Episode 197: The World of Web Hosting

Episode 197 originally broadcast on March 14, 2009

This week’s Featured Guest is the chairman and CEO of web-hosting powerhouse The Planet. Russ discusses with Doug Erwin the passion, dedication and expectations required to build a "massive beast" operation focused on absolute customer satisfaction. Then, "flashback" to Episode 144 when Erica O’Grady interviewed Erica Douglass, founder of web-hosting company Simpli Hosting.

School of Business 03/14/09

Russ and John present the show in the top 80th percentile for originality and tomfoolery. Includes: BusinessMakers Quote of the Week—blunt words from Phil Morabito of Pierpont Communications; This Week in Business History includes such diverse personalities as Julius Caesar (remember the Ides of March?), Christopher Columbus, Eli Whitney, Sam Houston, the Beatles and Steve Jobs; Navigating Business Jargon—acronyms, technospeak and John’s vast vocabulary; and Dumbest Moments in Business History—President Obama gives a mediocre gift.

Doug Erwin CEO of The Planet

Russ visits with Doug Erwin, chairman and CEO of the largest privately-held hosting provider in North America. The Planet serves 20,000 businesses and 15 million websites globally, and has 58,000 servers under management. Erwin discusses growing a “massive beast” operation and the facilities required to serve it. Guaranteed uptime is a given, appropriate “wiring” is critical and passion is considered a core value. He describes his employees as kamikaze pilots—another indicator of the dedication of his staff. When Hurricane Ike blew through, The Planet was prepared; customer satisfaction rates were at an all-time high that week. It takes an amazing person to build a workplace family like this.

WebXtra - Doug Erwin

Flashback - Erica Douglas

Russ flashes back to Episode 144 when Erica O’Grady interviewed Erica Douglass, founder of web-hosting company Simpli Hosting. Douglass founded her company when she was 20 years old and, by the age of 26, had built up and sold the company and was looking for her next concept. In this segment, Douglass discusses the genesis of her business: how she researched and ultimately found her niche, then set about developing the personnel to get her operation where she wanted it to be. Douglass is a smart, well-spoken woman who knows exactly what she did right.

PKF Texas: The Entrepreneur’s Playbook® - Business Insight

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