Getting Off the Ground

[Hyphen]

I'm almost certain this has had to have been posted before and I've ran a few searches but I can't find answers quite as specific as I'm looking for. I'm sorry if this is one of the stereotypical, annoying posts that you guys see from newcomers in the biz.

I understand that this business (web hosting) is saturated and hard to penetrate, but it's something I have been interested in for a few years and I have the money available and I'd like to just give it a shot. If I don't even profit, it's all fine as long as I've learned the ropes and enjoyed myself.

I've paid Payton Designs for a full scheme already. I've picked out a company name (not registered any LLC or anything yet), registered my domain name, and I have everything online with the standardized Lorem Ipsum text. I've read a lot into things and I'd say I'm about 70% clear of what I need to, legally, to get my hosting off the grounds.

My issue, however, is finding someone who will simply assist me in establishing my new hosting biz. Someone with writing experience that will fill the content of my pages so that they are uniform with what people would expect of a web hosting company, someone who will analyze my servers (I'm starting very small by the way, with "unlimited" reseller hosting from HostNine - I do not ever plan to sell dedicated servers, VPS, or anything of that nature as I am planning to be small and personal) and decide on appropriately-sized packages for customers, and someone who will tie my frontend and backend (I am using WHCMS) all together. I am basically looking to just get off the grounds.

I have lots of experience outsourcing jobs to places like Freelancer.com, VOIS, etc. but for this job (professional writing, research/analysis, etc.) I don't think those are the greatest places being as the majority of providers are living overseas and don't have the greatest grasp of the English language (I'm not trying to offend anyone!).

Where can I go? I'm willing to pay what it costs, I'm just trying to get my new small little biz off the grounds. I appreciate any replies, thanks for reading all this and I'm sorry if this is one of those routine posts.

 

[handsonhosting]

With the unlimited reseller just watch out for any issues with resources. Also, keep in mind, that when you sell to a customer, if your customer causes any problems (spamming, bandwidth etc), then your entire Reseller Account is in jeopardy, which means all your other resold accounts. So keep good copies for that inevitable day when you would need to move hosts because your current host blacklists you for AUP violations etc.

That being said, having a company that takes care of the entire backend of things is very helpful, and means you only need to worry about bringing in the new clients. Sales text is one of those things that usually gets changed up on a somewhat regular basis. I've used many companies in the past and depending on the clients I'm after and the site I"m running, I use different companies or have our own staff write text and brush it up a little. Sometimes "average Joe" wording on the page is what sells the customer - especially if your target is small business or personal accounts.

That said, check out ODesk. I know you've been in the outsourcing scene before, but just check for those with degrees and marketing experience. Ask for samples, see how the text turns out. Do a search in google for "need a sales copy writer" and you'll find hundreds of places and people ready to help.

Again, you're looking for Sales Copy more than just word filler. I've used some companies in the past that will research a product that I'm selling, check out the competition, and write up copy that outperforms whatever niche I'm after. If you have the money to back your project, take on a few smaller writing gigs at $200-$500 and see how they do for you. ELance is another great resource for finding people and getting a feel on how much they know. I like ODesk as there's a whole screening process and you can see their level of competence before ever making contact.

Be sure to ask for references. And look for quality, not quantity. Just because Bob has 15 people he did work for, that doesn't mean that Sue is not great because she's only done 3 projects.

 

[HostMantis]

You may want to consider posting an ad on Craigslist. I'm sure you will find a quality writer for a good price in your local area.

 

[niyogi]

I think I mentioned this somewhere else but go eLance. I'm pretty sure you will find folks to round out your "team" and get your services looking and sounding the way you need. Good luck!