Hello,

I am starting a web design company in which I don't know much about web design and hosting. I will be outsourcing the web design and reselling the hosting.

As far as the hosting goes I am looking for a company with great support for a novice like me. I have never gone through the process of setting up a website for hosting but I heard it's pretty easy. From the research I have done the company that looks the best is hostgator.com. The problem I have with Host Gator is that I have to contact customer support for support issues that my clients have unlike something like godaddy. What do you guys think about Host Gator?

Are there any additional companies that you recommend?

Thank you for your time.

I am starting a web design company in which I don't know much about web design and hosting.

How can you start web design company when you don't know much about web designing? :eek:

Well I'm learning on the go. I am an entrepreneur and I see a lot of potential in the website design business.

You know what , running a web designing business is not that easy.

Yes , web hosting business can be a good option to start.

I am refering you to start with web hosting company because in web hosting business , experience will make you to run it in the best way but in web designing company you should be a good programmer so that you can understand the basic.

Thank you for your advice but how about this. Assuming that I have the web designing aspect covered I need to host these websites with a good company that offers solid support for someone who has never gone through the process of setting up hosting for a website. Any suggestions?

I recommend innohosting. best i've seen by far. lots of freebies, great service and support, priced right, fast servers in la or uk.

Well I'm learning on the go. I am an entrepreneur and I see a lot of potential in the website design business.

From your comments you dont really have the first clue about web design or hosting. No entrepreneur in their right mind would go near web design and hosting, so im guessing this is just how you like to think of yourself! If you are looking to make 'easy money' through outsourcing the hosting and design to others then you are in for a BIG shock. You are entering one of the most competitive markets there is where companies come and go daily. Be under no illusion that the web design and hosting industry is an easy one to get into.
/lesson /rant

more helpful comments:
Host gator is very much the vanilla of the industry they provide straight forward webhosting to a huge customer base. They have a massive advertising budget so you will see them everywhere. There isnt really anything bad to say about them they are very good at what they do which is appealing to a mass market.

Out of interest how do you intend to market this venture?

Would you not be better off choosing an industry that you had some interest in prior to starting a business?

Web design is not easy to run.
I give webhosting a vote.

The problem I have with Host Gator is that I have to contact customer support for support issues that my clients have unlike something like godaddyWith Godaddy you will not be able to setup your own packages to fit your particular target market. You'll have to sell their predefined ones.

There are hosts out there that provide "end user support". You should be able to find recommendations of such providers in these threads:

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/search.php?query=end+AND+user+AND+support&searchuser=&exactname=1&starteronly=0&forumchoice=3&childforums=1&titleonly=0&showposts=0&searchdate=0&beforeafter=after&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending&replyless=0&replylimit=0&searchthreadid=0&saveprefs=1&quicksearch=0&searchtype=1&exclude=&nocache=0&ajax=0&imagehash=&imagestamp=&

Because you are starting out in both web design and hosting. It may best to take things one step at a time? So it may be worth considering being an affiliate instead, and make the jump to reseller hosting when you feel more comfortable and are sure this is the business you want to get into?

I have never gone through the process of setting up a website for hosting but I heard it's pretty easy.
I have never driven a Racing Car in a Race but it's a car and I can drive car; should be easy, right?

You are best off to hire a Key Man then trust & depend on them to make the right decisions; for dealing with both, Web Design Contractors and the Hosting company.

If you were to do it yourself you could use anyone for anything since you are still learning the ropes. Odds are you'll hit some bumps and that's where your Management skills will need to be top notch.

Web designing is not easy. I guess what you are looking for is a host with lots of ready-made designing softwares loaded with the hosting. With a very few employees you can manage both designing and hosting. But think about marketing your hosting services and the changing trends (like fashion) in web designing. If you can handle them, you can remain above the water.

If you think web design and hosting are easy business, you are wrong. Both need a lot of skills, if you are not capable you will end up with frustrated clients.

I would consider easy business like opening a cafeteria :)

Pyogucc,

Send me the email address so that I can mail you some stuff so that you can take a considered decision.

Kul

Hello,

I am starting a web design company in which I don't know much about web design and hosting. I will be outsourcing the web design and reselling the hosting.



