Thread: Is it worth trying to get into webhosting now days?

If you are able to find a data center that can do mostly free remote hands, racking stacking cabling etc, and you have an IPMI you should be able to do most things remotely without ever stepping foot in a data center. We have customers in Europe who have never been to New York City yet have large sophisticated infrastructure operating at the facility. Remote hands has to be competent though with skilled engineers as they will reduce the incidence windows, which is a little hard to find, but it exists.

Sounds cliche at this point, but you can find someone on Upwork to assist with a business plan, or use ChatGPT for a basic plan.

The replies here are goldmine for someone like me who is starting. Like basic 101 for starting web hosting. Thanks everyone for their contributions.

You may wish to partner with a Channel Sales/Agent Broker as well, not only can they provide lower rates than going directly to the carriers and data centers, but they may also sign you up as a subagent so you receive commissions on your own purchases. That cuts your bill a bit. Lastly they can reduce administrative headache if there is a problem and save time because they can fight with the vendor you are buying from. They may have experience and wisdom with contracts and how to avoid problems when signing them. Furthermore, they may have links to other industry resources which can help connect you to the 'right people'

It’s definitely still possible to succeed in web hosting, but the approach matters a lot. The days of competing on basic shared hosting against big players like GoDaddy or cloud providers are tough, but there’s still a strong market if you position yourself well and stick to a niche.

Instead of going after individual site owners, a great angle is partnering with web developers, designers, and agencies who build websites but don’t want to deal with hosting. A lot of them still rely on mainstream providers like GoDaddy and not making a very good profit share. Offering white-label hosting, managed services, and revenue sharing partnerships can be a game changer for them.

Starting a new hosting company in this market is challenging, but by no means impossible. Choose a clear niche so you can clearly explain why your product and support surpass those of the major players. Beginning locally can be a major advantage: you know the culture well and can appeal to your target audience more directly. Be sure to stay flexible and grow in small steps; there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Above all, keep a sharp focus on your goals.