If AWS Platinum support is equivalent, then yes, it certainly makes more sense to go with them and save the money. All things being equal, I'm still much more inclined to patronize a business whose company culture is centered around customer service than one who offers it exclusively as a premium feature.
I've been a Rackspace customer (both dedicated hardware and cloud) on and off for the last 8 years. I've tried other providers, but I keep going back to Rackspace for the customer service. It's just worth the money to me to be able to get someone on the phone who knows what they're talking about and will take my issue seriously.
If a visitor clicks through to another page on your site, the difference in time between the visits is reported as the 'time on page' for the first page. If someone visits a single page of your site and then closes their browser, it's not reported as there is no subsequent pageview.
Hey Amy - I just read your travel post. How do you guys handle support while you're both on the road? Do you just make it clear to customers that there's a multi-day response time, or do you hire temporary support staff?
The wedding industry is huge - planners, photographers, musicians, florists, etc. If you can get these people to link to you, you'll start to do better in organic searches.
When did you launch? Weddings are generally pretty seasonal, so I would guess you'll get a lot more traffic in the next few months. Also, is anybody linking to you?
FYI - "Click, close your eyes and count to ten" was actually closer to fifty on the first load. I went back and clicked the button again, and it only took about seven seconds. Just thought you should be aware.
Your obligation to your employer is commensurate with their obligation to you. If you feel like they've been flexible and accommodating (or would be, should the need arise), then I think it's reasonable (and very nice of you) to do what you can to protect their interests. Having said that, I do routinely see people bend over backward for employers who would shaft them in a heartbeat if it added a nickel to the bottom line.
My previous company was in the online retail space, and now I'm doing SaaS. The process of getting a physical product from a manufacturer to a customer is just much more involved. It took a minimum of three people just to operate the business. I think a co-founder is necessary when you lack the domain knowledge to operate and grow the business yourself, or the business itself requires more hands on deck and you're unable to pay an appropriate wage.
I've done it both ways (previously with a co-founder, now on my own). They're totally different businesses, though - I couldn't have done the last one without a co-founder.
* Brainstorming of ideas/vision
* All development
* Register and manage servers (CI, test, and a prod box, email, database)
* Register company, handle the accounts, and bank account
* Licenses/legislation
* Payment processing
Is his name on any of this? It sure sounds like you own the company. Some of these things cost money. Did you pay for all of it, or has he contributed financially too?
Look, I get the stress of the situation, but using emotional guilt is a terrible way to try to manage people. If he's not doing the work, let him go, and make sure you set clearer expectations for your next hire. His response doesn't strike me as any more inappropriate than you dropping the life savings bombshell on him.
I would suspect that the number of North Americans who speak a second language is comparable to the number of Europeans who speak non-European languages.
I'm right there with you, but unless they're your target audience, it really doesn't matter what they think. Being an entrepreneur is kind of like having a really obscure hobby. Unless the people you meet are into the same stuff (i.e. vintage trampoline collecting), they can only reasonably only have so much interest (and tolerance) for your weirdness.