By Susan Regier
Grant and Heather Peel started The Net Now in the spring of 1998, providing Web design, graphic design, Web hosting, domain registration, and general Web site consulting. They work from a home based office, however, their virtual office could actually be anywhere that they can access the Internet as most of their work is done on computer via an Internet connection. They currently have two Web servers, one in Baltimore and the other in Seattle that are administered remotely. These are connected to the best Internet connections in North America and are maintained by technicians 24/7.
You are not an Internet Service Provider – you are a Web hoster. Explain the difference.
We do not offer dialup or any other access to the Internet as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) would. We don’t offer a way for our customers to connect to the Internet, rather we provide a means for visitors all over the world to view our customers’ Web sites by providing top-quality Web servers on very fast Internet connections. We are actually, what is commonly called, a WPP or Web Presence Provider. Our clients might choose our services instead of hosting through a dial-up ISP for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the ISP doesn’t offer hosting at all, or if they do, they don’t have a reliable or fast connection to the Internet backbone. We also have many clients come to us because their ISP charges a great deal more than The Net Now for these “add-on” services. This is hardly surprising as most ISP’s make very little money on their actual dial-up service and rely on charging higher prices for additional services to compensate for the low markup on their main product.
What is your background?
We draw a lot of skills from totally unrelated work experience. In my “other lives” I have worked as a bookkeeper, bookstore clerk, and chemistry and biology lab technologist and Grant has worked as a supervisor in an auto plant. I attribute my introduction and continued interest in computers and the Internet to Grant who has always had avid interest in computers. He is never happy unless he has mastered the latest software program. From the time we first got “online,” about five or six years ago, we were hooked on using the Internet. For the most part, our experience is based on acquiring as much information as we are able to absorb in our daily use of the Internet. While there are many worthwhile training courses available, nothing, in our opinion, beats the day-to-day, hands-on experience gained by running your own business. We also do a great deal of networking by telephone and email with other people in similar businesses as well as to our upstream service providers.
What is it like working with your spouse on a full time basis?
At first it was a little awkward, as we hadn’t defined our roles in the company. We now have sorted out which aspects of the job we are best suited for and thankfully they complement each other beautifully. I take care of most of the correspondence with clients, billing, and all graphic and Web design. Grant handles the server administration as well as the more complex CGI coding. I think we get along very well together. When he isn’t helping me with a Web site, he is usually helping to keep the kids busy to let me get some work done. Our home office setup allows us a lot more flexibility with our family and to stay on top of business even after normal business hours.
What do you do when you disagree on business issues? Who wins?
Well, I always win hands down I’m afraid. I do, however, give very careful consideration to Grant’s ideas. ( How do you reach your target market? We currently have small ads in both the London area telephone book and the Phone Guide. Other than that, we are found through search engines on the Internet. For the most part, however, many of our clients have found us through word of mouth. We are at capacity right now for the amount of design work we can handle and are also doing very well with our hosting services. We’re enthusiastic about the future of the business based on the fact that we are doing so well, with an extremely small advertising budget. It’s rewarding to know that our clients are impressed enough with our level of service that they mention us to colleagues and friends.
What do you offer that’s different from your competitors?
Personal service is what most people we talk with are looking for. They know they will speak to either Grant or myself if they call or email. We try not to overwhelm our clients with tech-talk and quite often we will help them out even when the issues are not related to our service. For example, helping with virus removal or basic computer questions like, “How do you copy and paste?”. What is the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome to get to where you are now? The biggest obstacle is one we are facing right now. Finding enough time is the biggest challenge. There simply isn’t enough time to complete everything I plan to do in the day. I’m sure this will be resolved within the year, as we will be looking to hire someone to help with certain aspects of the business.
What do you enjoy most about your business?
I think I enjoy everything about it, except perhaps for the bookkeeping part! I love talking with clients; many of them are fascinating people from all sorts of backgrounds. We have clients all over North America. I also really enjoy when I’m designing a Web page and creating the graphics for it. Speaking for Grant, he loves the sense of accomplishment when he has written a script to do something that will save him time, or he has resolved an especially difficult problem with some code.
What do you do to relax?
I like to garden and arrange flowers and Grant loves to play either his acoustic or electric guitar. We usually make time one day of the week at least to do something together even if it’s just to watch a movie.
How do you handle a hectic day? Most days are pretty hectic!
On especially busy days, I’ll put aside all non-essential tasks for another day and keep telephone calls to a minimum. How much has your business grown since the beginning? We are seeing a growth of about 300% each year.
If you could go back to the beginning and change something, what would it be?
I won’t say we haven’t made mistakes; but quite honestly, there isn’t anything that stands out in my mind that I would go back and change. Everything has worked out very well for us for the most part.
Where do you see your business in three years?
Hopefully on holiday in the Caribbean…we haven’t taken a vacation in a few years! I think we will be hiring at least one person in the next year and moving the business out of our home-office setup. I plan to hire someone who can assist with the administrative duties mainly and we will probably continue to contract out design work for a while longer yet. I don’t see much reason to bring designers in-house as it’s very easy to work with people anywhere in North America by email or telephone and I’m comfortable working this way.
To find out more about The Net Now, visit their Web site at www.thenetnow.com.
Susan Regier is the publisher/editor of Networking Today and owner of Vantage One Writing, a professional writing service for businesses. (519) 471-8726 E-mail: regiers@vantageone.ca Web site: www.vantageone.ca Published in Networking Today, April 2001.
