Hi guys, just thought I would let you know about the structure for blocs hosting which is launching in under 2 weeks time with a huge discount for users who buy a hosting plan within the first few days.
The initial price will be £3 per month and then only an extra £1 per month extra per additional website.
My YouTube channel will be starting to post more videos to explain how to use the service so keep your eyes open.
The benefits are that you get excellent support from me and I can upload your site for you for free if your struggling. Also cheap integration and installs of pulse cms are also being included for a small additional fee.
Too cheap. Seriously you need to increase your prices to make it sustainable. Everyone loves cheap right up to the point where there is an issue that doesn’t get resolved instantly. Chilling Hosting is a good example that provides hosting to Rapid Weaver users and adds value by offering exactly what you are offering but for Blocs. Experience shows that customers will pay more for this type of extra service.
Way too cheap if you are going to hand-hold users. I don’t know how big the blocsapp userbase is, but I figure the takeup for this service is not going to be huge, so you can’t afford rock-bottom pricing that might work for large volumes.
Perhaps I should use your service just for hosting video? Low price and unlimited bandwidth and no limit on web space either. Perfect…
So I am a blocsapp user and I’m a total newbie. I have no clue about FTP, and my blocsapp design isn’t working properly.
How will I find out about FTP details, how will I set up my emails on the hosting and will I be able to ring you up if I’m stuck? Can I ring you up to help me get my blocsapp design working properly - someone wants me to have a calendar and a booking system, how can I do that?
My point is this:
You need to provide a LOT more than just hosting you need a whole support system, so people with problems can get in contact and understand at the outset what support you will provide. Providing support for blocsapp/blocsapp hosting is just too nebulous. It means nothing.
You need a website to explain the service and provide help and assistance to users so they don’t have to contact you for help.
Really consider what you are getting into.
Paul
PS, when I get my £5 unlimited plan and upload 5TB of video, how fast can I expect your server to deliver the files to my end users and how many concurrent users will my website be able to cope with? I’m assuming you’ll support PHP?
You don’t mind if I offer a backup service to my clients using the unlimited plan, I hope? I can offer them online storage of 5TB of online storage for £2 a month. Maybe I’ll sign up 1,000 users!
I think a lot depends on the expectations of customers, both in terms of cost and performance.
I used to have a fairly powerful VPS, but eventually realised it was overkill and ended up switching to a business performance package on a shared server. That costs me £10 a month, but I get a lot of bells and whistles, including Lightspeed and free Railgun integration with CloudFlare.
@webdeersign raises the perfect example with Chilli Dog Hosting and I’m sure he gains a lot of customers via word of mouth among Rapidweaver users. You are in a good position to do the same thing with Blocs users and you could charge a bit more to make it more worthwhile financially.
I actually thought seriously about providing hosting for web design clients, but eventually concluded it was too much hassle with limited advantages. That’s largely because of the points that @pauland mentioned.
NB Make sure you have rock solid terms and conditions, so you don’t end up with people making ridiculous claims for loss of business if your server goes off line for 10 minutes one day.
Your not the type of customer that I am aiming this service at if you start to host this much video on the service I will terminate the contract straight away. The unlimited plan will be limited actually thinking about it. The support package is just for uploading the site to a server nothing else thats what this forum is for.
Thanks for the feedback but i’m actually just trying to make it easier for blocs users who have no idea about ftp and my videos that i’m realising explain this in detail for my customers.
Thanks for your criticism but your sarcasm isn’t needed.
Haha very well said @Blocs_Guy, the reply is out of dilemma haha keep up what you’re trying to build there just ignore some non sense! Laughing out loud here… I think someone here is “kinda” bossy critic HAHAHA
I guess you mean me. Do let me know and also explain at the same time why describing very real hazards is being bossy.
If I had a business idea and someone pointed out where I could run into trouble, I would be delighted to be warned. I guess neither you or the OP quite understand that.
In which way have I put anyone down? I have described what could happen if great care is not taken.
I could cheer on the OP and help them get into a lot of trouble. If Blocs_Guy can make it work, then that would be fantastic.
It’s very hard making a hosting business viable when there are huge competitors out there and you take on a lot of responsibility that could get you sued.
I don’t mind saying that I doubt it’s a viable business, but I would be absolutely delighted to be proven wrong.
I don’t cheer people on when there’s a hazard ahead, at least not without warning them first.
It costs me around £10 a month in costs for this business it’s very low risk. Plus I already have 2 customers that are willing to pay for this service which makes up the £10. Everything now is profit. I will start to make some terms and conditions which was a good idea I admit. Thanks for your help and I apologise for my tone but it’s hard to read what people are implying over text when I have never met you.
Anything can go on the servers its like a normal web server. You just pay for whatever package you use I will set you up an account and then send you the details in order to upload.
I love that you are so open and honest Scott. In business it’s rare, it’s a good trait to have.
I understand when you are creating something you care about and want to make a success, hearing a little “constructive” criticism from others can be hard. Trust me, I’ve lost sleep over it. But it’s all part of the journey. To make something a success, you need to master the art of finding the good in all feedback, even the stuff that pisses you off, there is always a gem tucked away in there somewhere.
Reading @pauland’s comments, I think he is actually being really helpful. He’s making you evaluate, his comments are encouraging you to dig deeper and make your startup more robust.
