I'd hosted my own domains since 1996, but had avoided hosting others' web sites professionally because I didn't think that I had the knowledge or abilities to adequately handle the task. Eventually, some friends of mine wanted their fan site developed and came to me to install blogging software and design a template. I found a web host who seemed to offer a decent set of features, and didn't look bargain-basement but wasn't a bank-breaker. (The host that I was using at the time was not impressing me - and I wouldn't put people on there straight out of Geocities, anyway. The support did not cater to people who didn't want to do a lot of research on their own.) The original plan was to get their software set up, make them a template, and go on my merry. I wasn't getting paid for this, but they'd sponsored me in the charity Blogathon for a certain amount - so they got a web site template, and help moving off of Geocities.
On the web host's support forums, the host quite openly stated that they were a reseller - and stated who they resold for. I thought this was a bit different from what I'd seen other hosts do, but didn't really pay it much thought...until I tried to get some answers in the support forum. Some people got answers to questions, while others seemed to be left on their own - and not just poorly-constructed questions or newbie issues, either. It didn't take me long to think, "Geez, *I* could do better than this!!!"
So I did.
That was six years ago.
I found an excellent support team, solid network maintenance skills, and two support techs in particular who are the kind of geek-tech I aspire to be. I'm going to start offering reseller accounts in the next month. I've had a wild ride, but it's been strangely fun.
