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  1. #26
    Thanks for all the input poorboy. The summer job thing isn't a problem at all, I am working in a "family" business. The school thing isn't a big deal either, my parents would understand, and I really don't DO anything at school, so it won't affect my grades. Perhaps lowering my support to 10/7, with well defined hours that support is available would be a better idea though.

    I have decided to get a fully managed server, which makes things a lot easier for me.


    Justin Reel:
    Great analogy with the auto repair thing, it opened my eyes a little. Thanks for all the advice "And if you have to ask a forum for advice on how to run your business, you shouldn't be running a business." What is this forum for then?

    My current plan is a server that is $200 or less, with maybe directadmin, or cpanel (undecided)

    I have

  2. #27
    First off I think you have a lot more planning to do, because your business plan is awfully short.
    Don't just throw out 1k in marketing overnight, seek to advertise on good sites that will yield you the best demographics for your company. Then track your ad campaign to figure out which sites are working best for you, and continue investing in those.
    Next I would at least hire one EXPERIENCED tech support/admin to work for you.
    Someone that has seen just about every problem out there and knows how to fix them. I think you want to pride yourself on quality support, and trying to learn this stuff overnight may not cut it. So, I say hire someone and work together.
    Be more descriptive with your business plan, think out your long term as well your short term strategies. Ok, you want to have 100 clients in 3 months, very possible, but how?
    It’s a lot more than just investing a boat load of money in advertising.
    Good Luck!

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    1,461
    I wouldn't feel comfortable if I had to go to school knowing that if my server went down I couldn`t do much about it.

  4. #29
    I might get a job doing tech support if possible, if anyone is interested in hiring me, pm me please. I obviously have a strong desire to learn this stuff. I would work for little pay.

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    751
    Originally posted by thomas.smith
    I wouldn't feel comfortable if I had to go to school knowing that if my server went down I couldn`t do much about it.
    He could go all out and get a Treo or something along those lines, full http/ssh/email abilities....
    SkyLineHost.com
    ▓ ▓ Shared hosting that soars above the competition
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  6. #31
    Originally posted by rudedogg1989

    Justin Reel:
    Great analogy with the auto repair thing, it opened my eyes a little. Thanks for all the advice "And if you have to ask a forum for advice on how to run your business, you shouldn't be running a business." What is this forum for then?
    WHT can be a *great* learning resource, but IMHO it should not be considered your free business consultant, server administrator, tax preparer, dog walker, etc etc... I suppose my point was that you should be knowledgeable in any business you are planning to run and should not have to *rely* on a forum for advice.

    I think of WHT as a place to share ideas, get and give feedback on providers, keep track of trends, etc, but most of the posts here are just absurd. There are so many "My customer/server did [something] what should I do?" posts here made by people who don't have a clue what their doing that I'm baffled why they are even in this industry. Not everyone is cut out for this and there's nothing wrong with that.

    If you want to do this, I wish you the best of luck. You seem like a smart guy and I'm sure you'll do well- once you know what you're doing. My only advice would be to start slow. You don't need a dedicated server when you are starting out. You stand to lose a lot less if you start with a $35/mo VPS and it will give you an idea if this is even something you want to do full-time. 100 customers in just a few months *will* overwhelm you. I know at 16 the alternatives (flipping burgers) aren't very appealing, but there has to be a small, local ISPs looking for a young intern willing to learn. They should pay fairly well too. You still have college to look foward to and good luck managing a 2-3 year old hosting business (a few hundred customers by then?) and your school work load. I'm not trying to discourage you... I just see so many posts like yours, and so many posts like "My company is failing, why?" and I can't help but wonder what those people were thinking...

    I might get a job doing tech support if possible, if anyone is interested in hiring me, pm me please. I obviously have a strong desire to learn this stuff. I would work for little pay.
    If I had the need for a tech and I could pay you a decent wage, I'd pick you up in a heartbeat. I'm sure you'll find someone. Maybe post in Employment Offers / Requests? Just be careful what finds you... Maybe ask *them* for resumes . Good luck.

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    West Michigan, USA
    Posts
    9,687
    Excellent post, Justin. I think it should be made a sticky and forced reading for all.

