Business Spotlight with John Walczyk from Webfitters

John Walczyk, the founder of Webfitters, shares his inspiring journey from working in various industries to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the digital space. Raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, John grew up in an entrepreneurial family and experienced a diverse career path, which included roles in the funeral industry and sales. His transition to web development began in 1996 when he started creating websites alongside his job at a funeral home. Despite the challenges of raising a family, John took a leap of faith by quitting his secure job to launch Webfitters, a company specializing in custom web solutions. Over the years, Webfitters has thrived, focusing on industries like manufacturing, finance, and medical services, and expanding into digital marketing.

Throughout the conversation, John reflects on the challenges and lessons he’s learned as a business owner. He acknowledges that confidence in business is often a myth and that embracing change and growth is crucial. Managing a team, dealing with finances, and learning to be a boss have been some of his biggest struggles, but he continues to grow through these experiences. John’s success is also attributed to his team’s talent and the company’s unique approach to offering tailored digital solutions. His ability to balance personal and professional life, supported by his wife and key mentors, has been a driving force behind Webfitters’ success and longevity in a competitive industry.

 

Podcast Transcript:

Kory Dogs: Hello, everyone. This is Kory Dogs from ActionCOACH, and I’m excited to have John Walczyk from Webfitters, based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with me today. John brings over 24 years of experience as the owner and manager of Webfitters, an internet development company he founded. Before starting Webfitters, John gained valuable insights from working in diverse fields such as restaurants, sales, and the funeral industry. This broad background has given him a unique perspective. At Webfitters, they specialize in crafting distinctive websites and customized applications that seamlessly align with business operations. Their goal is to effectively showcase your business in the digital realm, ensuring clarity and impact.

Something unique about John: he quit a secure, well-paying job to start Webfitters, despite having three small children, little money, and no plan B. In his downtime, he enjoys staying active—mountain biking, hiking, playing pickleball, and frisbee golf. He also likes relaxing on the boat at the cottage, preferably with his wife and kids. John takes pride in his business lasting over 20 years—an achievement only 5% of businesses accomplish. He’s also proud of the gross income Webfitters generates, as less than 3% of businesses operate at his level. And, of course, he cherishes his family, the people his daughters have become, and the relationships he’s been fortunate to build.

It’s my pleasure to welcome John from Webfitters to the show today. Hi, John!

John Walczyk: Hey Kory, thanks for having me.

Kory: All right, first question: tell us a bit about your personal story—where you were born, where you grew up, that kind of thing.

John: Sure. I was born near Madison and adopted when I was two years old by my parents, who lived in Green Bay. So, I was raised in Green Bay. I come from a long line of entrepreneurs. My dad worked for a funeral home but didn’t get the raise he wanted, so he quit and opened his own funeral home three blocks down the road—and ended up putting the other one out of business, which is pretty cool.

I did the usual—grade school, high school—and then went to an electronic engineering school in Madison. I was only 17 when I graduated high school, so I didn’t do well in college the first time around. I made it one year and then came back to Green Bay, working odd jobs. I’d work three or four at a time, then quit for a couple of weeks, play for a bit, and go back to work.

One of my longer jobs during that time was selling timeshare campgrounds. I sold them in Door County, the Midwest, and even Chattahoochee, Florida. I did that for about two years. Afterward, I went back to school for mortuary school. At the time, I had a one-year-old daughter, so I was juggling school full-time and three jobs: working at a funeral home, bartending, and driving a limo.

Eventually, I finished mortuary school in Chicago and returned to Green Bay to work in the funeral industry for 10 years. But it wasn’t a sustainable way to raise a family. The job itself is great, but it’s tough on family life. For example, I’d work 11 days straight, and during those, I’d be on call overnight for five or six nights, working 24-hour shifts. Afterward, I’d come home and still try to be a dad and a loving husband, but it was exhausting. I missed birthdays, school events, and other family moments.

Around that time, I started working with some graphic designers—the Dais brothers. Bob Dais began giving me side projects, asking, “Can you do this?” I’d say, “I think so,” and then teach myself how to program after my funeral home shifts. Back then, IT departments only focused on making things functional, not visually appealing.

This was in 1996, so I figured out how to create more visually interesting websites by breaking things into chunks. It was rudimentary, but it worked. I started building websites for a few larger companies. It wasn’t enough to make a living yet, but I saw potential.

Eventually, I gave my family six months’ notice that I was leaving the funeral home—big mistake. I should’ve only given one month because those five extra months were rough. Bob’s brother Bill had a growing business and an empty office next door, so I moved in there. His clients would pass by my office on their way to see him, and I slowly started getting more work.

