Hello, like thread name says, I want to start with web hosting ;) I already read few tutorials, but still have few questions.

First of all, what do you think is $500 enough to start(+ I would give about $300 every month for advertising ) ? I already have dedicated server, is it wroth to start on dedi server, and buy all possible licences ... or is it better for me to start with reseller from some well known company, like hostgator ?

The most important part is, that I have a lot of time. For start I can deal with clients support and so on... What do you think, am I ready for start ?

It is possible to get started in web hosting on a shoe string budget, but there are a lot more possible costs associated with it than just a dedicated server & advertising.

You may want to put together a business plan to guide you through your setup and to success. Check out this great resource:
http://www.resellerguide.com/

Additional costs to consider:
Server/Reseller Account, Client Management System, Merchant Account, Business License Fees(incorpoation?), Support & Administration, software licenses, etc.

Good Luck. :)

I would probably start with a reseller account, but before you do that, read..read and then read some more. This forum is a great resource, you need to know the basics before you start, if you don't, you'll quickly get overwhelmed. Find a good small company to do reselling for, with an owner that has and wants to share their knowledge with you. That will help you out more then you know.

Good Luck!

Preperation is the key to your business venture.

You would not climb mout Everest without being prepared, well starting & running a business is pretty much the same, except, the mounting keeps moving.
So 'Be Prepared'.

im opening one too.. add me on MSN and we talk :)

I already have dedicated server

If you already have a dedicated server, then why would you want to resell for someone else? Unless you are saying you have a server at your house that is connected to your DSL line or something.

because just cpanel license coast $400+ / year ?

pay monthly?

even bigger loss ;) cpanel is hard to afford unless you have 100+ clients ;)

Ok 1question, is there any other control panel like "cpanel" which is good as cpanel and cheaper?

not that ive used..

Ok 1question, is there any other control panel like "cpanel" which is good as cpanel and cheaper?

DirectAdmin

Hi Jack,

I suggest u to get a reseller plan.. u hav so many options to get a cheap reseller plan..increase the number of clients by spending in advertising..once u feel u hav sufficient clients u can get a server and transfer all ur clients to ur server.. also cpanel is one of the best choice rather than any other control panel since it is much user friendly..i am a linux admin and if u need any help u can contact me.. just let me know if I can help u more..

getting server not matters..its hard to get clients.. so increase number of clients and then u can ROCK

vitualmin is cheap but not as good as cpanel

I second techbuddys comments with regard to a reseller account, its the best place to start. Also, check out www.surpasshosting.com sign up there and you get free WHMCS to do your order and billing systems!

because just cpanel license coast $400+ / year ?

You can get it for around $38 per month. If you dedicated is hosted in a datacenter, you might could get a deal through them as well. Alternatively, you could load VMware on your dedicated server and do VPS's and get a VPS cPanel license for $14 per month. Just a thought...

Direct admin is not a bad way to go that is what I use for my reseller account and it is just simple. I have also used http://hostingcontroller.com/ (http://hostingcontroller.com/) and http://intraisp.com (http://intraisp.com/) I like hosting controller allot its packed with features and affordable. Also check out http://sourceforge.net/ (http://sourceforge.net/) for hosting tools there are a ton of apps out there to help you get started. You can make some ok cash with a dedicated server but if you own the hardware your costs per customer will be less in the long run. Remember the Dedicated server provider is still making money on that server so if you do it yourself it is less expensive in the long run.


If you get big which you want to you can get a Rack that will hold say 40 servers for under $1000.00
You can pick up a pretty high end Dell server for about $58.00/Server/Month on a 3 year lease then you own it.
So your cost per server is about $85.00/Month including Windows 2003 if you did not want to go the Linux route and
you could host 400 to 1000 sites on each server. Then you can purchase bandwidth at the 95th percentile instead of ????GB per month which will save you a ton in the long run.

If you are brand new to the hosting business like you are. But you do have the money for marketing.

A. Start of with a great web design.
B. Lease a VPS or Reseller w/ Cpanel
C. Spend $100 - $200 a month on marketing

Build up a client base, a happy client is more important that having the best CPU or most RAM. If you lease a VPS then the server should be good enough to host your 20+ clients.
Once you've reached a good amount of satisfied end users on your billing software. Then migrate them over using cPanel's migrate tool to your very own dedicated server that you Colocated or Rented.

You should be more concerned with how the end user (client) deals with your website and company and how they enjoy your support service.