Interview with Sunil Saxena from InMotion Hosting

Last week, we ran a successful giveaway and fundraiser to celebrate WPBeginner’s 5th birthday and help build 2 schools in Guatemala through Pencils of Promise charity. This would not be possible without our Platinum sponsors who donated $5000 towards the campaign. I want to highlight each of them by interviewing them about their business.

In today’s first interview, we have Sunil Saxena, co-founder of InMotion Hosting.

Sunil and I first met few years ago at a conference. We quickly became friends soon after because we’re passionate about the same thing (good customer service, quality products, and most of all giving back to the community). When he found out about the giveaway we did last year at WPBeginner to help build a school, he reached out eager to know how he can help next year.

When I publicly announced the giveaway, Sunil was the first to jump onboard. He donated a total of $10,000 to represent both of his companies InMotion Hosting and Web Hosting Hub.

I personally have a few dedicated servers with InMotion Hosting, and I love their product and most importantly their U.S. based support.

Having that said, let’s jump into the interview.

1. When you started InMotion Hosting in 2001, what was your goal?

It was simple. Coming from a hosting background, I had learned quickly that there was a need for superior customer support. Getting a website can be complicated – it’s our job to help make that process easier – and I believe a cornerstone for why InMotion Hosting is here today, and why we will be around for many years to come, is because we strive to provide the best customer support experience on every contact.

2. InMotion Hosting has been around before WordPress was even created. How has the growth of WordPress impacted your business?

WordPress users are a significant portion of our customer base. WordPress has been great for our business and the web in general – I believe it’s been a catalyst in getting people who would have normally stayed away from getting a website to publishing their site online. Additionally, it’s been great for so many of our developer and designer customers – it’s a great platform for them to easily create and manage customer sites.

3. With all the tools available for building websites, how is WordPress different for you than other softwares that you support?

First and foremost, WordPress is very popular and understandably so. While other builders may have limitations on all of the features you may or may not be able to put on your site, WordPress, because of it’s vast array of plugins really eviscerates that problem. Additionally, the scalability of WordPress really makes it stand out – you can start small, and as you and your business continue to grow, you’re able to keep the same platform. As a business owner, this allows you to really focus your time an energy on what’s important, and not shopping around for a new web building solution.

4. I see a significant increase in your involvement with WordCamps and other WordPress related events. Do you have any special plans for WordPress based sites?

Yes, we have some ideas and plans that I can’t speak specifics of – but we are working to help the spectrum of WordPress users with their experience. For the novice user, it’ll mean an easier ramp to publishing time, for the advanced user, it’ll mean the reliability and platform you need to make your business grow.

5. What is the most challenging part of your job?

Challenges are everywhere – in my life, it’s all about time. Prioritization, understanding needs of the business, and knowing that sometimes, the best ideas can’t happen right away is part of the deal.

6. If you can put it in 3 sentences, what sets InMotion Hosting apart from other hosts?

Our commitment to provide the very best hosting experience for our customers is critical for InMotion Hosting. We have invested significant money in our platform (such as SSDs for free for all shared accounts) to keeping our 24/7 call center on U.S. soil (many of our competitors farm these jobs offshore) so that we can provide you, our customer, with an opportunity to do what you do – which is to build your business online.

7. Why did you decide to support this cause and what does it mean to you?

At InMotion Hosting, we have been lucky enough to be rewarded with a growing and loyal customer base – so an opportunity like this is an obvious one. Also, as a father of 2 boys, now more than ever, I realize that the youth of the world are so important. I believe the one of the best gifts you can provide for anyone is an education. Being a part of the Pencils of Promise (via our good friends at WPBeginner) allows us to do just that.

Thanks Sunil for your time and the very generous donation to help build schools.

Everyone, please check out InMotion Hosting. They’re now offering free SSDs with all of their shared hosting. We’re using their commercial class 2000 dedicated server for some of our websites. Their 24/7 support is simply awesome considering it’s all U.S. based.