First few months in web hosting

G

GPDhost

Member
I've been working for my friends web hosting company since February now, at the beginning I thought to myself this will be easy I can work from home and pick my own working graphic, boy was I wrong :D. I had 0 experiences and although some time has passed it still feels like I'm running around like headless chickens. Honestly, there are some days when I'm so stressed out I can't fall asleep for hours. There are so many tips and advice on the net where to start, how to keep going I think my main mistake was that I tried to do it all at once, you have to take one step at a time. I'm lucky that I have a friend that I can relay on, we help each other day in and day out. Have any of you been at a breaking point? I mean you worked hard but have almost nothing to show for it, how did you get over the frustration?:help:
 
GPDhost said:
I've been working for my friends web hosting company since February now, at the beginning I thought to myself this will be easy I can work from home and pick my own working graphic, boy was I wrong :D. I had 0 experiences and although some time has passed it still feels like I'm running around like headless chickens. Honestly, there are some days when I'm so stressed out I can't fall asleep for hours. There are so many tips and advice on the net where to start, how to keep going I think my main mistake was that I tried to do it all at once, you have to take one step at a time. I'm lucky that I have a friend that I can relay on, we help each other day in and day out. Have any of you been at a breaking point? I mean you worked hard but have almost nothing to show for it, how did you get over the frustration?:help:
Click to expand...

Been there and got the t-shirt.

too many people think running a web hosting business is easy and a get rich quick business. How wrong they are. It is hard work for little reward at first.

I have had lows and highs, still suffering the effects of an ex client who i terminated for non payment and this client started a campaign on various sites including myWOT to insult and attack me, even emails abusing me saying if i did not hand him my server root passwords he would DDOS me.

but you just have to get on with things and not let these people get to you.
 
Web hosting is a hard business that requires an ultimate level of both time commitment and patience.

You said it yourself - focus on one step at a time. Sales seems to be a priority right now. If something isn't working, change tactics. Cold calls, local marketing, sponsorships (of local events, charities/non-profits or youth sport teams, for example) - these are the tactics that many stand by as proven by time.

Once you start selling and gaining clientele, you will immediately start feeling like you are accomplishing something. Web hosting is tedious, yet very rewarding in the long run, as you build a client base that will allow you not only to sustain the company, but also invest in new technologies and more sophisticated marketing.
 
There's a big learning curve.

There's also a lot of "secret-sauce" at hosting companies.
CPanel & DirectAdmin and the like don't do everything "just the way you like it" out fo the box.
Overtime, through development effort and continual service improvement, you will get to a place where you are, I won't say "less busy", but spending your time doing what matters.

If you find yourself doing the same things over and over, then there's something that can be automated.

If you're explaining the same thing over and over to your customers, then there's a knowledge base article and some marketing to be done.

Be careful how you treat customers and you'll reduce churn.

It needn't be tedious, but there are checks to be done, the day you forget to check your backups, for instance, will be the day you need them.

Keep an eye on the capacity of your servers and build new ones before you "have to".

Forward planning is the key to uptime and performance.
 
Hello,

I worked in the support team for years so yeah i have an idea what you're talking about.
It should decrease as you get more experience.
Hire coworkers can help too.
 
GPDhost said:
I've been working for my friends web hosting company since February now, at the beginning I thought to myself this will be easy I can work from home and pick my own working graphic, boy was I wrong :D. I had 0 experiences and although some time has passed it still feels like I'm running around like headless chickens. Honestly, there are some days when I'm so stressed out I can't fall asleep for hours. There are so many tips and advice on the net where to start, how to keep going I think my main mistake was that I tried to do it all at once, you have to take one step at a time. I'm lucky that I have a friend that I can relay on, we help each other day in and day out. Have any of you been at a breaking point? I mean you worked hard but have almost nothing to show for it, how did you get over the frustration?:help:
Click to expand...

We have all been there.

Did your friend have a business plan or show you any form of plan before hiring you? The last thing you and your friend wants to do is 85 hour days, 7000 hour weeks, just to make less than someone at a part-time fast food job.

It is worth it, but it takes time. Take breaks and relax and before it stresses you out.
 
There's 22 of us females here in our office. Do like we do, not unusual to see one of us going out the door a couple times during the day saying..piff...going for a walk. We work in a restored 1800's barn in a sorta semi remote mountain valley so a walk is refreshing to us.