Sounds like the perfect credentials for running a successful hosting company.... :)

I guess you're coming from a Sales & Marketing background? If so, I suggest partnering up with someone with technical expertise otherwise you'll quickly see any profit margins disappear. We handle all our services in-house for both this reason and quality of service.

Good luck!

Well I'm learning on the go. I am an entrepreneur and I see a lot of potential in the website design business.
It does seem to me that as 'an entrepreneur', your eyes need checking.
There are so many other, simpler, more profitable business opportunities available to you.
Skills, passion & insanity are the essentials for this industry, I personaly have 'insanity' by the bucketload..

You can't get into web design unless you know programming, that is a simple given. And it's hard to be succesful at something unless you have the knowledge and the enjoyment of doing what you do.

Go to resellerpanel.com The free eseller program has fantastic support for you and your clients. You can enter accounts manually and the panel is set up. You can also control the prices. (your web can have both the design and hosting segements)

If I may come in and offer my two cents (yes I know I am fresh to web hosting). But I have been a webmaster of a midsized company for years, and learned "the trade", started by developing myself and then, when the company grew, learned to outsource design and technique, trying to make the company happy with the result and the developers happy with the amount of details they needed to actually create something.

It Is Not Easy!!! You constantly juggle between the customer, and the developers, and you really need to know what you are talking about otherwise chaos is the result.

Recently I started for myself, I have taken up hosting now to keep it all in house. I have one advice for you: first learn the basics, THEN start thinking about outsourcing.

To do it the other way around is madness and a lost cause. Hope this helps prevent a huge disappointment...

Oh yes, to actually answer your question: you can't go wrong with HostGator :)

From your comments you dont really have the first clue about web design or hosting. No entrepreneur in their right mind would go near web design and hosting

Really? My best mate runs a web design company that's turning over a large profit each year. Entrepreneur's will get involved in any market where they see a calculated risk is worth taking, I don't think expressing opinions on a wide industry is such a good idea.

Web Design is a hard market to get into, but if you find the right clients - business does come.

When I worked with my very first client about 4 years ago I ended up getting other clients from that one person. My very first client was an interior designer, who told her friend who was a Joiner who told his boss who was a Multi Millionaire with a huge housing company.

If you have the determination, the skills and the ability to do it then go for it, only you can make that decision.

Maybe the sentence the OP started this thread with: I am starting a web design company in which I don't know much about web design and hosting. gave the wrong impression then, you can hardly flame people for giving advice based on that statement :)

I've been using HG as a reseller for a while and experience has been overall good. When I have issues the support response has been well I don't experience downtime that often. Just my .02.

i like the race car comment - Ya good luck
here is what i would do
put together a business plan
set up and design your own website first - learn on the go
and then you will get a better idea

When I worked with my very first client about 4 years ago I ended up getting other clients from that one person. My very first client was an interior designer, who told her friend who was a Joiner who told his boss who was a Multi Millionaire with a huge housing company.
That my friend is called 'luck', something any self respecting "entrepreneur"
does not realy upon.

From the OP's comments, he might as well 'decide' to build spaceships,
because there's plenty of money there !

Most of these so called "entrepreneurs", couldn't explain to anybody the
benifits of a window cleaning business over other businesses.

They have only a wish.
Too often we see what happens [especialy in our industry], when businesses are founded on a wish !

Now if the OP want's do run a web design or web hosting business, because he loves that kind of thing, that's fine, it will need some learning, dedication & good old fashioned 'hard work'.
but if he's looking at it as an entrepreneur, and is motivated by the green stuff, he will eventualy realise, there are many easier ways to 'make it'.

Hmm, all though the initial statement does seem to warrant the "You are going to fail" style posts - ive worked with plently of companys where the directors have no idea how the business works, they just invest the cash.

If the OP is in a similar position, in that they see an oppurtunity and are looking to invest lots of cash/marketing etc into a company, then outsourcing the services can work ok as long as the outsourced services are provided by reliable companies, hence the initial question!

So with that in mind, i would recommend Axishost - they do mention on their website they offer support for an additional charge, and there service is exceptional.

