As we continue our Low End Box Interview Series, today we are talking to Stacey Talieres, Director of Marketing of InterServer Inc., a long established (started doing business in 1999 – 20 years ago!) US-based hosting company. InterServer enjoys a great reputation and has experienced continued growth over the years, so we’re excited to gain a little bit of their perspective on the industry and the future.
So, let’s get started with the interview!
Tell me about your background and your company’s history?
InterServer was founded way back in 1999 by two high-school friends; Michael Lavrik & John Quaglieri. The company was formed on the basis that both the support and price associated with basic web-hosting was lacking within the hosting landscape in the late 1990’s. Both Mike & John had faced several challenges with other hosts as customers and understood that there was opportunity in the market. Both John and Mike still own and operate InterServer 21+ years later.
What would you tell someone looking to start a hosting company today? What advice would you offer?
The hosting industry is extremely competitive and heavily saturated therefore from the beginning of time our focus has always been support. We have always allocated a majority of our internal resources to ensuring that the level of support we offer remains our major point of difference. Therefore I would say it’s not just about acquiring customers it’s mostly about retaining them.
Where do you think the future takes the hosting industry?
The industry continues to grow organically, I attribute that to a couple of key points one of them being that new users are starting new businesses that require an online presence therefore they need the resources to do so. Then another key element is that given the current landscape across the globe users and consumers are even more heavily inclined to shop, order, and conduct a wide range of other businesses now via the web. So in essentially I would say that the industry holds a bright future.
Tell me about your top two failures in business? What did you learn from them?
In business there are always associated risks some result in big wins and some result in epic failures however without taking a risk you definitely short change yourself from experiencing the growth that comes along with the process. Personally, I don’t look at anything in business as failure but rather as a learning experience that has enabled me to grow and evolve along the way.
Tell me about your top two successes in business?
I think a key metric of our success is that we are still in business 20+ years later and that we continue to grow the business while doing a job that we all thoroughly enjoy.
In addition, I would definitely say that watching customers grow over the course of several years is also a very fulfilling part of our job, one that signals we’re on the right track.
What do you enjoy most about your role? What do you find most difficult?
My role is constantly changing as we take on new advertising partnerships. I find this chapter to be exciting yet challenging all in one. What I enjoy most is my direct interaction with a wide range of our customers listening to their needs definitely provides me with the necessary insight and feedback needed in order to meet our customers’ wants on a regular basis.
Both personally and professionally, what guiding principles ground you?
For me, it’s all about the people. I have always been a major proponent of the moto that your number one investment should be your people, the team at InterServer is the core and backbone of our operation. Having the right team in place is what allows us to do our #1 job which is to take care of our customers.
Give us some details on new and exciting things you are working on?
Our team is constantly seeking new ways to enhance the customer experience. We are currently in the final stages of developing our own mail relay service called https://mail.baby/ which is a great feature in which we are excited to offer our new and existing customers.
Why should customers trust you and your business?
As I mentioned earlier in the interview our industry is heavily saturated and very competitive. However, with that said many hosting companies can’t sustain long-term as a result of this. It’s also important to note that there are tons of different tiered hosting companies, what sets us apart is that we are a one stop shop. We run our own datacenter in Secaucus, NJ. And have heavily invested into the infrastructure of our business over the years and continue to do so actively. InterServer is a company comprised of several longtime dedicated team members that are all extremely vested. In addition both co-founders are actively part of the day to day operation and are in tune with the needs and demand of the business.
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Great interview Stacey! If anyone of you met Stacey in person, you’d know she’s sincere and truly cares about her partners success. Awesome company with a great team.