Yes, I would agree with Martie, a reseller account is surely the way to start. This will definitely give you the time to develop the experience you need in both handling your billing and your own service support while cutting down your initial charges. Just make sure to select a hosting company that will allow you to move your accounts easily when you grow and/or that can help you once you need to have your dedicated machine. The last thing you want is a bad surprise if a company your are hosting your reseller account with suddently change their policy and you are stuck with a couple hundred accounts that needs to be moved in a day or 2 with no tools to do so. Otherwise, once you feel confident enough about your hosting knowlege you should definitely consider purchasing your own machine. I do not believe a hosting company can ever grow without this kind of independance. : )