to market your hosting. Hosting doesn't market itself, and you've got to be very proactive when it comes to marketing, or you'll have a hard time paying the bills. Also, have the systems in place to handle large amounts of traffic--BEFORE you get a single customer on your server. A good system will save you a lot of headaches down the road. Another must is to always be thinking ahead of the curve. If you fall behind, you're very unlikely ever to catch back up.

Just a few ideas I've picked up over the years, some of them from experience, and some of them are issues I still deal with today.

Jonathan

:) Thank you so much for your replies! They have been very helpful. Planning ahead is very important, and with the pointers you've given me, I have a better understanding of where to start.

If someone else have anything to add; experiences, thoughts...they are more than welcome.

Thanks!:)

how do you guys advertise? word of mouth?

Should I offer both monthly and yearly payments, or just one or the other?

Originally posted by reptilian-fe
Should I offer both monthly and yearly payments, or just one or the other?

I would stick with monthly it is easier for billing and a lot less problems if someone wants a refund. In web hosting a monthly hosting client is considered an asset while a yearly client is debit. The monthly client owes you money every month, while you owe the yearly client 12 months of service.

If you do offer a yearly plan I would make it a special offer

Thanks! I hadn't thought of it that way. Something like: Pay a year in advance and get a small discount. :confused:

Originally posted by reptilian-fe
Thanks! I hadn't thought of it that way. Something like: Pay a year in advance and get a small discount. :confused:

Usually most hosts including us offer something like pay 10 months get a whole year discounts. I would suggest only offering monthly payment on your site but be willing to offer a yearly rate if someone requests it..

one thing i'd like to add: if its monthly through auto CC.. then its ok.. but monthly through cash/ cheque is sometimes troublesome... to chase the clients for payment.
u can utilise that time to find a new client ;)