We also have our own daycare in here and it's not unusual to see a baby bopping through the office headed for a visit with her mom. Now that sure helps open our eyes.

Then there's my sister's 2 Redbone coon hound pets that come in and decide they want to have a howling contest in here. Exciting, especially when a client is in here or we're on the phone with one.

We have a lot of humor in here and that helps. We understand your frustrations though. If you don't have something to clear your mind for a few minutes several times a day your hurting, not helping yourself.

My sis and I have no restrictions on our employees. When their minds get tired or frustrations set in..get up and move around and rest your mind is our only rule.
 
Last edited:
WPCYCLE said:
We have all been there.

Did your friend have a business plan or show you any form of plan before hiring you? The last thing you and your friend wants to do is 85 hour days, 7000 hour weeks, just to make less than someone at a part-time fast food job.

It is worth it, but it takes time. Take breaks and relax and before it stresses you out.
Click to expand...

Not really :( and I somehow regret getting myself into this, I thought it would be easy sort of hobby like a job, but it isn't all that bad I still remember how phsyced I was when I got my first client.
 
kabe said:
There's 22 of us females here in our office. Do like we do, not unusual to see one of us going out the door a couple times during the day saying..piff...going for a walk. We work in a restored 1800's barn in a sorta semi remote mountain valley so a walk is refreshing to us.

We also have our own daycare in here and it's not unusual to see a baby bopping through the office headed for a visit with her mom. Now that sure helps open our eyes.

Then there's my sister's 2 Redbone coon hound pets that come in and decide they want to have a howling contest in here. Exciting, especially when a client is in here or we're on the phone with one.

We have a lot of humor in here and that helps. We understand your frustrations though. If you don't have something to clear your mind for a few minutes several times a day your hurting, not helping yourself.

My sis and I have no restrictions on our employees. When their minds get tired or frustrations set in..get up and move around and rest your mind is our only rule.
Click to expand...
I love this story and your company's culture. You're absolutely right in that this industry can be very stressful only if you let it be. Love your attitude.
 
GPDhost said:
Not really :( and I somehow regret getting myself into this, I thought it would be easy sort of hobby like a job, but it isn't all that bad I still remember how phsyced I was when I got my first client.
Click to expand...

Stick with it, try learn as much as you can. It is a huge undertaking and this is why there is such a high turn over of hosts/companies in this industry.

If you can maybe learn some more about the technical side of things, understanding the behind the scenes will help you eliminate some of your worry.
 
I remember when i first started... Thinking to myself oh this will be a quick way to make money and i was younger at the time... I was a little silly thinking that. It took a while and lots of advertising and then i got a trickle of customers... But even then i struggled as i was still working full time and didn't have the time to always pull away from work to setup peoples servers and answer support questions.. But yes at first it cost a lot of money purchasing owned whmcs and other things.. sometimes been at breaking point when theres no customers at all and thinking maybe its time to give up but I've still tried to carry on..
 
When selecting cheap website hosting, be sure that the web host provider is trustworthy. Try to ask around people about their perceptions on the web host company. What they can say about it? Try to gather as many reviews about its web hosting services (both positive and negative) and serve these as basis in choosing web host providers.
 
Think longterm

Day to day grind can wear out a person. If you were to think long term about the business what do you envision? This sounds like a marathon so setting a healthy pace can help you have energy for the long term. If you let your body rest and re energize your brain, you may be able to work more productively.

See if you can find a mentor. They may offer shortcuts or help with budgeting.
 
You have just said a hidden story of many web hosting companies. As like you I also thought it would be an easy task to handle and grab some clients. But hosting business seems to be the toughest business to me. But we have to move forward. :)
 
Oh that is just the start, it gets worse before it gets better :)

You will learn things in time, each business has unique issues which usually become a thing you just 'know' how to fix.

The worst are those clients who want everything for nothing.
 
To the OP,

It sounds like you are trying to help start a company that you believe in. Meaning that you and your friend feel you are offering the best you can to your clients, but still want to give more. Wish there were more like you.

Try to focus only on a couple major challenges at a time, and try not to ''over solve'' your challenges. Once something works well and ties in to the system, move on to the next. If you ask questions a member at this forum will always try and help.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Supporters

Back
Top