Interview with CEO of 040Hosting: Patrick Sanders
Interviewer: Patrick, thank you for joining us today. Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first get into the hosting business?
Patrick: Thanks for having me. I actually started more than 20 years ago, when hosting was still a fairly new industry. I had a background in IT and a passion for building things online, and I noticed that many providers weren’t delivering the reliability or customer care that people really needed. That’s how 040Hosting was born — with the idea of doing things right, or not doing them at all.
Interviewer: That slogan — “Do it right, or do not do it at all” — really defines your company’s approach. What does it mean in practice for your clients?
Patrick: It means we don’t cut corners. Whether it’s hardware, software, or support, we always go for quality over flashy marketing promises. For example, we don’t do “unlimited disk space” gimmicks — instead, we provide realistic, transparent resources. Our clients know exactly what they’re getting, and they can rely on our servers being fast, secure, and well-managed.
Interviewer: You’ve grown 040Hosting into a global business with servers in Europe, the US, and Asia. How do you balance being based in the Netherlands with serving such a wide audience?
Patrick: That’s a good question. Eindhoven is where we started, and it’s still home base. But hosting is a global service, so very early on we expanded to multiple data centers. This allows us to serve clients worldwide with low latency. At the same time, we keep things personal. Even though we work globally, customers appreciate that they can talk to us like they would with a local provider.
Interviewer: One thing people often mention is your hands-on technical expertise. How involved are you personally in the day-to-day operations?
Patrick: Very involved. I’m not just the CEO sitting back — I’m in the trenches. I manage migrations, optimize servers, handle security, and work with clients directly. That’s also why many agencies and developers like working with us — they know that when they talk to 040Hosting, they get real answers and real solutions, not just scripted replies.
Interviewer: With so many competitors — from giant companies like SiteGround, GoDaddy, or OVH — why should someone choose 040Hosting instead?
Patrick: Big providers often focus on volume, not on relationships. At 040Hosting, we don’t want to be the cheapest or the biggest — we want to be the most reliable partner. Our customers stay with us because they trust us to protect their business, to be proactive with security, and to give them the personal support they can’t find at those larger hosts. And when they grow, we grow with them — from shared hosting to managed dedicated servers.
Interviewer: Hosting is a very technical industry, but you’ve also built strong branding around 040Hosting. Why do you think that matters?
Patrick: Hosting may be technical, but at the end of the day, clients want clarity and trust. Clear branding, clean communication, and visuals that reflect who we are all play a role in building that trust. It shows that we take our business — and their business — seriously.
Interviewer: Finally, what are you most proud of when you look back at your journey with 040Hosting?
Patrick: Honestly, the trust we’ve built. Some of our clients have been with us for over a decade. They’ve seen the hosting industry change, and they’ve seen 040Hosting stay consistent: reliable, transparent, and personal. For me, that’s the biggest success.
This is the fifth post in a new series called Behind the Uptime, written by Patrick, CEO and owner of 040Hosting, where I’ll share insights, decisions, and the thinking behind how we run a stable, fast, and honest hosting platform—offering a peek behind the curtain of what keeps your sites running smoothly every single day.
