I am about to start a web design company which extends services to small/medium firms. I am not sure if I should resell the hosting to my clientele or build the site and allow the company to manage the hosting themselves.
Chosen Answer:
You could do either. I would suggest you use http://www.hostamina.com as they are developers as well as web hosts and can give you a custom plan to suit your needs or they will give you a commission for every client you send them. You can discuss your needs with them either way – just send them an email.
by: John F
on: 15th October 08
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One solution is that you buy web space on their behalf (which you can then make a small profit from, perhaps) but otherwise it should be something to decide on client-by-client.
What you must consider is whether there will be somebody with the right skills to manage the DNS / hosting once you hand it over.
Secondly, are you likely to be required to perform upgrades / maintenance on what you are selling? If so, then perhaps reselling would be better.
Just as one final note: Do you want to to create websites or would you like to become a webmaster?
Regards,
kwah
You could do either. I would suggest you use http://www.hostamina.com as they are developers as well as web hosts and can give you a custom plan to suit your needs or they will give you a commission for every client you send them. You can discuss your needs with them either way – just send them an email.
I would suggest starting off reselling to the companies due to the fact that it allows you to control how much you bill them for the combined design and hosting portions. It also gives you another value-added offering for your customers. This way you can give them an all-inclusive package that includes both design and hosting. Another positive aspect to reselling is you’re not solely responsible for providing technical support-your clients can still have the option to call the hosting company for help if they needed it. At the company I work for we offer a 30% discount on all hosting accounts you bring in if you’re a reseller, or if you preferred we could simply give you credit in the form of free hosting for every additional plan. Feel free to contact me if you needed any of this cleared up, I hope it helps!