Win A Whole Small Business / VPS Provider Setup!
LowEndBox is giving away a whole package to kickstart you as a VPS Provider. Starting off with an Intel Xeon E3-1240 server for 6 months thanks to the guys at ColoCrossing and to manage your billing and signups a 6 month license from the team at WHMCS.
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We like seeing people kickstart new projects and be successful, we don’t think there’s anywhere else like LowEndBox.Com or LowEndTalk.Com where people bring their small projects related to VPSs in to fruition like here. There is a number of people in this community that have the knowledge and have built up that knowledge over time to run a VPS Provider, they just need a bit of an opportunity to get started. So this is the first of our “Kickstarter” competitions!
Click “Read More” To find out How To Enter + Terms and Conditions.
# How To Enter
We have put together a list of questions below in relation to your vision and your plan, not overly scientific questions that we would like you to fill out. The survey asks questions pertaining to your business model, the plans you would offer, costings you may consider and a few other questions. It basically gives us a brief idea of where you would start, and where you would plan to go with your new provider. Fill these out and send your entries to win@lowendbox.com
Helping us sort through these entries are two experienced LowEndBox providers, Tim from Hostigation and Francisco from BuyVM. They’ve proven themselves in this industry, one of them is a “One Man Show” whom is incredibly successful, and the other is a small company built around half a dozen staff whom is also incredibly successful. Not only will their experience help sort entries, but beyond that going forward their experience and advice could prove invaluable to you as a new and upcoming host.
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QUESTIONS
Send all your entries to Win@LowEndBox.Com
## General Questions
a1) LowEndBox/LowEndTalk Username
a2) Email Address
a3) Age
a4) Country
## About You
b1) Why are you entering this competition?
b2) What experience do you have in the industry?
b3) If you have worked previously for other providers please list them?
b4) Have you ever worked for or been associated with a deadpool provider?
## About Your Vision
c1) What is your vision for your provider?
c2) What specifically will make your provider unique to existing providers?
c3) What qualities/skills do you possess that are advantageous to your vision?
c4) What qualities/skills do you believe are required for the long-term viability and sustainability of your vision?
c5) If you have these great ideas why aren’t you executing these ideas now? Why is your vision not already a provider?
## Building Your Vision
d1) What is your target market?
d2) How will you connect with this market?
d3) Are you confident that this market can sustain you?
d4) Are you willing to make financial self-investment to build your vision?
## Your Capabilities To Serve Your Vision?
e1) What is your level of technical experience?
e2) What is your level of problem-solving capabilities?
e3) How much time can you assign to make your vision of a provider become a reality?
e4) How much time can you assign over the long-term to ensure it’s viability and sustainability in to the future?
## Plans and Projections
f1) What virtualisation technology will you be working with?
f2) How many plans would you start with?
f3) Please list those plans in detail (CPU,RAM,HDD..etc) and assign a dollar value in USD or converted to USD.
f4) What is your 3 month milestone?
f5) What is your 6 month milestone?
f6) What is your 1 year milestone?
f7) What is your 2 year milestone?
## Margins & Profits
After the 6 months has passed your lease on the server will be $150/Month, an additional $16/Month for WHMCS and then an approximate of $10/Month depending on your Virtualisation Panel choice. Lets give you a buffer and associate your total monthly cost for the operation at $180.
g1) What profit margin are you aiming for in percentage?
g2) How many customers do you assume you can fit on your server?
g3) What is the minimum amount you expect to extract from your server per month excluding costs?
g4) What is the minimum amount you expect to extract from your server per month including costs?
g5) What is the maximum amount you expect to extract from your server per month excluding costs?
g6) What is the maximum amount you expect to extract from your server per month including costs?
PS: Thanks for entering!
h1) Anything else you want to add for us to consider as part of your entry?
# Terms and Conditions
By entering this competition you accept the following:
Server is provided to you for 6 months, after 6 months you can either lease the server for $150/Month or enter a lease to own agreement with ColoCrossing.
All software is provided to you for 6 months, after 6 months you agree to pay for the WHMCS license and other associated software license panels granted to you as part of the competition.
You accept that your entry will be reviewed by a 3rd party, in this case Hostigation (Tim) and BuyVM (Francisco).
You accept that should you be choosen the winner once all prizes are passed on you are responsible to adhere to all terms and conditions of the provider.
You will be required to signup directly with companies such as ColoCrosing and WHMCS directly, LowEndBox will have no relationship with your account.
Domain Name must be available and may not exceed purchase price of $25.
All decisions are final, and you accept that we may alter the terms of entry.
