Brainstorm is a new feature on Sentences. It’s where I can discuss some ideas with everyone and get comments and feedback. Anyone is welcome to use the ideas and employ it, but hopefully giving credit where credit if the occasion were to arise. Hopefully I can make this a weekly feature, and pending the success of the ideas and such, maybe I can list them more frequently.

Brainstorm #1: Laid Back Web Host

Synopsis:

The idea for Laid Back Web Host is simple. It is a web hosting company that doesn’t have that “corporate” feel to it, but rather that home-grown, “I’m your friend” touch. Clients can host whatever they want (adult, proxies, normal, etc.) at rates specific to the type of site they are hosting. When ordering, clients choose which industry their site will be hosted under with rates respective to each. They are then given a basic package and the rates are adjusted according to the size of the site. Clients pay for the space and bandwith they use…nothing more, nothing less.

Marketing:

LBWH should be marketed as a friendly, trustworthy company that is loyal to its clients. The image should appeal to teenagers and young adults ages 18 - 26. Though the image of LBWH is young and friendly, it is important to note that support should be extremely superior. After all, good friends are always available to help you at all times of the night. It should also make a conscious effort to interact and get to know their clients, so a blog is vital. A private forum board for clients to interact with each other as well as with the staff is a great idea. Furthermore, a showcase of some sort or a “buddy of the week” would be interesting. Give people an ease of mind and confidence in the hosting and support.

Don’t forget the main selling point. You’re lenient and laid back. Anything (legal) that you want to host, you can host it. Script heavy? No problem. Resource heavy? A cinch. As long as the content doesn’t break any laws, then it’s okay to host. You simply pay as you go, and you don’t have to worry about over paying for space you don’t even need.

Why it’ll work:

There are generally two types of hosts…your aspiring teenager who’s out to get a quick buck and buy some reseller to give to his friends, and the corporate hosts who oversell and overcrowd their servers with outsourced support and strict rules. There is a huge gap in between. Why not combine the best of both worlds? You get a friend who’s giving you an affordable rate, reliable support, with corporate servers and technology. Companies that do well have “champions” … a champion is a loyal customer or client who will most likely refuse to go elsewhere (for instance, Best Buy > Circuit City, or Target > Wal Mart). By getting to know your clients and being personal, they will return the favor and defend you, even when you have a problem and cause them an inconvenience. Friends defend friends.

Getting Started:

Web hosting has always been an industry that’s easy to get into, but hard to dominate. There are thousands of hosts out there who pop up over night, but end up dead the next morning. My suggestion to get this started would be to make sure you’re committed. Do you have a team that’s willing to provide the 24/7 on call support that you promise? Do you have the server capacity to focus on different types of sites (proxies, adult, etc.?). To get started, you need to answer all of those questions. In order for an idea like this to work, you and your team must be social and constantly interact with clients. Weekly newsletters are important, a community of some sort, some way to “brag” about your clients. Think basic: If you were hosting your friend, what would you do for him?

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