Hi.

I would like to start a hosting company up as well as I have a web design company as well.

Could you let me know how to go about doing this and some recommendations.

thanks

Hi amandeep,

There are a few decisions that you need to make before anyone can make recommendations to you. You need to decide a budget, what control panel you would like to use, where you would like the sites to be hosted from (e.g. Europe or the US) and whether you intend to start on a reseller account, VPS or dedicated server.

Once those decisions are made people may be able to recommend providers to you. After that you need to decide on what (if any) backend software you want for billing and support.

Good luck with you new venture.

Adam

Hi,
You could start with a reseller account from a good webhost and go from there. As you get more clients you can go from reseller-VPS-Dedicated-Colocation.

It will be hard to get clients in the beginning. Setup billing/helpdesk software as well as a decent looking website. Do not get a template from templatemonster.com as too many exist already and you will simply look like everyone else.

In addition, make sure to get your company licensed. There are many other factors however this will just help to get you move.

silvermoon

Good reseller plan + marketing. After that you will learn by yourself on what is needed next...

Start with a small reseller plan offering shared packages, upgrade your reseller plan when needed until you feel you need a VPS or go dedicated.

What you need to start a web host

- A decent looking website to attract customers
- Billing system, e.g. Clientexec, Whmcsm
- Control Panel, i.e. DirectAdmin, Cpanel, Interworx
- A good AUP/TOS

Theres alot more

Hello,

You need to study the market of hosting business. There are many hosting companies in the market who have established themselves and are doing well in this business.

Hosting business is an occean and you need to be very accurate before stepping into this business, since the oppurtunites are less and there are many competitors.

Thank you.

Regards,

Hostech support

If you own a web design company then you obviously do not need to pay for the website to be built, so you're half way there.
The thgings that I suggest you put the most money into is this:

1. Your reseller account or dedicated server. For this I suggest http://liquidweb.com . They offer a great VPS package, and there dedi server plans are great! If you think you would rather go with a reseller account, then you can have a look at our reseller packages, some include free end user support! At any rate, whom ever you choose, do not look for price alone, as you will only end up paying more for the errors. Just as the old saying goes, "Cheap is usually more exspensive".

2. Your billing system. I have used alot of different billing systems including WHMAutoPilot, ClientExec, ModernBill, iHost, and couple others. Currently I use WHMCompleteSolutions. You can get it from them at about $14 a month, or you can buy it from a reseller for about $10 a month. It has everything you would need to run a great hosting business, without all the confusing extra "stuff" that ModernBill has. ClientExec is another good option too, I was very happy with it. WHMCS and CE are the 2 most user friendly billing/client managment systems I have used.

3. The support for the clients. If you go with a reseller, look for one that provides end user support as we do. Thsi will save you alot fo hassle in the long run. If you choose a host that doesnt offere end user support, then I suggest bobcares.com. They offer a great package for resellers (up to 12 clients) for $25 a month. I have found that nothing attracts clients more then good price, and great support, so you'll want to invest in 24/7 support for sure!

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck. It's not an easy business to make it in, but if you try your best and put the money into it, you'll do fine after awhile.

That's some good advice. I use WHMCS as well and it saves a lot of time and looks much better than other billing software. I have to agree that is not an easy business to make it in, as I find myself pouring lots of time into sorting ideas and making the best ideas happen. 24/7 support is a must, I recommend using ChatStat as a chat software. It is amazing and if you're a hosting company they give you the opportunity to sell their add-on services. The basic software setup if free, which I use. I may invest into add-on services when I have the money to try out new things with it.

I got my staff to try out WHMCS, and while it is user-friendly, a knock against it is, they make you pay to remove their logo or "powered by" line. I'm not sure how it is now, but if I pay for a license, I want it to be branded.

Also, you don't need a billing manager to get setup. While it does look professional, I started in 2001-2002 without one, and it didn't hurt sales. Personal customer service, value added services, a niche market, unique offers...all of those will help you attract a good client base.

Also, don't make an overly complicated website. Keep it clean, simple and easy to use, with one click access to most information, and you'll be good to go.

Best of luck.

Well, I guess the obvious has been overlooked.

You say that you want to start a hosting and design company.

Hosting is the easy part. In fact, any 12 year old can start a hosting company.

Design is a completely different aspect.

Before jumping in and making the internet an ugly place, make sure you can design. I of course, don't mean that as disrespectful.

I'm simply saying that a lot of people (local to my me), claim to be "designers", because they took some trade school class that taught them how to use FrontPage.

Want examples?:
- http://www.uniontown.k12.pa.us/ ("designed" by a local company)
- http://www.lhsd.org/buildings/highschool/index.html (also "designed" by a local company...I feel shamed cause I graduated from there)

Again, no disrespect, but if this is you, please do the Internet and yourself a favor....don't do it! Practice some more, etc.

If this is NOT you, and you actually "design" rather than grabbing a color palette, and some html, then offering design services are simple...

- Start with competitions, at multiple forums. This will get you noticed.
- Design pre-made templates to sell at forums such as this one (also will get your talents noticed)
- Make sure your portfolio site displays only your best work, and is layed out in an impressive manner.

Above all else, in both the hosting and the design aspects, DO NOT, please allow me to repeat....DO NOT, fall into the trap of offering ridiculously low prices simply because your competitors do. This is something that will kill your business almost before you start, and it's something you will never be able to get out of, without pissing off a ton of people who want you to design and host the next 2advanced.com for a nickel, and heard from a friend of their's that you will.

Advertising has become very tricky in this marketplace. Things that worked (or were affordable) don't and aren't very quickly. Your design company opens a lot of doors as many people are looking to get the site designed and hosted all in one place. Be creative in the ways that you advertise and you can find some bargain marketing that will get you good clients that will stay with you.

You bring up a good point. Just because someone knows how to program in HTML, PHP, ...etc, or simply know how to use a WYSIWYG editor does not mean they know how to design. Website design is like an art, however, people to do have the ability to learn the skill of making the art. As you do it over and over you get better at the programming, at the design part, at the organization of the website, and one of the most important parts, the content.

This is very true. I have seen countless websites that made me think twice about using that company's services. I constantly am stumbling on new things and I have been designing websites for quite a while. But, once you gain the knowledge of all the critical aspects, it can be a breeze to some.

Well when starting web hosting now a days, there are things to consider that go beyond disk space, bandwidth and lower pricing then everyone else. The thing that most business owners (as in web hosting goes) is be innovative, be different and provide an experience and not only a service. You do this, you will be golden.