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It's kind of a horrible business. Billing is a nightmare (I wrote my own software so that it integrates into everything else that I bill for), clients can be de

It's kind of a horrible business. Billing is a nightmare (I wrote my own software so that it integrates into everything else that I bill for), clients can be demanding and not really all that technically-savvy, and you have to be constantly on guard for security problems. I'm running tail -f of Apache logs non-stop, and I've caught enough problems with client sites (including sites of some prestigious institutions that you've probably heard of, and wouldn't think had issues) that it's actually worth doing, crazy as it sounds. Reselling a server that you don't have physical access to is also risky because if anything happens, you're at the mercy of the technician on the phone. Sometimes they're great. Sometimes you have to find a new ISP the same day and transfer 8GB of data across the country because you have no other way to recover a dead server. It's a perfectly competitive market--theoretically, anyone can put a hard drive on the internet, just like theoretically, anyone can grow corn. That means it's a buyer's market. Be forewarned.

davidw 19y ago
Ok, nice reality check...thanks! We were actually hoping to do setup and afterwards have people run their own servers (much as LT themselves do). I don't think it's a perfectly competitive market from a higher level point of view: http://www.welton.it/articles/webhosting_market_lemons.html http://www.welton.it/articles/webhosting_market_lemons.html but in terms of prices it certainly is.
- cstejerean 19y ago
  You might have better luck with just referring your contacts to LT and getting a referral bonus. You certainly can't compete with other providers on price (chances are you're a lot less efficient so your costs are higher) and definitely can't compete on service (since it seems LT will handle all issues, or your clients will call you and you'll have to call LT). The only advantage I see is that you know the clients and they might trust you even if you can only provide less service and for more money than other alternatives. The web hosting market isn't as bad as it sounds. Sure, there are hundreds of providers, but just ask around and you'll see the same handful of names coming up over and over again. The remaining are often people like you that decided to get into hosting to make a little money.

davidw 19y ago

Ok, nice reality check...thanks! We were actually hoping to do setup and afterwards have people run their own servers (much as LT themselves do). I don't think it's a perfectly competitive market from a higher level point of view: http://www.welton.it/articles/webhosting_market_lemons.html http://www.welton.it/articles/webhosting_market_lemons.html but in terms of prices it certainly is.

cstejerean 19y ago
You might have better luck with just referring your contacts to LT and getting a referral bonus. You certainly can't compete with other providers on price (chances are you're a lot less efficient so your costs are higher) and definitely can't compete on service (since it seems LT will handle all issues, or your clients will call you and you'll have to call LT). The only advantage I see is that you know the clients and they might trust you even if you can only provide less service and for more money than other alternatives. The web hosting market isn't as bad as it sounds. Sure, there are hundreds of providers, but just ask around and you'll see the same handful of names coming up over and over again. The remaining are often people like you that decided to get into hosting to make a little money.