JustinSurfer
09-03-2002, 02:24 PM
Shawn is to post this later this evening on Cyberwings.com :
As many of you know, since many of you have been customers with us for
a very long time, Cyberwings started in June of 2001 as a web hosting
company. We took on our first web hosting clients in August of 2001
and in the Fall of 2001 we dabbled in Dialup Internet Services. We
discontinued dialup internet services in order to fully concentrate on
web hosting. From August 2001 through Feb 2001 we grew our server base
at RackShack in Texas. Then, in March 2001 we decided to open a data
center space in cooperation with LightShip Telecom in Portland, Maine.
We brought on our first 2 staff members at that time. From March 2001
through June 2001 we grew to 15+ servers in Portland, along with the
12-14 in Texas, and we grew to 7 staff people, excluding myself. Our
expenses ramped up severely. While trying to meet the needs of all of
our web hosting customers we realized that continuing to build a Data
Center in Portland, Maine was not going to help us do that. The costs
of having the DC in Maine were astronomical as compared to the level
of services we could have elsewhere for less cost. We began to look
around at other providers. As we grew, as expenses went up, we tried
to increase our revenues and draw in more customers. It worked, then,
it all came toppling down. We had grown too fast, we had added too
many staff members too quickly (250% increase in staff in 3 months).
I loved running Cyberwings. I loved the customer involvement and the
customer service aspects of it. In July, and even in August, I had
high hopes for recovering Cyberwings. Then, as time dragged on, and I
came the target of personal attacks and criticisms, the company
become more and more criticised on the Internet, and I knew not what
to say to people in the midst of the barage of attacks, it became
clear to me that perhaps Cyberwings time was over. I have fought
saying this, but I have finally accepted it. My lack of business
management experience and the fact that I did not anticipate our
expenses increasing by such high volumes in such a short period of
time all contributed to this situation. I made the decision to switch
to monthly hosting, away form yearly hosting, but the decision came too
late. Hindsight is always 20/20, and in our case, things could have
been done differently.
While I would love to recover Cyberwings, and continue along a path of
building a web hosting community with customer nvolvement with each
other, we do not have the backing financially or management wise to
facilitate this. We are in the process right now of talking with a few
different web hosting providers who are willing to honor all of the CW
hosting plans and customers should they wish to move to that provider.
We are in the process right now of making sure that customers get
refunds, that our hardware be disbanded and put towards refunds, and
that all aspects of this situation come out OK for everyone involved.
Cyberwings cannot continue in the web hosting community after what has
happened.... While we are still open to suggestions, thoughts, ideas,
offers for assistance.... I know that we had a very very supportive
community of people out there who were extremely involved in
Cyberwings. If that group of people is still out there, come forward
now and talk to me if you wish.
Do you have thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or want to help? Share them
now. Unless something comes forth this Fall... unless a miracle
happens... our community will be disbanded completely. I ask that if
you have any positive & supportive ideas, thoughts and suggestions,
please e-mail them to thinktank@cyberwings.com. I am not the person
checking this mailbox, it is being checked by a person who is
assisting me with the final stages of this situation, but I will be
informed of your ideas and thoughts. I would ask that you do not send
harassing, threatening or derogatory emails here. This is our attempt
to get thoughts, ideas & suggestions from our community, not another
method of letting people attack us through threats and attacks. Just so
that it is very clear, I do not fault anyone, any organization or any
group for our failures. I fault myself for not having the experience to
have seen many, many months ago what actions I should have taken to
turn Cyberwings into the community that it was meant to be. For that, I
am at fault, and I will do all that I can now to help this situation
resolve itself completely and fully.
I am planning on being in the IRC chat room sometime in the next few
days to talk to people about this situation.
Above all else.... I'm sorry for not having had the experience, the
ability to foresee what changes I should have made in the past, and
for not having asked for community help sooner. Many of you out there
have offered to assist us all along - call it pride as to why I never
asked for your assistance before. The motivations, intentions & goals
behind Cyberwings were, and still are, very admirable. I'm just not
sure how to proceed from here. I need your help and assistance.
