“The machine went down again”
That message lit up my phone at 9PM, causing me to sigh before my usual start to my shift for what felt like the hundredth time that month. Another night, another server crash, and plenty of frustrated clients in our ticket system wondering why it is down.
After spending the next hour troubleshooting—coffee in hand, exhaustion settling in—I finally got everything back online. Messages of relief and thanks poured in, but one question from a newer client stuck with me:
“I came from a previous host, being told you guys were good, yet I had this issue all the time in the past with my old host.”
That question haunted me for days. Not because it was unfair, but because it was a sentiment I had shared so many times before—even while working on the inside of another hosting company. And that’s when the seed for Host It Create It was planted.
The Inside Perspective
Most people starting a business in an industry are outsiders looking in. My journey was different. I’d already spent years working at another game server hosting company, witnessing firsthand both the good and the not-so-good of how the industry operated.
I saw the corners that got cut when profits were prioritized over player experience. I experienced the frustration of having great ideas for improvements shot down because they weren’t “cost-effective.” I felt the disconnect between what gamers actually needed and what companies were willing to provide. What I worked with before, and how things began treading downhill when we were at the cusp of doing great things, it felt like I was at my wits end - I could just get a job elsewhere, at another hosting company, to make a difference for them - But then I didn’t feel in control of what could be better.
Working there taught me invaluable lessons about server infrastructure, scaling operations, and customer support workflows. But it also showed me all the ways hosting could be done better if only someone was willing to try a different approach. Cutting corners is one thing, cutting corners and not willing to realise you messed up is even worse. This is not to say there are providers out there who aren’t doing amazing work and are tirelessly improving, sure - They are competitors but also my peers in this industry.
This is about a 25-year-old gamer who’s seen the hosting industry from both sides—as a customer, a community builder, and as someone who’s worked behind the scenes. I don’t have a fancy business degree hanging on my wall, but I have something perhaps more valuable: real-world experience with what works and what doesn’t.
The Conversation That Changed Everything
I might still be dreaming about starting my own hosting company if not for a conversation with one of my closest friends about six months ago.
After listening to me vent about yet another limitation I’d encountered at work—another instance where players’ needs were secondary to business metrics—he looked at me and made an offer that changed everything:
“I believe in your vision for this. If you commit to making it happen, I’ll cover the initial costs.”
I was stunned. It wasn’t just the financial support (though that was crucial)—it was the vote of confidence. Someone believed in this idea enough to put their own money behind it. Someone believed in me enough to take that risk. He’s been running his own business for a long time now, I’ve watched him myself spend countless nights and days grinding out his work eithic.
“I know you’re a procastinator and this is something you want to do, you’ll never start though so this is me making you start at least.”
That night, Host It Create It went from a “someday” dream to a “let’s do this” reality.
Building a Team of Believers
What’s made this journey possible isn’t just financial backing—it’s the circle of friends and team members who’ve rallied around this vision.
I’m surrounded by people who bring complementary skills to the table. People who stayed up with me bouncing ideas, thinking of what we can do as a team, ways to improve or ensure that when we do eventually launch, we tick all the check marks of what we’re trying to bring to the table, EVEN if everything is not 100% implemented.
None of us have taken the traditional path to building a hosting company. We don’t have MBAs or venture capital connections. We’re gamers who understand what other gamers need because we’ve lived it. We’ve experienced the pain points firsthand and have been imagining solutions for years.
What we might lack in formal business training, we make up for in passion, technical knowledge, and a genuine desire to create something better than what’s currently available.
Starting Small, Dreaming Big
I’m not going to romanticize this: starting Host It Create It has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I struggle with planning, or where to research the backbone of what we need, I’m a coder but as a hobbyist, I don’t write huge sweeping software for companies; I’m not some full-stack developer who could tell you x and y and what libraries, functions and languages to use within an hour at looking at documentation.
There’s no massive team behind us. No fancy office. No millions in funding. Just me, my supportive friend who took a chance on my vision, and a small team of passionate people who believed enough to join this journey.
