If you’re like me, you’ve found that running a Minecraft server online can be an exciting learning experience. Even more, you’ve probably found out that you can take on donations for your server hosting expenses and time creating it, which is a really cool way to make a few bucks each month.However, sometimes you are the type of minecraft server owner who offers special types of benefits for donations, including items, sets, privileges and more. This all too often becomes an arduous task for the server owner, who isn’t just the server moderator and admin, but also the accountant and customer support representative as well.
But don’t fret, because just like any business. That’s what this is now, a small minecraft server host business you can easily find out what it takes to protect yourself and keep your customers happy. In this blog post, we have prepared a few great business and financial related tips to help you succeed.
Payment
The first thing you need to figure out is how you’ll be taking donations and payments for the minecraft server. For instance, there are plugins and online tools like BuyCraft that will do it for you, with plenty of additional options, or you can use an online payment processor like PayPal or Stripe and host a small website or Facebook Fan Page for your server and take payments that way. Whichever way you decide, we recommend taking the time to read over the terms of service, and do some research into the company you’ll be keeping your money with, as it’s the most important part.
Donations or More…?
A simple server with just a donations button really won’t cause you any harm. Many payment processors don’t allow for refunds from donations, so if they decide they want their money back, it’s too late. Unfortunately, if you decide to offer paid services or benefits on your server, you need to be sure that you cover yourself for any loss. Be sure to outline exactly what they get in an FAQ page, along with terms of use, refund policy, and any other important information they will need when considering a purchase / donation. This will allow you to use that as reference in case something happens.
Keep Track of Everything
Many minecraft server hosts end up in the red because they aren’t keeping a good eye on their books. Taking time each week to go over your assets and income is crucial not only to your business, but your level of customer service and the longevity of your Minecraft server business (remember, that’s what this is now once you take money for services!).
All in all, the most important facet of this is organization. Keeping everything in order, knowing where your money is going, where it’s coming from and who is paying will help you for years to come as your server grows and you take on more responsibilities or even more employees!We hope these tips help you, the minecraft server host trying to provide a great service all while making a few bucks. Take some time to be organized and fair, and you’ll do well.