Shawn
As many of you know, since many of you have been customers with us for
a very long time, Cyberwings started in June of 2001 as a web hosting
company. We took on our first web hosting clients in August of 2001
and in the Fall of 2001 we dabbled in Dialup Internet Services. We
discontinued dialup internet services in order to fully concentrate on
web hosting. From August 2001 through Feb 2001 we grew our server base
at RackShack in Texas. Then, in March 2001 we decided to open a data
center space in cooperation with LightShip Telecom in Portland, Maine.
We brought on our first 2 staff members at that time. From March 2001
through June 2001 we grew to 15+ servers in Portland, along with the
12-14 in Texas, and we grew to 7 staff people, excluding myself. Our
expenses ramped up severely. While trying to meet the needs of all of
our web hosting customers we realized that continuing to build a Data
Center in Portland, Maine was not going to help us do that. The costs
of having the DC in Maine were astronomical as compared to the level
of services we could have elsewhere for less cost. We began to look
around at other providers. As we grew, as expenses went up, we tried
to increase our revenues and draw in more customers. It worked, then,
it all came toppling down. We had grown too fast, we had added too
many staff members too quickly (250% increase in staff in 3 months).
I loved running Cyberwings. I loved the customer involvement and the
customer service aspects of it. In July, and even in August, I had
high hopes for recovering Cyberwings. Then, as time dragged on, and I
came the target of personal attacks and criticisms, the company
become more and more criticised on the Internet, and I knew not what
to say to people in the midst of the barage of attacks, it became
clear to me that perhaps Cyberwings time was over. I have fought
saying this, but I have finally accepted it. My lack of business
management experience and the fact that I did not anticipate our
expenses increasing by such high volumes in such a short period of
time all contributed to this situation. I made the decision to switch
to monthly hosting, away form yearly hosting, but the decision came too
late. Hindsight is always 20/20, and in our case, things could have
been done differently.
While I would love to recover Cyberwings, and continue along a path of
building a web hosting community with customer nvolvement with each
other, we do not have the backing financially or management wise to
facilitate this. We are in the process right now of talking with a few
different web hosting providers who are willing to honor all of the CW
hosting plans and customers should they wish to move to that provider.
We are in the process right now of making sure that customers get
refunds, that our hardware be disbanded and put towards refunds, and
that all aspects of this situation come out OK for everyone involved.
Cyberwings cannot continue in the web hosting community after what has
happened.... While we are still open to suggestions, thoughts, ideas,
offers for assistance.... I know that we had a very very supportive
community of people out there who were extremely involved in
Cyberwings. If that group of people is still out there, come forward
now and talk to me if you wish.
Do you have thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or want to help? Share them
now. Unless something comes forth this Fall... unless a miracle
happens... our community will be disbanded completely. I ask that if
you have any positive & supportive ideas, thoughts and suggestions,
please e-mail them to thinktank@cyberwings.com. I am not the person
checking this mailbox, it is being checked by a person who is
assisting me with the final stages of this situation, but I will be
informed of your ideas and thoughts. I would ask that you do not send
harassing, threatening or derogatory emails here. This is our attempt
to get thoughts, ideas & suggestions from our community, not another
method of letting people attack us through threats and attacks. Just so
that it is very clear, I do not fault anyone, any organization or any
group for our failures. I fault myself for not having the experience to
have seen many, many months ago what actions I should have taken to
turn Cyberwings into the community that it was meant to be. For that, I
am at fault, and I will do all that I can now to help this situation
resolve itself completely and fully.
I am planning on being in the IRC chat room sometime in the next few
days to talk to people about this situation.
Above all else.... I'm sorry for not having had the experience, the
ability to foresee what changes I should have made in the past, and
for not having asked for community help sooner. Many of you out there
have offered to assist us all along - call it pride as to why I never
asked for your assistance before. The motivations, intentions & goals
behind Cyberwings were, and still are, very admirable. I'm just not
sure how to proceed from here. I need your help and assistance.
Shawn