Competition closes October 12th 2012 00:00EST (UTC +10:00HRS)
- ServerMania – $4/Month 512MB OpenVZ VPS in Buffalo (NY) USA & Toronto Canada - March 2, 2013
- ChicagoVPS – $21/Quarter 3GB OpenVZ in Atlanta, Buffalo, Chicago and Los Angeles - February 15, 2013
- ChicagoVPS – $7/Month 2GB OpenVZ SSD VPS in Chicago - December 26, 2012
Im 14 do you think I can do this? I know a lot of about servers. I play minecraft alot.
Simple answer – Nope.
But I’m 14 and run my own provider :S
I managed to convince my parents to give me capital, now I run a small VPS/Shared Hosting provider. Doesn’t make alot, I break even with less than $100-300/month most of the time.
As someone close to your age, I would say if you had to ask, you can’t do it.
Jath, you’re 14 and running PytoHost?
Nope thats not me, I wish I could win this server though so I could start a company! I would be so good.
Sounds like a great idea, was nicely surprised when I saw it. I wonder who will be te winner at the end. I just couldnt see an end date ?
Perfect time for Randy to go for it and shine!
Nah,I will shine at a later time
All software is provided to you for 6 months, after 6 months you agree to pay for the WHMCS license and other associated software license panels granted to you as part of the competition.
so the kids wont be able to pay after 6 monhs? :) what happen? can they just cancel the server.. ?
I think the idea is they’re generating enough revenue to sustain themselves after six months.
I would hope after 6 months of running a service they would have enough to purchased owned WHMCS and Add a couple of hundred account credit for Solus and/or if they go with the proxmox way Just have someone code them a module?
Oh no…
You accept that your entry will be reviewed by a 3rd party, in this case Hostigation and “BuyVM.”
No one will be accepted if Anthony is reviewing them haha.
Joking…
This is awesome. I’m trying to start my own “one man show” business, with part of my services being cheap VPS setup for various purposes for a small fee. I’m going to evaluate if I have the skillz to run my own servers, maybe I’ll enter.
We can do it together! Im 14 and I know A LOT about linux. I helped my friend setup minecraft on his VPS!!!
I lol’d. Did you lol?
Megalawl, maybe he was the one who took down GoDaddy.
I am just 4 and I know really, really LOT about Windows. I helped my friend setup Microsoft Office on his computer.
Go Randy!
Ahahahaha oh god my sides.
This is 3 days old already but i had to comment on this, ahahah.
“100Mbit Port”.. I always think about that when I’m ordering a VPS. Is “just” a 100Mbit connection the standard in this business?
I mean, you can put at least 32 VPS on that machine (and I am sure many will do).
So, just do the math. 100/32 = 3.25 MBit/s. That’s not even a full MB/s.
Sure, most of the people will just test around a bit, download stuff and then let the VPS work for the rest of the month. But even if just one person starts downloading it will become tight, or?
Please correct me if I am wrong. I know, I have no experience, that’s why I just got my own little VPS.
But I would expect something magnific as 2x 1Gbit ports.
Maybe some of you will just shake their heads and say “what a dumbass” – probably you’re right. But clear me up, if you do so, please.
Hi,
Here’s the past 12 hours for one of my Netherlands servers: http://i.imgur.com/WlZoz.png
I doubt you would use over 100mbit for 60 odd VM’s
Gigabit uplink is very useful for peak usage.
On the average, I use way less, but it is still useful for some usagees.
I can’t see the 100mbit being an issue only if the node became under flood it would be however I have seen the reaction time and detection rate on floods at colocrossing and the Victims IP is usually nulled within a matter of minutes.
“Domain Name must be available and may not exceed purchase price of $25.”
I already own the domain, will that be a problem?
No problem at all!
Give it to chicagovps or ipxcore
LOL? We have something like 100 machines colocated with ColoCrossing….
a decent one?
Mainly all E3’s by the sound of Chris ;) so probably a similar config to this comp.
E3’s are the main brunt of the servers, yes. E5’s are rolling out soon.
One with ipv6?
in November CC are having IPv6 done I think.
I was thinking to enter, but, since buyvm will be reviewing, there is more snow in Maldives than chances for me to win :P
Will be fun tho ! Good idea :)
M
Seriously, give it to an ace non-us provider here, like prometeus and let him feel the marked for free
It’s nice, but I will pass :D
I don’t have experience on this
Just when I thought this industry couldn’t hit a lower bottom, it falls over itself and breaks its neck. Now “becoming a hosting provider” is a prize… I guess I’m alone when I say, lmao.
It’s like a parody of a parody.
Prize != award.
your service kinda pretty much a$$fucks rest :) Thanks for lasy email btw :>
well, fastest to show hd on netflix to lappland. Super service and actually stock lol <- lock no further
The industry went up once you shut your company doors.
harharharyousooriginal. Doors never shut. I sold that bitch and got out while I still could.
Do you sell Zensix to qps?
Why, think this is a cool idea. It will be proven once again that you cant pick entrepreneurs, they dont need support, will make money from selling sand in sahara.