    --Tina

  8. #33
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Baltimore, MD
    Posts
    1,211
    First off, great post Justin! Many valid points, and very well phrased.

    Originally posted by thomas.smith
    I wouldn't feel comfortable if I had to go to school knowing that if my server went down I couldn`t do much about it.
    I do what he is talking about. I currently go to school about 6 hours a day. Now here's the difference, I have SiteUptime 5 minute monitors on both of my hosts (Reseller and my VPS) and they text me if there's an outtage. I have yet to see them not come back up on their own after the first check.

    Obviously when I get towards the full dedicated's it will be a tad harder, but until then I have no problems going to school with things like this. Because I'm not on a dedicated, the box itself most likely won't go down (without someone looking at it very fast).

    This is at least how I see it, and I love to hear feedback
    Automated Tendencies - Brand Management Agency from Baltimore, Maryland.
    Reputation Management • Search Engine Optimization • Pay Per Click • Email Marketing

  9. #34
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    523
    FreeBSD is not Linux. It is something that's almost completely different.

    If you want to use FreeBSD, do NOT use your Linux books. The stuff in the Linux books will not work on FreeBSD most of the time, and when they do, they probably only will work half way. Also, you are at an enormous risk of totaling your server by using the instructions described in your Linux books on FreeBSD.

    I have made that mistake in the past and my business that time just went under. Overall, I have lost lots of customers and money due to the fact that I used my FreeBSD server like Linux at that time, and thus faced lots of downtime and lots of administration fees from the datacenter to fix stuff for me.

    If you still want to use your Linux books, use an actual Linux distro. I would prefer Fedora, even though it is a bit weird on some things. However, out of all the Linux distros I've tried, Fedora is still one of the most reliable ones overall.

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Stony Plain, AB
    Posts
    607

    Re: My "Business Plan" (Review Please)

    Originally posted by rudedogg1989


    Support:
    24/7 IM online, text message my cell if im not at home, rigged to wake me up at night if I'm asleep during a support query
    Just to give you a heads up, that is NOT A GOOD IDEA PERIOD.

    If you have even a small amount of customers, this would kill you in the end (if there is an end because you will be up all night).

    - Eddy
    Tired of jumping web hosting providers? Tired of OVERSELLING? Tired of Poor service/quality?
    Are you Finally realizing You Get What You Pay For In Life?
    If So...Please Visit ***** eServicesUnlimited***** - We Guarantee 100% Satisfaction we promise that!

  11. #36
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Baltimore, MD
    Posts
    1,211

    Re: Re: My "Business Plan" (Review Please)

    Originally posted by sirgamesalot
    (if there is an end because you will be up all night).

    - Eddy
    I still remember the night I tried this Oh lord do I regret it.

    Good dream.. got the good visuals going it was gettin all -- RING RING RING DAMN!
    Automated Tendencies - Brand Management Agency from Baltimore, Maryland.
    Reputation Management • Search Engine Optimization • Pay Per Click • Email Marketing

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    1,461
    I don`t do this but have a monitoring system that wakes me up while sleeping. Usually it doesn`t alert me but one night it woke me up 7 times with around 1 hour in between each time. That was great fun...

  13. #38
    It's good you are going with a managed plan of some sort. Servers are easy to set up, but maintenance is the unthought of problem. Especially since there are so manny crackers and hackers out there, maintenance will consume a lot of time. I've seen a few hosting companys completely close down or go from shining stars to joke material because of this.

    Probably you want to do what Tina suggested, start with a reseller plan. When the time comes, you can move your accounts to a managed server when that is necessary. To make money last, don't spend it until you absolutely have to. Hey, you will have more money to play for marketing should you need it.

    As everyone intimated, doing 24/7 support yourself will make you hate hosting after a few months of "success". You could even try a place like varhosting that does the support for you. This frees you up to do the marketing.

    Also, you might want to buy a home computer to practice installing and upgrading BSD (or whatever) on it, while you are doing your marketing. This will be stress free, and your knowledge will be in place when you really want to make your big moves.

    Whether you pay $200 or $20 a month, your website will look the same to your clients. What does your business intuition say to do?

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