Hi I'm starting up a reseller business and I am convingcing my mum on all her questions, One I have to ask here is, What percentage of business do you get from here? In other words how succesful is advertising on here making you?

I really need this ASAP thanks,

wht is not a place to solely gain customers, so you should expect 0% of your customers from here. any customer beyond 0 is a bonus.

I know this but people who do gain customers, And I know they do what percentage is it, And it must be more than 0% unless you're a bad company

mum eh?

How old would you be?

Hope this isnt another timmy :angry: :angry: :angry:

Another Timmy? Whos Timmy? and I'm 13 and again TIMMY?

Timmy would be a minor (like yourself) who could not start a business 100% on his own (like yourself) and deicded to talk ot a relative about it (like yourself). Timmy later ripped several people off and since Timmy didn't bother to do things like incorporate (like you probably aren't going to), leaving those who he ripped off with no recourse.

Why don't you post the business model here?

A general rule of thumb before starting a business is do you have enough capital to run it for 6-12 (most people would lean towards 12) months without income set aside already. At the age of 13, its sort of hard to have that kind of money.

How will you offer support to customers when you are in school?

Originally posted by CyberSol
Another Timmy? Whos Timmy? and I'm 13 and again TIMMY?

considering you're 13 ask yourself these questions before starting in the biz

1) Are you prepared for all the hard work?
2) Are you prepared to be tied to the computer 24/7?
3) Are you prepared for all the stress?

It might sound easy, but I assure you it's not. Please think twice before starting.

In reply to both people, I do home schooling via the internet, I have 6 months money set aside, I am always on the computer 24/7 already, I help my parents with there business, I get alot of stress then so I know how to deal with it,I have been doing background research for a couple of months, I have been talking to several companies which have been extremely helpful, I have also been in contact with alot of other people from WHT, Several companies, Some people from companies have already told me my base website is good, my plans and prices are what people are looking for, today I have just opened a bank account and am signing up for PayPal Business account, My customer support and technical support will be provided by me, I am having email support, help desk and a live support which is being run from 6 PM GMT till 9 PM GMT which is the usual time people are online, I am starting off with a basic reseller account and expanding afterwards, My funding will keep me going until May or June next year WITHOUT profit, Once I am earning profit I shall be self providing, I am not asking my relatives for help, My father was the one who told me he would provide me with $500 over 6 months,This will help me get my domain, Reseller account and website sorted out. If I get enough customers to cover my cost the funding will stop and I will become self providing,

Hope this clears things up.

If you look at the prices for accounts that are typical of people getting clients on WHT, as well as the amount of people who will chime in their discontent if you have plans that are above $5/mo, you will see that it would be difficult to maintain a profit by getting a large percentage of your clients from here.

If you are planning on only making a few hundred bucks a month, you could certainly do that by getting your customers from here, but you'll also find that pretty soon you'll come to the point where you can't make any more money because it takes money to make money. Your cost of support and maintenance per client will be too high at those prices.

What this comes down to is that, the higher your prices are per Gig, the lower percentage of customers you are going to be able to get from WHT. You'll find that offine marketing is much more profitable.

Think about this: Would it be better to seek out a couple of people who would gladly pay $40/mo or do the easy advertising method of just posting on forums and get 10 people at $4/mo? Your gross is the same, but your net is MUCH better, and your support/maintenance time is one tenth as much in the long run. The only caveats are that you will absolutely have to work harder and getting, and keeping, your clients, which will also cause you to grow more slowly. Also, these type of clients will typically require more hand-holding the first month or two, but then their support tickets quiet down like the rest of them. Having a well thought-out welcome letter and easy-to-use FAQ system will cut down on that support immensely.

As far as your original question of what percentage of customers do we get from WHT? zero.

Originally posted by CyberSol
In reply to both people, I do home schooling via the internet, I have 6 months money set aside, I am always on the computer 24/7 already, I help my parents with there business, I get alot of stress then so I know how to deal with it,I have been doing background research for a couple of months, I have been talking to several companies which have been extremely helpful, I have also been in contact with alot of other people from WHT, Several companies, Some people from companies have already told me my base website is good, my plans and prices are what people are looking for, today I have just opened a bank account and am signing up for PayPal Business account, My customer support and technical support will be provided by me, I am having email support, help desk and a live support which is being run from 6 PM GMT till 9 PM GMT which is the usual time people are online, I am starting off with a basic reseller account and expanding afterwards, My funding will keep me going until May or June next year WITHOUT profit, Once I am earning profit I shall be self providing, I am not asking my relatives for help, My father was the one who told me he would provide me with $500 over 6 months,This will help me get my domain, Reseller account and website sorted out. If I get enough customers to cover my cost the funding will stop and I will become self providing,

Hope this clears things up.

It sounds like you planned and sorted everything out. Good luck.

You can not compare every person with TIMMY. TIMMY was just a bad example and now you are trying to judge other people his behavior? I don’t think you have rights to do that, and you don’t even know CyberSol. He hasn't done anything 'BAD' and his plan looks good to me, so I don’t think there should be any problems. Maybe there are some other issues involved with a person aged 13, running a company. Maybe he wants to get some experience see how it is… why can’t he?