One of my first big clients, Wisconsin Log Homes, is still with me today. I’ve built them five websites, managed mass emails, and handled other digital needs. And that’s the abridged version of my story.

Kory: Okay.

John: I was fortunate to do a lot of things in between. I even went down to Florida for spring break, like many do. But I stayed—I didn’t come home for a year and a half. I thought, this is nice down here. So, I lived in Orlando for a year and a half and worked there. I’m very fortunate to have experienced a lot of different things.

Kory: Right. Awesome. Wow. What’s a funny story your family tells about you that you’d be willing to share?

John: I can’t think of any specific story. I do plenty of silly—and sometimes stupid—things when I’m with my family.

Kory: You like to embarrass your daughters.

John: Yeah, we even have a quote board on the fridge with funny things everyone has said over the years. That’s what comes to mind: silly quotes. One of mine is, “I don’t remember my date of death on my birth certificate.” I’m trying to think of a specific story, though. I’ve done a lot of goofy things.

Kory: Too many to count?

John: Yeah, but I can’t think of any particular one offhand. I’m lucky to have a family where we hang out and joke around a lot.

Kory: Alright, good. Well, great entrepreneurial story. At what point did you know you had the confidence to run your own business?

John: I don’t think I ever really had that confidence. I don’t think anyone truly does. If you think you’ve got it all figured out, you’re probably in trouble. The moment you get comfortable, that’s when you get knocked down. I knew I had to do it, and I trusted that I could figure it out, but I never imagined doing what I’m doing now. I think I told you this before—I initially planned to work solo, for myself. I never dreamed of having employees or dealing with the challenges and growth that come with it. But when you’re busy with sales, you don’t have time for development. And when you’re in management, you need people to handle the other stuff. So, I knew I could do it, but I’ve never been 100% sure.

Kory: How big is your team now?

John: We usually have between 9 and 15 people. Right now, I’m at 9, but I’m hiring two more. The size fluctuates depending on the market and staffing changes. We’ve been in that range for about 12 years.

Kory: Tell us more about Webfitters. What do you do, and what makes you different from the competition?

John: We say “yes.” I’m lucky to have a talented team that builds everything from scratch. Instead of sticking you with a prepackaged solution—whether it’s a simple website or a complex system that integrates with ERPs and CRMs—we create a custom solution tailored to you. We don’t put you in a box; we build a box around you, leaving room for flexibility if you need to expand or change. We take the time to understand how you work. Instead of just listening to what you think you need, we help figure it out together. Sometimes, we see technology opportunities that others or even the business owner might miss.

Kory: Yeah. You also offer marketing services, right?

John: We do. Over the last 10 years, we’ve expanded into digital marketing, which has been great. Now we can not only build your products but also showcase them—through social media, blogs, advertising, and more. We have creative professionals, writers, and everything in-house. I’ve learned that controlling the vertical, like car companies do, is key. That’s why at Webfitters, we manage everything in-house: designers, developers, servers, marketers, writers—you name it. If something goes wrong, you only need to make one call. No passing the buck, no outsourcing to people who don’t know your system—it’s all us.

Kory: What niches do you focus on?

John: It varies. For a while, we were heavy in the real estate and apartment industry—no idea how that happened. Later, through partnerships, we moved into recreational boating, which is still a niche for us. Now, we’re focusing on manufacturing, financial, and medical industries since we have the most experience there. But we work with all sorts of businesses. For example, one client invented a hitch carrier—who’d have thought anyone would need that? It’s been wildly successful.

Kory: Oh, that’s cool. Everyone who needs a website needs digital marketing, right?

John: They do, and it’s great having the team under one roof. The marketing team can just go over to the developers and say, “Hey, we need to do this, this, and that,” and it gets done. No back-and-forth between two companies, emailing and waiting… you know.

Kory: Okay, next question. Can you share a story about someone who pushed or inspired you to realize your potential? What impact did it have?

John: It’s like my family’s stories; it happens so often. I’m really fortunate, but you have to be looking for it. If you’re not, you won’t notice it. Right now, I’m listening to Tony Robbins. As corny as it may sound, there’s some really good stuff in there.

Kory: Absolutely.

John: I also look at the businesses we work with and how they operate. Some of them run with so much dysfunction, and I think, “If they can do it, there’s hope for me.” Talking to people like you helps a lot, too. My family is also a big source of inspiration—my uncles are all entrepreneurs in different fields. I find inspiration and get pushed in many ways, just through everyday life.

Kory: Like you said, you have to be looking for it, right?

John: There’s something to it, whatever it’s called. If you’re looking for the color blue, you’re going to see it. It’s one of Tony Robbins’ favorite ideas— you have to be looking for it.