It will be just a nice show to watch, i hope the answers will be posted (without names, of course) in public.
I will definitely watch this and, if it happens to spawn a company that will survive in spite of all odds, why not.
M
Great idea! Looking forward to the entries and seeing how the winner goes!
Just a thought on this,
Real entrepreneurs don’t and shouldn’t need to be funded. They will find a way to get funding and will make sure that it sells. A true talent can sell ice in Antarctica. However, I am looking forward to see if we can really find the next hostigation. I hope all those answers are made public (anonymous author? ).
Best of luck to all the applicants :).
Exactly my point, however, things like these are shedding some light on how things go and what the obstacles are.
I would have tried it and kept a blog so everyone knows how it is going, what the issues are and why I failed.
It is great for education and will hopefully reduce the number of “summer hosts”.
M
Most likely it would be worst.
Not sure how to say it, Unless colocrossing is bending above and beyond for LowendBox, A server setup such as this with a 2 year RTO contract would be around 250+. I might be missing something but this is the quote I was able to receive from them.
Really interested to find even a lease deal with similar pricing for such a monster setup.
@Chief no publicity for the host after they’re chosen? I thought you would include X (guaranteed) posts on LEB.
Wonder if they will get listing on LEB during the initial startup period. If they do, it might be a bit unfair to others. ;)
Can colocrossing offer that package for $150/month or is this a special deal? I looked on their site for a dedi and it was very expensive.
I like this idea. And yes, you can be good at something and not afford to do it. Circumstances don’t always guarantee success to someone just because they have the knowledge and talent. It helps, sure.
I look forward to watching this.
Sounds great.
This is great, I’m looking forward to a new LEB offer ;) Hope it would beat all LEB providers here =)
I’m more interested to get the server/s with that specs with that price(USD150/m) though…and perhaps the lease to own agreement…
Same :P
Good luck everyone
good luck randy
Good luck Randy. I’m with ya on hosting squad 2.
Good luck, Randy.
well. if i am that lucky :) Thanks
“You accept that your entry will be reviewed by a 3rd party, in this case Hostigation (Tim) and BuyVM (Francisco).” – that’s it. Have the application to begin your own VPS host reviewed by…. other hosts. Seems slightly counter-productive, don’t you think?
Good luck to those who enter. It’s a hard industry to crack these days!
@Jason
Reviewed by two successful Hosts? Fransisco has a history of spotting deadpoolers soon after they start their business and Tim is one of the oldest hosts, you can’t overlook the amount of experience that those two have.
We wish everyone a successful competition, this is a great offer from LEB.
Was surprised to see such a great thing on LEB but I wish everyone good luck!
Damn, would be perfect, but need i EU server, so I’m going to skip this one.
Hope this competition will be won by someone competent, good luck guys! :)
Which ColoCrossing location will this server be setup in, or is it winners choice?
I’m not sure but I’ll take a guess of Chicago or Buffalo
Buffalo.
Its a great offer, just a friendly reminder to the winner (find out upgrade paths/pricing on bandwidth (lets not overlook that you can face overages)
Not sure if vps is going to last as a hosting option… Am I the only one who uses Amazon ec2?
Wow my friend.
This is like saying, “Here you go guy’s, here’s 6 months you can go ahead and collect as much money as you can from customers that you can obtain with your “free setup”, and then after the fact, run with the money” Another dump and go host will be launching soon!
I’m not trying to be negative, but look at all of them now that pay a little to get a dump n go host started, now, your giving it to someone free? It takes more then just giving someone a server and trying to let them, yeah them people you mentioned have successful businesses, not by handing someone a free server for 6 months and saying go be successful, Francisco has earned his spot as a successful man, Half of you most likely don’t even know the history of Frantech and BuyVM’s foot-steps in the hosting-world when they first came out, hard-work and blood, sweat, and tears where invested to get them here…
This is a “LOL” moment, I was waiting to read at the end, “April fools”, and it be a LOL, or a big “Gotcha, Jk”. This is going to be lulzy.
That’s why there will be Fran and Tim to make sure the one they picked will be doing their job.
Hello,
What Location will Colocrossing setup this?
Buffalo as Liam has said.
Excited about this ending midnight today EST! Wonder who the winner will be.
Competition has ended, Entries no longer accepted.
Thanks to everyone whom entered, we will now start going through the entries.
When will you release further info?
I have that same question.
Interested in this as well.
We have finally gone through the entrants, Winner to be announced within 48 hours.
Awesome! Best of luck to the winner!
Congratulations for the winner :)
bring to court, :)
I am so sorry, Mod, please remove my post.
LowEndBox Kickstarter Competition Winner Zhuanyi!
Read More: http://www.lowendbox.com/blog/lowendbox-kickstarter-competition-winner/