Thanks for the reply Skelly, If you get 0% from here where do you get most of it from then? Thanks,

Solly,

P.s. Thanks Pavel,

Offline marketing, specifically to target markets. Find one type of small business (small restaurants for example), learn what they need from the internet, and bring it to them. The first client or two from each type is always the hardest, but then they get real easy. Small business owners want solutions to their problems, they don't just want somewhere to go. You can't just offer your services (that's feature-based selling). You have to tell them what they need and how you can solve their problem (that's benefit-based selling).

You'll have to work with a website designer or do it yourself to make this work (we do both, depending on the complexity and the timeline of the project).

hi
this is solomons dad here i do not know if this will be usefull but.
solomon has my full support and financial backing for his venture after all i am a succesfull business man here in spain.
if people have worries about the validity of his service based on his age then rest assured you should not have them.
if anyone needs some affirmation then phone 0034 950 137381
and ask for richard.
thankyou for your time.
richard wheeler
richard.wheeler@wanadoo.es

Solomon: You say that you will run this webhosting biz, yet you are 13 years old, coming from the perspective of a youngster like you (I'm 15...just turned 15 that is), I wouldn't go through with this...however much you might like it now, I honestly believe that starting a webhostingbiz at the age of 13 is going to drain your life of everything...no going out, no having fun, no natural sunlight, things you should be doing as a 13 year old. Is this how you want to go? You say you're on the computer 24/7, yet surely this isn't doing you any wonders? I'm trying to give my opinion to you in a youngster's perspective...

That's why one-man-show hosts tend to fail eventually, they just don't work out...at the age of 25-50, that can happen, at the age of 13, its bound to happen a lot earlier.

I think you should think about it before you 'start' it, because it is a serious commitment, and there really is no backing out of it...you're practically selling your life away to do this...think to yourself, is this what you really want to do? Sure you can do this when you're 18, or maybe 21+..but at the age of 13? You still have the most important years of your life ahead of you, your teenage years, believe me, you want to live these up, because once you enter the ages between 16-18 with a lot of exams etc. it's not going to be much fun...

So really, it's such a commitment that I honestly wouldn't recommend a 13 year old to take...

Just my two cents...it's a long read, but it has a lot of content ;)

i was going to post something, but then N9ne said almost every single thing i was going to say.

You're coming up to some of the most enjoyable times in your life CyberSol....leave yourself with time to actually have fun and party with friends.

I was heavy into computers when I was your age as well (although that was 1979) so I understand what you're going through.

If I were you, I would allocate a certain amount of time you will spend each day/week and then plan your business around that. Make sure you keep that time in mind as you grow.

As long as your clients know what you're doing, there's nothing wrong with it. My little brother was hosting when he was 15, and everyone understood that he could be reached during certain hours directly, but email support was the best way to do things. In exchange, he helped them proactively with things that their sites would need. He also didn't host any 'mission-critical' sites.

Just don't stay in there all day, or you'll do what I did and get burned out. I stayed away from computers for almost the entire 90's. Had I flexed my time a bit more when I was younger, I'd be a rich man right now. :bawling:

Originally posted by tagalaxy.net
You're coming up to some of the most enjoyable times in your life CyberSol....leave yourself with time to actually have fun and party with friends.

I hope this doesn't come out sympathetic, but I have no friends all my friends are here, online, I am not dedicating all my time to this, I have thought this through, I have been thinking it through for the last 3 months.

I have all my fun with people I like and even love (In a friend kind of sence),

Thanks for your concern,

your support will run from "6 PM GMT till 9 PM GMT"

What happens for the other 21 hours in a day - and what happens for businesses who work a normal 9-5 day - they cannot contact you until they leave work and go home for the night ?

During the other 21 Hours there will be Email Support and A help desk (Ticket), Which I will answer during the day but I have 6PM to 9PM to dedicate to Live Support, the rest of the time its Email and Ticket support, Which I don't see to unresionable

Originally posted by CyberSol
During the other 21 Hours there will be Email Support and A help desk (Ticket), Which I will answer during the day but I have 6PM to 9PM to dedicate to Live Support, the rest of the time its Email and Ticket support, Which I don't see to unresionable

Some hosts dont even have Live Support. I think its a good start to offer 3 hour Live Support;)

Originally posted by CyberSol


I hope this doesn't come out sympathetic, but I have no friends all my friends are here, online, I am not dedicating all my time to this, I have thought this through, I have been thinking it through for the last 3 months.

I have all my fun with people I like and even love (In a friend kind of sence),

Thanks for your concern,

There are many people in your situation, don't think you are the only one in that seat.

I guarantee, when you're say 30 years old, that you will look back and wish you spent time with friends, or making friends.

Everyone has to start somewhere, take time to make friends, it's the most important thing in your teenage life...trust me.

I just don't want to see this happen to you really...

