Web Hosting Interview - HostRocket.Com December 2004

Web Hosting Interview - HostRocket.Com December 2004

Brendan Brader, CEO/Co-founder of HostRocket.com

HostSearch exclusive interview with Brendan Brader, CEO/ Co-founder of HostRocket.com, one of the fastest growing and most successful hosting company in the industry.

  • HOSTSEARCH: Could you please reveal a little about yourself and your day-to-day role with HostRocket.com
    BRENDAN: I'm co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of HostRocket.  Since founding the company, I have helped take it from a startup to a multi-million dollar power player in the hosting industry.  On a daily basis, I oversee all activities of the company to make certain that every aspect of our operation is focused on excellence and providing a hosting experience that meets the needs and exceeds the expectations of each and every one of our customers.   I also spend an enormous amount of time focusing on strategy, retention, marketing, and taking advantage of opportunities that promote long-term growth of the company.
  • HOSTSEARCH: Can you give us a brief historical run through of HostRocket.com's development since establishment, and explain your company's role in the industry.
    BRENDAN: HostRocket was officially launched in early 2000.  At that time, hosting consumers had many hosts to choose from.  Some were cheap, some were feature-rich, and some had great customer service.  HostRocket came into the market providing all three of those things because we didn't believe that consumers should have to choose between feature-rich hosting and affordable hosting.  By providing hosting that was not only affordable, but was also packed with cutting-edge features and backing it all with some of the best technical support in the industry, we were able to emerge as a leader in the shared hosting industry.  

    As time went on, we continued to enhance our services.  As an example, in 2003, we were the first company in the industry to allow consumers to "roll over unused bandwidth" with the launch of what we called "rollover bandwidth".  Soon others in the industry duplicated our offering.  Today searches on Google for our trademarked phrase ""rollover bandwidth" yields over 2800 results.  Did we change the industry?  Yes, I certainly believe we did, and it's only one of many examples.  Today, we host over 50,000 sites on our network and have a private datacenter and office complex in Upstate New York.

  • HOSTSEARCH: By noticing that HostRocket.com's web design had changed several times over the past few years (Since 2000 - present), what was the idea behind those changes? Have the designs been changed to support the marketing strategy at that time?
    BRENDAN: Some say appearance is important, some say it's not.  At HostRocket, we believe that projecting a professional image is immensely important.  Each design did effectively represent specific branding strategies.
  • HOSTSEARCH: By quoting that "RocketOne" hosting plan is extremely popular product for HostRocket.com, what made this plan unique, and what are reasons for customers to choose this plan over other offers by your competitors?
    BRENDAN: Our RocketOne plan is incredibly popular with many customers who are just looking to host a single site.  The customers that choose this plan are thrilled to see such a generous offering at an incredibly affordable price.  Recently I saw a prominent blogger refer to us as "the Dell of hosting".  I think that's a good thing.  Dell is known for excellent deals on computers, just as HostRocket is known for some of the best deals on hosting. With the competitive price, the cutting edge features, and amazing customer service, why wouldn't the plan be popular?
  • HOSTSEARCH: Can you please share with us about awards & achievement that HostRocket.com has received?
    BRENDAN: This is an area really too immense for me to discuss in detail.  Over the years, we've actually racked up an impressive list of awards.  Primarily, HostRocket excels in all areas related to service and has always been noted as having spectacular technical support.  Many hosting directories that do independent testing have also mentioned HostRocket with high regards.
  • HOSTSEARCH: What are changes that have occurred since complete merger of HostRocket.com and RackFast.com?
    BRENDAN: Until recently, RackFast was division of HostRocket, but it was also a stand-alone company.  Since the merger, the operations, staff, and billing have just been combined with those of HostRocket.  These were simple changes, but they increase overall efficiency of both companies.
  • HOSTSEARCH: On the web site, it shows that you are HostFind.com, and Findmyhost.com's network partner. What is the most important role for network partners program?
    BRENDAN: In life, the level of success you can reach is largely dependent upon who you know.  While that's personal development, we look at partnerships in a similar context.  Think of your network partners as "who you know" in the industry.  We partner with a wide variety of successful sites so that we can combine resources and improve our services both directly and indirectly as a result of the value we can provide to each other.  The key is just finding companies founded upon principles similar to those on which you founded your own company and working with them to see how you can enhance the services through the partnership.
  • HOSTSEARCH: As the fastest growing companies in web hosting industry, what is the secret to your success for HostRocket.com?
    BRENDAN: HostRocket is successful because we combine cutting-edge features and extreme affordability to create generous hosting plans.  We then back everything with top-notch customer service.  When you have all of those and focus everything around excellence, you certainly have a winning combination.  
  • HOSTSEARCH: Where do you see yourself, HostRocket.com and the industry as a whole in five years time?
    BRENDAN: The hosting industry changes at such a fast pace, it's hard to say.  I just know that HostRocket is constantly changing and evolving our services to meet the needs of our customers and hosting consumers in general as those needs change.  As long as we continue to do that, we're continue to remain one of the top providers of hosting services for decades to come.
  • HOSTSEARCH: What is the first website you visit when you turn on your computer and why?
    BRENDAN: Every single day, I always visit www.bostondirtdogs.com

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