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In an effort to help Moms (and Dads, for that matter) who are running small businesses from home, I’d like to take a moment to challenge your current way of doing things for a moment.

How many of you are doing what you are doing because you don’t know how to do it any other way? What I mean is, are you settling for less than what you really want because a lack of knowledge or a fear of change are holding you back?

I’m so surprised every time I hear that someone with a small business is paying for a service or a product that is expensive or has fewer features simply because they are afraid to make the jump to something else. Even when they are dissatisfied, they stay put. Maybe I’m just one of those people who is willing to try most anything and I don’t have that concern about staying with something that isn’t working exactly the way I’d like. But I’d like to challenge all of you who own businesses to take a step outside of your current strategy and see if you can make small, incremental improvements in your business by trying something new.

The one area that I see this in particular is web hosting. I’ve been hosting sites for myself and others for well over ten years, probably longer than some of my readers have even been online or used email!

I know there are MANY people who are paying much more than they need to and receiving fewer features and perks that can make their businesses run more efficiently. It pains me to say this, but if you haven’t considered a web hosting switch ever, and are staying with another company despite knowing you can do better elsewhere, you are making a huge mistake.

Maybe you are afraid of changing hosts because you don’t know how to do it from a technical standpoint….how to switch your email, move your domain, transfer files etc. I TOTALLY understand your concern about that because it can be a daunting task if you have never done something like that before or have many sites and large amounts of data that need to be moved.

On the flip side, if you are a smaller business and expect growth in the coming months, this might be the PERFECT time to get your hosting house in order, so to speak, and get set up with a company that can grow with you and give you what you really need as a growing business.

Part of running an efficient business, household or family is anticipating obstacles and planning ahead. If you are just starting out or planning to expand an online business, this is the time to put systems in place to keep it manageable, healthy and efficient.

FINALLY, a solution…..

To that end, let me start by advising you if you are either just starting out hosting a site or sites or plan to expand in the next few months (I’ll get to you later if you already have an online empire you are intimidated to move): Start evaluating your hosting options now before it becomes difficult to switch later. And here’s a place to start and my recommendation: Dreamhost. I’ve been with them for nearly 8 years and believe me, I evaluated (and continue to evaluate) my hosting options before spending a penny. They are simply the best value for the dollar and never cease to amaze me with what they can do.

Just as a quick summary of what I’ve enjoyed as their customer:

1. Free domain name registration with all new accounts. They even renew it for free every year you are still their customer. It’s your domain and you can take it with you if you don’t renew with Dreamhost though.

2. I can host an unlimited number of sites, both top-level domains and sub-domains. I currently have 40+ sites of my own hosted by Dreamhost in addition to many sites I operate for others. I also have over 500 sub-domains and I pay the same monthly fee for hosting I would pay if I only ran one site.

3. I can install software on my site in just one click. They’re called “one-click installs” and they’re awesome. Wordpress (the software that runs AutomaticMoms), PHPbb, Pligg, Gallery, ZenCart, OpenX, Joomla, and more! Just enter a few items into a form and in less than 5 minutes your software is on your site ready to be played with!

4. I get technical support and customer service in plain English from nice people. When I submit a support request, I can tell them in advance what level of understanding I have on a subject and they reply in a way that makes sense to me. Most importantly, they are friendly and respectful and never make me feel dumb for not knowing how something works. They’re fast too!

5. The price is right and the features grow with my site. Dreamhost starts at just $5.95 a month and you receive 500GB of of disk space, tons of bandwidth and more. The best part? My account grows every week for free! So as my sites and needs grow, so does the amount of disk space and bandwidth at no additional charge. Dreamhost knows that sites don’t get smaller…only bigger, and they accomodate that need for me for free and without my having to do anything. Brilliant.

6. They listen to me and other Dreamhosters and actually take our suggestions to heart and make things happen. This is a very democratic company…they ask for and implement suggestions all the time. The Dreamhost you experience today will be nothing like the Dreamhost you experience six-months from now…it will be bigger and better and that’s due to suggestions from people who use the service every day.

7. Reliable much? Yeah! I’m been very pleased with their reliablity, speed and uptime. No complaints here! They’re on top of the whole technical thing so I can get down to business doing what I do. I think of them as almost like my personal IT team ready to keep things running smoothly.

SPECIAL OFFER ALERT….READ ON!

As my loyal reader, I’ve created a special offer for anyone interested in switching to Dreamhost:

Use the promo code: AUTOMATICSPECIAL (exactly like that, no spaces) and you will receive from me:

~ $50.00 instant coupon toward your new hosting account! It’s an actual account credit!
~ The free domain name registration that all new customers receive!
~ One ADDITIONAL domain name registration as my gift from me to you!

To take advantage of this deal head over to Dreamhost and use the coupon code: AUTOMATICSPECIAL and you’ll receive all of these goodies! Everything you need to switch, save money and expand your online empire to your heart’s content! Enjoy!

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