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Overview

Capstone Network Technology Services
(parent brand)
- targeted at less web savvy clients

Zing! Design
- targeted at younger businesses, more open to modern web design principles
- focused primarily on creative work


Desired Service Portfolio:
- Site Hosting
- Mirroring
- Web Design
- Web Application Packages (cms, widgets, etc)
- Development (custom dynamic sites)
- Consultancy (end to end services)
- Outsourcing (specific issue consulting on any of the above)

Phase One

Main objectives:
- bring Capstone to a financially self sufficient state

Current Problems:
- £146(?) p/m in overheads
- £??? p/m in regular hosting income
- No accounts management/invoicing system
- No centralised account for finances and accounting

Initial Tasks:
- Register Capstone as Ltd
- Create business banking account
- Set up with online invoicing service, blinksale etc, automate repeat charges
- Set up with paypal (charge extra fee for payments by this method to cover charges)
- Register domains for both Capstone and Zing!
- Refactor Woob -> Capstone/Zing!
* Coreix Account Details
* Server hostname/domain
* WHM/Cpanel (if necessary?)
* Wiki (create separate wikis - wiki.capstone*.co.uk for public, staffwiki.capstone*.co.uk for staff use)
* Mailing lists (support@, enquiries@, accounting@, etc)
* IRC Channels (rename to #capstone...)
- Set up customer support ticket system (open source web based)
- Standardise & normalise tiered charging structure for hosting packages and determine costs
- Determine charges for addon services, (backups, extra databases, extra packs of 5 mailboxes)
- Move all clients to new structure

Ongoing Tasks:
- Receive all payments into bank account
- Continually monitor deficit below target, and rate of change of deficit (monthly financial performance report?)
- Ensure that payments are made on time (& issuing penalties for late payment)
- Monitor useage quotas (disk & b/w), and issue per mb/100mb/gb charges above this quota, OR offer service plan upgrade, waive penalties

Phase One Success Criteria:
- repeat revenue stream (recurring hosting & support charges) + steady one-off charge flow covers overheads [get to where we want to be]
- a measure of the flow of one-off charges (dev, design, consultancy ) and the growth in all areas established [know where we're headed]

Phase Two

Main objectives:
- continue bringing in repeat revenue sources, monitor rate of growth
- increase focus on seeking large one-off charges from custom solutions (dev, design, consulting, outsourcing)
- establish staff remuneration scheme for work spent on capstone projects (75% of profit from project?)
- control business growth, aim to reinvest majority of profits into expanding service portfolio

Ongoing Tasks:
- Develop our off the shelf packages (cms, web widgets)
- Develop websites for Capstone/Zing!
- Assess growth plans, prioritising which areas to expand in (dependent on profits):
* server upgrades
* total bandwidth allowance increase
* additional server purchasing

Phase Two Success Criteria:
- expand services portfolio
- steady, increasing flow of one-off charge projects

Phase Two Point Five:
- sale of first off the shelf cms/widget package