Kory: What’s been your biggest learning experience as a business owner?

John: The hardest thing for me has been learning to be a boss.

Kory: Is it the pressure of having “mouths to feed” so to speak?

John: It’s a bit like that, you know? You have to meet monthly goals, manage benefits, play the role of a social worker, and handle all sorts of things. But it’s hard for me to put myself in my employees’ shoes or see how others view me as a business owner and boss. In my eyes, I’m just John. This is what I do, and I believe anyone can do it if they want it badly enough.

I’ve been learning this over the past six months: even if you’re not comfortable with being categorized or put in a box, you have to let it happen. If you don’t, you’re doing everyone a disservice. It’s like when people want to help. I used to say, “No, no, I’ll take care of it myself.” But I learned a couple of years ago that people genuinely want to help. So, even though it might be more of a distraction for me to let them help, I now allow it. It’s better for them.

Kory: But that’s something you had to learn, right?

John: Yeah, and it took a while.

Kory: Alright. What’s been your biggest challenge over the years, and how did you get through it?

John: Numbers. I’ve never been good with them, and I never cared much about them. My mindset was always, “If I need money, I’ll just make more.” But that doesn’t always work. My biggest challenge has been tracking finances—knowing where the money’s going and when to make tough decisions, like letting people go.

I’ve made mistakes by hiring too far ahead of demand, thinking it’d provide comfort, but it’s not sustainable. You can’t keep extra staff just because they feel like family or because you’re expecting a big job. When the money doesn’t come, it catches up to you.

I’ve been fortunate to learn from people like you, my accountant, and others. But yeah, dealing with numbers and reports has been my toughest challenge. I’d much rather focus on selling, problem-solving, and building software.

Kory: Alright, if you had to pick a few people in your journey as a business owner that you’re most grateful for, who would you want to shout out?

John: Yeah, I’ve got a few written down. First, of course, my wife, Dawn. Can you imagine being married to someone like me? One day, I just said, “Hey, I’m not doing this anymore. I’m going to try something else.” Making maybe $800 a month, if that, and saying, “I’m just going to do this now.”

Kory: And she stood behind you.

John: Yeah, she did. She said, “Okay. What do you want to do?”

I also want to shout out Bill and Bob Dais, my graphic designer friends I grew up with. I was fortunate to grow up around other professionals—photographers, agency owners—who welcomed me. My first gigs were mostly from other advertising agencies hiring me. People like Mike Roemer, David Gagnon at Redfish Collective, and many other friends helped me get started. So, yeah, I’m grateful for all of them.

Kory: What’s the next big thing for you and your business?

John: Right now, I’m focused on growing the business. You grow in different ways, and for me, it’s about expanding my sales team and generating more leads. I’m still sticking to my plan of getting reps and project managers in bigger markets while keeping fulfillment work here.

In the meantime, I’ve started a few side gigs. One of them involves building super simple websites for small shops—businesses that can’t afford professional help but need it. I partnered with someone to offer affordable packages for them.

I’ve also got a restaurant ordering app. Instead of using high-fee services like DoorDash, restaurants can have their own system. When customers order, it dings in the kitchen, and staff can track when the food is ready for pickup.

Lastly, my friend Dave and I started a separate company for small boat manufacturers. Their current tools don’t work well, especially when integrating with websites, so we’re developing products specifically for them. 

The first product is a CRM for lead management, mass emailing, autoresponders, and lead nurturing. We also have media libraries and plugins tailored to the boat industry.

Kory: So, the small websites, the restaurant app, and the CRM for boats.

John: Exactly. And one more: we’re developing a SaaS system to protect website forms from spam. Current options are expensive—it’s one cent per form submission, which adds up. We can do it for half that cost, still make a profit, and provide great service. We’ve built our own AI system that’s training now, with computers lined up to run it. It’ll be a subscription model.

So, while I’m growing my main business, these side gigs keep my entrepreneurial spirit alive.

Kory: You’re definitely an entrepreneur—always exploring and growing new things.

John: I am, and I haven’t done it in a while.

Kory: Scratching that itch.

John: Exactly. My kids are grown. I’ve got the time and the connections, and I’m thankful I can do this.

Kory: Alright, last question: what advice do you have for business owners trying to do it on their own?

John: The sun will rise tomorrow. It always will. Even if today feels like you’re on the verge of defeat or it seems like everything is going wrong, tomorrow will be different. Just keep going.

Kory: Just keep going. Awesome. That wraps up today’s interview with John Walczyk of Webfitters. Thanks for your time, John.

John: Thank you, Kory. This was great.