However, if the OP is simply thinking, web hosting/design is easy money, ill put nothing in, post on a few forums and make an easy buck etc... no chance.

Edit - as others have said above - if the OP fits the criteria i outlined at the start of my post (e.g lots of cash) i agree you should put it somewhere else, web design and especially web hosting aint an easy market!

I recommend the fuel industry ;0)

I have worked with many different design/host companies as well where the owner knew next to nothing. If you are smart about it and you have the cash to hire the right people you will be fine but if you try to deal with the technical side of either design or hosting you will have nothing but trouble. If you don't have technical ability and experience in managing hosting and designing web pages that is totally fine, just make sure you hire people who do and let them be the experts. Once you try to start saving money by troubleshooting server problems or using a template to design web pages you will waste a lot of time and eventually loose clients. Any company needs an entrepreneur at the helm who has vision and is constantly looking at the market to see what direction to go into next. It is when the Entrepreneur trys to become the technical expert that the company will begin to suffer.

A good resource on this is The E Myth by Michael Gerber

Good luck to you,

I have worked with many different design/host companies as well where the owner knew next to nothing. If you are smart about it and you have the cash to hire the right people you will be fine but if you try to deal with the technical side of either design or hosting you will have nothing but trouble. If you don't have technical ability and experience in managing hosting and designing web pages that is totally fine, just make sure you hire people who do and let them be the experts. Once you try to start saving money by troubleshooting server problems or using a template to design web pages you will waste a lot of time and eventually loose clients. Any company needs an entrepreneur at the helm who has vision and is constantly looking at the market to see what direction to go into next. It is when the Entrepreneur trys to become the technical expert that the company will begin to suffer.

A good resource on this is The E Myth by Michael Gerber

Good luck to you,
With respect, entrepreneurs, directors, owners, managers are 4 very different roles.
The Direction of a business as you describe, should be done by a director, or owner, not by the manager or an enterpreneur.

I'll be realy rude and say the OP knows he does not have the 'technical skills',
I just don't believe he has the business sense/skills to run a business, & the fact that he believes he is an enterpreneur, scares me.

HI,
we have a web design company and a web hosting company based in india we can provide competitive rates please pm me for more details

With respect, entrepreneurs, directors, owners, managers are 4 very different roles.
The Direction of a business as you describe, should be done by a director, or owner, not by the manager or an enterpreneur.

I'll be realy rude and say the OP knows he does not have the 'technical skills',
I just don't believe he has the business sense/skills to run a business, & the fact that he believes he is an enterpreneur, scares me.

My point was that if he does not know anything about teh technical side of the business then he should not attempt to handle that himself and should hire teh right people to do that. Whether he is an entrepreneur, director, owner or manager he should not pretend that he can do something that he does not know how to do. Web design and server administration are tasks that skilled individuals should be doing or you are asking for major trouble.

Hello,

I am starting a web design company in which I don't know much about web design and hosting. I will be outsourcing the web design and reselling the hosting.

As far as the hosting goes I am looking for a company with great support for a novice like me. I have never gone through the process of setting up a website for hosting but I heard it's pretty easy. From the research I have done the company that looks the best is hostgator.com. The problem I have with Host Gator is that I have to contact customer support for support issues that my clients have unlike something like godaddy. What do you guys think about Host Gator?

Are there any additional companies that you recommend?

Thank you for your time.


I would start learning html if you are planning on starting a design company, there are several companies out there they have turnkey designs, that you can get an affiliate program with and be able to resell the design and then customize it to your clients liking

We manage dozens of website design projects at any single point in the calendar and it requires a tremendous amount of experience, discipline, and a total knowledge of what it takes to properly design a website. ONLY experience of what went wrung prevents those items from happening anew

Clients who are regularly lacking in any knowledge of the subject depend on the design staff to insure those mistakes do NOT occur.

Now add developing a database driven dynamic site and the world really gets exciting.

I would suggest working with and around a design group first before moving forward

From what I understand of this man's question, he is not asking how hard this is, all he is asking is about the hosting reseller part. It seems that he knows what he wants to do mostly and how he's going to do it. Why don't people answer that part and let him get on with what he wants to do.

Looks like an old thread to me that the OP has lost interest in. So, closing.