Proper Investment for Getting Started Posted March 24th, 2006 in Mailbag

Hi Lee. I believe i have found a hole which a great forum could could fill and prosper from. After extensive research and some feedback from fellow net users/admins i am convinced 90% that this could be a great investment. Anyhow my question is - how much should i invest? Is there a mark where i’d have invested too much or too little? I’ll need a vB license, good hosting, custom (top of the range) skin and some money for promotions. What would you limit this to?

This is a fantastic question and it highlights another one of the reasons I love this business so much! Anyone can start there forum on the right foot for less than $500-$1,000. What other legitimate business can you start with that level of investment?

One of things that must be looked at here, is what amount of funds do you realistically have available. Obviously an owned vBulletin license is going to cost you $160. There is no reason to purchase a leased license unless that is all you can afford. The domain will cost you no more than $9.00. A good shared hosting account will cost you between $5.00 and $10.00 a month with no setup fees. So you have less than $200 cost in getting your forum online with a stock look.

Now when it comes to design, I am picky and like to go with a custom look as often as possible. I have seen a completely custom design that is coded cost anywhere from $150 - $1,000. I think you can get a good solid design for somewhere between $250-$500. If we take the amount of $400 for your complete design installed, your expenses still total less than $600.

Obviously we haven’t touched on budgeting for advertising, but you didn’t mention that in your email. It is definitely something to keep in mind though so you can have an initial push of incoming traffic. This expense can range from nothing to thousands as well. I hope this helped you to define your initial investment and I wish you much success with your venture!