AussieHost.com recently launched an affiliate program with generous commissions and we’d an opportunity for a Q&A session with Mr. Rob Walker (aka Aussie Bob), the AussieHost.com founder and CEO regarding the same. What we expected was just another Run-of-the-mill interview, and what we got surprised us pleasantly. So over to Aussie Bob himself, as he candidly talks about his first entrepreneurial venture, his decision to sell it, inception of AussieHost.com and it’s modus-operandi that keeps it profitable while providing services at nominal prices.
I love it when clients can save money by hosting all their domains in their one hosting account with us, as compared to paying for their hosting on a domain by domain basis. This was the hook that got HTTPme off the ground, back when multiple domain hosting was not all that common. VPS and dedicated servers have their place, but our most common hosting is the multiple domain plans, and this will stay at the core as we’re going forwards.
– Mr. Rob Walker, Founder and CEO, AussieHost.com.
Mr. Rob Walker, Founder and CEO, AussieHost.com.
Q: What is your name and role with AussieHost.com? How long have you been in this role?
A : Rob Walker, or aka “Aussie Bob”. Founder and CEO. Since 2007.
Q: For those who don’t know what AussieHost.com is, can you please brief it a bit?
A: Local AU based feature packed and affordable web hosting, specializing in multiple domain hosting packages.
Q: Let’s start all the way back to HTTPme.com. Why did you sell a successful venture that you developed from scratch?
A: Good question. I’ve asked myself that question a number of times over the years, and do wonder what life would have been like if I kept HTTPme. I think at the time it was the right decision, to sell HTTPme.com. There was an offer on the table, and it was more money than most folks would see, and it was enough to buy some land and build the family home, so building that home was the main motivating factor, given we lost our previous home when our building company hit the wall in the late 90s. Building that house was like my restoration, as a father and man, if that makes sense.
Q: AussieHost.com has seen significant growth since its inception in June 2007. For the longest time, it focused primarily on multiple domain hosting, which was a strong forte of HTTPme.com as well. Was there any particular reason for this? Did you want to test waters before launching a full-fledged product line up including Single domain hosting, Reseller accounts , VPS and Dedicated servers?
A: Multiple domain hosting is one a really great niche of the hosting market to carve out. I love it when clients can save money by hosting all their domains in their one hosting account with us, as compared to paying for their hosting on a domain by domain basis. This was the hook that got HTTPme off the ground, back when multiple domain hosting was not all that common. VPS and dedicated servers have their place, but our most common hosting is the multiple domain plans, and this will stay at the core as we’re going forwards.
Q: Can you please brief our readers on all the services AussieHost.com has to offer as of today?
A: Multiple domain, reseller, VPS and Dedicated servers.
Q: AussieHost.com offers relatively low prices, yet is quite profitable. What are the key issues and strategies in managing costs and retaining a profit margin?
A: We keep our overheads low, and only spend money when needed, as we don’t have a standard “office” as I work from home and the team works from their various locations. This saves money for sure and we’re all working slightly different hours too, so a standard 9 to 5 office location just doesn’t fit that well into the 24×7 hosting world.
Q: It would be fair to say that Australia is your strong hold and you enjoy relatively bigger success there when compared to, say, US or Europe. How do you see the current competitive state of the Web Hosting markets in Australia and US?
A: AussieHost.com is primarily aimed at the Australian market with servers located inside Australia, for fastest possible speeds inside Australia. I would say 99% of our clients are Aussies, although we do welcome other folks too.
Q: Now I’m sure you get this one a lot- Why doesn’t AussieHost.com provide phone support?
A: Funny you should ask, as that’s something we’re adding in the next few weeks, although it’s more for sales and so folks can talk directly with myself, if they need to. I actually do a bit of phone support now, if I see some tickets that I feel a quick phone call from the CEO can help resolve quicker. I love interacting with our clients on the phone.
LoadSpike protected servers deployed by AussieHost.comQ: AussieHost.com servers are protected from load spikes caused by other sites on the server with Light Visualised Environment (LVE) technology. Can you brief our users regarding this technology?
A: It’s the CloudLinux software, that helps preventing users from overloading a server by isolating users inside a set parameter of server resources. This software is amazing, to say the least. Really wish we had this back in the HTTPme days!!! Would have saved a lot of headaches. 🙂
Q: This one is regarding the recently launched Affiliate program. Unlike any other affiliate system, the AussieHost.com’s affiliate starts off at $50/sale. How profitable is it in the long run?
A: $50 for the acquisition of a customer is actually pretty affordable, given the multiples hosting companies are selling at these days. If someone says hey Bob, here’s 1,000 customers for you and all it will cost you is $50k. Well that would be a great deal and we’d jump at that for sure, so it’s long term feasible for sure.
Q: As of now, AussieHost.com currently hosts around 6,000 domains for clients all over Australia. What plans do you have in store for 2013? Any plans of expanding the global foot print?
A: No, AussieHost.com will always be aimed at the Aussie hosting market. There’re no plans to aim our product at an international market. If that was to happen, it would be under a different brand, as the brand name in my books has to reflect the offer.
