Web hosting lessons from the past are still in play at Aplus.Net notes CEO, Gabriel Murphy.

TH: Are there similarities between how CommuniTech.Net operated and how Aplus.Net operates? Are there any big differences?

GM: There are both similarities and differences. One similarity is our macro management style. Additionally, we have a strong push towards back office automation. Apart from the similarities, the success of Aplus.Net has been a result of a strong outbound sales force model and direct selling efforts, where the revenue growth of CommuniTech.Net was primarily a result of a strong reseller program and other indirect sales, as well as online marketing. So, while automation and investments in back-office processes are very similar between the two companies, the strategies in top-line growth have taken much different paths.

TH: Are there any operational measures you’ve borrowed from CommuniTech.Net to make Aplus.Net a better Web hosting company, or a better business entity in general?

GM: Absolutely. At CommuniTech.Net, I was only 21 when the company was founded and 26 when it was sold. One of my biggest hurdles in the early days of CommuniTech.Net was my tendency to micromanage. It was a hard habit for me to break, but 3-4 years into CommuniTech.Net I was able to recruit and retain a strong management team as well as develop a more structured environment. At Aplus.Net, we have done a very good job of empowering our upper- and mid-level managers to do their jobs and trusting their decisions.

TH: You’ve indicated that Aplus.Net is expanding its sales force drastically. Naturally, the company wants to sell more, but what is the goal in terms of customer acquisition and revenue gain?

GM: Our primary goal is to evolve our customer websites into marketing tools that drive potential business. Thus, our emphasis is on increasing our average revenue per user via add-ons to our existing customer base, instead of focusing predominantly on growing our customer base.

TH: What product lines, if any, is the company focusing most on currently: shared Web hosting, dedicated, managed dedicated, or another area? What product lines are working well for the company right now and what reasons can you attribute for that?

GM: We are very focused on a software delivery service strategy: we turn stale, stagnant websites into successful marketing tools for small businesses that ultimately result in more sales from initial online contact. An example is WebImage, which is a product line that is working very well for us as our customers move towards implementing a website beyond brochure-ware and look at their website as a major marketing tool that enables them to conduct business online.

TH: Aplus.Net is still in acquisition mode, correct? Is funding still available? Are there any particular components in a target company or metrics you are looking for specifically?

GM: We have changed our focus from financial-based acquisitions (acquisitions intended for the primary purpose of scale/revenue growth) to acquisitions that add a strategic opportunity to the company. Our acquisition of WebImage is a primary example of a strategic acquisition. As we continue to implement a SaaS strategy and evolve our business from a traditional hosting provider to a small business marketing services firm, we will continue to evaluate strategic acquisitions that fit within our SaaS thesis.

TH: What is the message you most want to convey to customers?

GM: A website is a marketing tool and a successful website is a profit center. Our drive at Aplus.Net is to provide not just technology, but also marketing and other tools that supplement our customers’ websites. These tools will aid discovery of our customers’ businesses online.

Visit www.Aplus.Net to learn more about its Web hosting and value-added services.