Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : Newbie to webhosting

[beyondtime]

Hei everyone,
I am newbie to webhosting. I am basically planning to open my own company so that I would be able to provide users with web space to be rented out. They can buy the space from me and would be able to setup their website using this method. An example is Geocities that provides users with a small amout of webspace but at minimal fee. Besides that I would like to start up with at least 20-60GB of web space and run on Linux based system. All my processing pc's for the information gathered would be on linux so that I would save alot of money compared if I am using a windows based system. Besides that I also need to know what has to be done also also I have knowledge in PHP,JSP and MySql and a webserver that would be able to provide me with the space with a good price and no down time. I am just wondering if this investment would be a profitable investment and how much money is required for this type of service to start off with. I am from malaysia and not many companies are open to provide space for users in my country and also my target is international users that would like to open websites of any type of category. I need a system that supports good payment system into my credit card account or my bank account and easy accounting for my staff to operate that is working under me.

Thank you and hope to hear soon.

[PogiWeb]

Hi beyondtime,

Well your like alot of the many people on WHT. Wanting to start a hosting company. Running a hosting is very expensive starting off because your still trying to make ends meet. But maybe or maybe not in the end you will start to make a profit. I would suggest you think a little bit mroe about starting a webhosting and do some reasearch on software to use and what you will be needing.

[Douglas]

I would also recommend that you start small, start as a reseller, get your feet wet in the industry. Focus on what it takes to become a successful operation. Once you start getting enough clients to make your reseller biz profitable, then you can comfortably start by moving up the ladder. I wish that I had started off as a reseller, rather than someone cold turkey into this biz. I would have learned a lot more that way. Good luck!

[DreamHost-MikeS]

I would definitely start of as a reseller. For someone just entering the industry, I really doubt that you would use 20-60GB of storage. Once you get up that high, it is time to look into getting your own server.

Reseller accounts allow you to start off with little cost. You don't have to worry about purchasing and managing a server, which gives you more money to spend on a good support ticket system, billing software, and website design.

Don't start too big, or you'll wind up drowning in costs, and having to shut down within a couple of months or so.

Start small, and work you way up.

Find a good company that offers a bunch of different types of accounts, so once you outgrow one plan, you can always upgrade to the next.

Good luck with your venture!

[PogiWeb]

The thing is what type of market is he trying to get??? Is he wanting to just get a DS and sell reseller accounts and not sharedhosting accounts?

[beyondtime]

alrite since u guyz feel i better start as a reseller...what should be done?wat website do u recommend should i buy my space from?
I know I am really new to this kinda stuff but I also know there are alot of risk factors that are involved in this matter and getting clients and users would be another major problem.

Any website that I could refer to know what should i start with and also how to get along with everything.

Do u think should i start operating from my hs and then slowly move and open my own company?

Pls advice me guyz.
Thank for your time.

[John D]

Do u think should i start operating from my hs and then slowly move and open my own company?

What's your hs?

A reseller aco**** probably would be best.
Do you know how to use control panels?
You must be able to use your own control panel before starting a hosting company, I think anyway.
You will have to provide support to your customers on the control panel so obviously you will need to know what you are doing to help them do it.

I think you should think about what you want to do for your business before looking for a host.
One of the main things is what control panel you want to offer.
Not all reseller hosts offer the same control panel.
A few are Ensim, cpanel, plesk, direct admin
Do research on these if you haven't already and find which you like best and think you will be able to cope with best.

There are demo accounts available for all control panels - Either from other hosts or from the website of the control panel.

Once you know what control panel you want to use you can then think about hosts as you have narrowed down your search by a huge amount - Now you are looking for a host that offers the control panel you want, plus everything else

There is a lot of research that you should do before jumping into hosting - I did over a year of research before I started hosting and I am still learning something everyday (Well almost )

John

[PogiWeb]

Its like we said just keep on the DL and read post on this site about reviews about certain host and etc.

[DreamHost-MikeS]

You could try browsing the shared and reseller offers forums, and looking for post titles that mention reseller accounts.

Once you find something that looks good, try contacting the company and asking questions.

[ldcdc]

Once you find something that looks good, try contacting the company and asking questions.

Also, price is not everything. Use the search feature http://www.webhostingtalk.com/search.php?s= to find out what people (custoemrs) have said about each company. A host can promise anything. What's important is if what's promised is really delivered.

Don't hurry. Take your time and spend a lot of time reading on these boards. There's a lot to learn here. A business plan is also a very good idea...

Good luck!