Personally, i see both sides of the coin and agree with both of them on some level..

It looks like cybersol is going to move forward with this regardless of how much we try to deter him.

So if you go this route, here is my suggestion....

Take some of the seasoned web host's advice and ensure that you remain a kid for as long as possible..If your hosting business is anywhere near successful, it will not be possible to do that...HOWEVER...should you get to that point, promise yourself that you will outsource your technical support...That way, you can allocate 3 to 4 hours a day on your marketing..and your technical support will run 24/7 without you having to...

There are some companies on this forum that offer this type of support and I would encourage you to research them and choose one.

The thing is I do not want to deter you from doing this..I just want to provide you with suggestions to take some load off so you can actually be a 13 year old.

Check out related offers on the forum and I think there's a company called (forgive me) box tech, box support, box lunch..something like that, that is offering a pretty sweet deal and will monitor your sites for you as well.

To everyone else on this particular thread....This kid may be a prodigy..i dont want to be the one who sends him in the wrong direction :P

Ciao
Erik

essene: there is also a company called boxadmin (boxadmin.com), my host uses them, quite attentive.

LOL!...

Thanks N9ne...You have to admit..I was really close :)

Yes, i've heard wonderful things about them and will be signing up shortly.

Erik

It seems like you and your parents are geared up to pursue this business, so I guess I have no chance of stopping you now. :D

Do keep in mind that at your age it is important to have a healthy social life and friends in the real world. I know it can be tough to develop social relationships at times, but it's all worth the effort! (As you grow older you'll discover this...) In business, especially, having excellent social and communication skills will be a huge asset.

Make sure you have a solid business plan written up. Do as much research as possible, and forecast any possible conflicts that may arise in the near future.

Do not become too independent and caught up in your business. Let your parents help out if they wish, I do think that at your young age it is crucial to have someone guide you through the complexities of running a web hosting business. Your father also stated that he is a "successful business man." So, I'm sure he'd be willing to teach you the tricks of the trade.

Also, do not focus on WHT solely for profits. It would be wise to capture the overall market, as WHT is just a small piece of the whole. You wouldn't want to become overly dependent on this one resouce, either.

Thanks for all the advice, and guess what :D Yesterday I got invited to stay over a mate of my brothers/ my mates house :D
But he had to come back at 4 AM because there was some er lets say trouble in the town where a mate had gone to get petreol and he got caught up with it, *Sigh*:stickout:

I have also been looking into local marketting but I was thinking if there was anywhere either cheap or free to advertise which you think would be good :) Thanks,

<there was some er lets say trouble in the town where a mate had gone to get petreol and he got caught up with it>

:eek:

I had something intelligent to say, then i just lost it....

can you make websites or do you know someone that you can get to make them for you cheap enough that it is worth your time to get involved with it?

Yes I can make websites, I can make real good ones with editors (Physical ones) but atm I am learning HTML,


Why?

Also after reading all the posts and advice I have reduced my support to email and ticket until I get enough customers to justify me having to spend my night waiting for something that probably wont come :)
Thanks for making me realise this,

if you can make websites, and have a few to show someone, one of the most profitable ways to get started is to find a small business that might want to be on the internet. Then you study what a business like that would need on the internet. All businesses are different and need different things.

If you have a portfolio, and can go to a business and show them that you understand their needs and how you can fulfill them inexpensively, you have a fighting chance of hosting them. You may not make much money on the web design at first until you get several clients under your belt, but you will get the residual income of the hosting even if you don't make much from the site. If you target one type of client at first, and then go to another similar business, you won't have to do as much background work, and you can show them you already have experience with them.

After you start getting clients, if you take care of them, you'll find that you will start getting referrals.

BTW, these people will gladly pay more money per Gig than most if you can just do the website stuff for them. It's how real managed hosting works. These clients will need more help at first, but then you build in work later on for updates, SEO etc.

There is a whole lot more to it than these few words can say, but it is something you might want to look into.

Originally posted by CyberSol
Thanks for all the advice, and guess what :D Yesterday I got invited to stay over a mate of my brothers/ my mates house :D
But he had to come back at 4 AM because there was some er lets say trouble in the town where a mate had gone to get petreol and he got caught up with it, *Sigh*:stickout:

See! Life's looking up already, work on it, believe me, I mean sure, you have all this business stuff worked out, your mind is set on it, but you will wish you didn't dedicate so much of your time to it in future...

Hello,

I don't see why you cannot run a web hosting company at 13 years old. As long as you have the right attitude and you care for what your doing and you listen to what people say and handle your clients as well as you possably can (These clients are afterall paying you wages, well will be hopefully :D)

I'm 15 years old and about to start up a hosting business just like yourself but based around different types of selling. I suggest do not move up to a dedicated server until you have learned what is needed to manage the server correctly and its finacially viable to do.

If you ever need any help with anything we are a helpful bunch here (mostly), however don't rely on WHT to answer all your questions. Search around the board for such like subjects. Search the internet for other boards as well and read them.

Have a nice day and hope you do well at what you want to do.

Carl