My first prototype wasn’t on some high-end server in a data center. It was on a Raspberry Pi in my home back in January 2024, where I tested our choice of server panel and management systems. After months of testing and refinement, my friend came through on his promise in October, providing the financial support to get our first real dedicated server up and running.
We’ve faced countless technical challenges, stayed up for days straight during migrations, and had more than a few moments where we questioned if this was all a terrible idea.
But then something amazing happened.
The Moment That Made It All Worth It
In November, I received a message from a past client I knew from my old hosting job. He ran a fairly large gaming community— for Conan Exiles. He’d been watching what we were building from the sidelines and decided to give us a chance.
He was already established—not a small community just starting out, but a community with a reputation, with members who depended on reliable service. His decision to trust us with that responsibility was both exciting and terrifying.
Just a few weeks after I set up him on our panel and provided an invoice, he’s been giving me all sorts of feedback, what he likes about the panel, how the dedicated server is running with a lot of players. Things were working great for him, his playerbase was happy to have a new home.
“First of all, love the panel and the reliable service HiCi offers. Not only is everyone helpful, kind and patient. But, on numerous occasions when I’ve had issues, Ryan would almost immediately come to my aid and spent countless days sometimes, finding a solution and a fix to each issue we’ve faced thus far. Overall, I’d highly recommend them as they are honest, transparent, very reasonably priced and offer a service that is far and beyond compared to what other companies might offer. If you want to do business with them who have an amazing core value, then HiCi is definitely for you. They will amaze you, 10/10.”
I will admit, I did ask him for a general testimonial, yet he wrote out this with sincerity and genuine appreciation for our service and the help we’re providing. It definitely put a smile on my face.
What Makes Us Different
I won’t pretend we can match the resources of the big hosting companies. We can’t. Not yet.
But having worked within the industry, I know exactly where the gaps are—and that’s where we shine:
- Insider Knowledge with Outsider Freedom: My experience working at another hosting company showed me exactly what frustrates customers and what they really need. Now I have the freedom to actually implement those solutions.
- Direct Access: When you contact support, you’re talking to someone who can actually solve your problem, not reading from a script. Sometimes, that person is me—the founder, still doing support shifts because I believe that’s how you stay connected to what customers actually need. I do not want to have a job where all I have to do is tell people and things just work, I want to be there with my team, on the ground – If someone can’t hop on due to personal reasons, I want to be the first person who will offer to help.
- Technical Experience, Not Just Business Metrics: We make decisions based on what makes servers run better, not just what makes quarterly reports look better. Having worked in the industry, I’ve seen how prioritizing the wrong metrics leads to worse experiences.
- True Flexibility: Being small means we can adapt quickly. If something isn’t working, we can change it without navigating corporate bureaucracy.
- Personal Investment: Your success is literally our success. Every person on our team has a direct stake in making this work, both emotionally and practically.
The Road Ahead
I’ll be completely honest: we have a long journey ahead of us. There are features we want to implement that will take time. There are games we want to support that we’re still optimizing for. There will be growing pains and learning curves.
We’re not perfect, and we won’t pretend to be.
But here’s my promise to you: we will never stop trying to be better. We will listen to your feedback, admit when we make mistakes, and work tirelessly to create the hosting experience that you deserve.
Not because it’s good business, but because it’s the hosting service I always wished existed when I was just another frustrated player—and even when I was an employee wishing I could do more for our customers.
An Invitation, Not Just An Announcement
This blog post isn’t just announcing our launch. It’s an invitation to be part of something different.
If you’ve ever felt frustrated with your game hosting, if you’ve ever wished for support that actually understood your needs, if you’ve ever wanted to be part of a hosting service that treats you like a human being and not just a monthly subscription fee—I’d like to invite you to join us on this journey.
We’re starting small, yes. But sometimes the most meaningful changes start that way.
Whether you’re running a server for just a few friends or building a community of thousands, we’d be honored to be part of your story.
Join our Discord or check out our hosting plans.
Here’s to creating better spaces together,
Ryan Founder, Host It Create It
P.S. I still do support shifts at 3 AM sometimes. I always worked night shifts, it’s been my entire life for many years and I’ve yet to get a reasonable sleep shedule. If you see me online, shoot me a message, I love conversation!