I've been researching while I weigh out all the issues involved with possibly starting a small reselling business. I waver between wanting to try it to not wanting to go there, you know? There's the customer service headaches that I'm not sure I want to deal with and all. Anyway, I did stumble across a free ebook that I'm going to read and thought some of you may be interested:

http://www.howtosellhosting.com/

I would not trust nor recommend ANY ebooks, no matter what the subject is. And it would be the last place I'd want to learn about how to run a hosting company.

All they have is collection of traditional information you can find on the web.

The ebook you are pointing out is no different.

Especially an ebook with such a sleazy website.
Just another low rent way of getting people to sign up for spam email without knowing it.

Stay far away from this one.

Just do a search for Eric Holmlund and you will see what kind of lowlife is involved here.

I didn't realize the reputation of the guy. I never thought to do a search for his name first. Sorry I recommended something that wouldn't be helpful to others - I hate recommended garbage.

I get the hesitation of jumping into something new so trying to find a reputable resource is always a good thing, but I would not trust an ebook as far as I could throw it (not literal mind you). I have yet to see any decent ones out there, for hosting or anything else. Best bet is to ask questions on places like here and other web master sites so you can avoid (no offense site owners) any biased answers as some sites out there have.

shockym's post reminds me of another good point:

Don't just use one source. Use multiple sources. Everyone - even the absolutely ethical - will have an angle, from ebook authors to site owners to forum administrators. They're (okay, we're) all hoping to get you to use their product, whether it's reseller hosting, dedicated servers, forums, web sites, marketing mailing lists, you name it. But by looking at multiple sources, you stand a better chance of buying into a pyramid scheme. It's a bit like comparison shopping for a car: you may ask the dealer questions about the cars, but if you're smart about it, you'll do your own research as well.

Another analogy is using Wikipedia for information. It can be a good starting point for further research, but it should not be the only site consulted. (There are plenty of companies that add and edit Wikipedia articles as part of their marketing efforts - so never mind the WikiMedia council's high-minded aims to keep the site from showing an overt bias, bias does creep in.)

In the end, you may reach the conclusion that deciding to become a web host is like just about anything else: there's only so much you can learn by reading about it. At a certain point, you've got to actually get out there (work tech / software support, sell hosting to your friends and family for a few years, something that gives you actual practical experience).

Good suggestions thus far, definitely do not listen to just one source. It's best to read more and then base on what you find on multiple sources. There are abundant of places with information on starting a reseller business. From forums, to guides....

If you are on the fence if you should start reselling, the only way to know for sure if it is for you is to actually try it out. You can find some pretty good offers online that are very cost effective and won't break the bank.

I know for myself, I started in the online world in the 90's by 2001 had gotten really into it and enjoyed what I had done so far and started playing with a reseller account. Used it primarily to learn and hosted just some friends to gain some experience. By 2003, was actually doing it as a business and by 2006 finally jumped full in as a web hosting company.

So basically...you don't know till you try!

If you are worried about dealing with customers, you have to understand no matter what line of work you decide to do. You will always have to be dealing with customers who need help, have questions, etc.

I'm a firm believer that the most satisified people (work wise) are the people who do things they enjoy. So that is where the you don't know till you try comes back in lol

Hope that helps, good luck!

An ebook is not always helpful,sometimes it gets you off on the wrong Foot.
The greatest way to learn about hosting is through personal experience's and Trial and error.

The best thing to do is ask people for advice on the topic. Also, experience will have a lot to do with anything you do. eBooks are no good, and just a waste of time. Better to find the answer your self, then buying them when you can get em for free.

Yes, I agree, you have to get out there. I looked at the Ebook and it is not great at all (I looked at it a couple months ago when it was free, didn't click the link so I don't know what he's doing now) however there are a few really good forums, I just signed up n this one a little bit ago, I've also been around a couple others for a bit. I just took the plunge. Just make sure you research what its going to cost you, I've only been in the business for 2 months now, but, I still don't have 1 customer, so it takes a lot of effort to get some. Especially with all these hosts offering unlimited/unmetered packages as I refuse to offer such a thing since I really don't want to lie to any customers.

Rather than spending money on an ebook, take a few hours, read through various forums- there's YEARS of knowledge posted in the forums all over the web. An eBook I'm not a believer in at all. Once you've read through forums for running a hosting business, check out forums for SEO work, then spend the money that you would have spent on an ebook and put it into advertising.

Forums are a good way to get an idea of what we all tend to go through. I think the only bad time I have really had was a 3 day awake marathon when someone ended up leaving a script vuln and we had to "fight the bad guys", it was an interesting ordeal but most hosts are not constantly "fighting with bad guys". You can hear all types of stories on sites like this, the good bad and ugly, but its still always worth it (the few times its a hassle). I mean we all need web hosting, right?

hostlonestar, you have been operational for two months without attracting a single customer? Where and how are you promoting your services? It sounds like you need to try something different in order to attract people to your offers.

sorry it took me so long to respond lol. I am only promoting my site through forums and link directories. I am currently living in Germany so the local thing isn't going to work well with me, and I really don't have the budget atm to do some online advertising. I'm saving up a little here and there to launch one big massive online advertising campaign that will last a couple months. I got my first customer yesterday, which was 2 months and a day after I launched.

These kind things never workout!! it's just wasting time and money!!