Founder and CEO of WebTek Kornel Kurtz provides services in several categories: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Digital Marketing, Marketing Consulting, Social Media Marketing, Lead Generation, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Content Strategy, Advertising, and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
For 20 years, Kornel Kurtz and WebTek work to fulfill his vision of “bridging technology with marketing and helping companies succeed with the internet.” Today, he leads a team of 17 professionals as they carry out this vision of “helping companies succeed online.”
If you’re a company looking to succeed on the internet, call upon Kornel Kurtz and WebTek. The company helps business who wish to “engage with an authentic marketing agency that doesn’t over promise and under deliver;” to “get to the next level;” to “generate more qualified leads;” to “increase profits through proven and effective marketing;” and to “lean on the experience and value we provide.”
Before WebTek, Kornel Kurtz had enjoyed a stable job. But when he saw the chance to strike out on his own as an entrepreneur, he took it. He founded a “web design and internet marketing company,” based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He relishes every opportunity to get to know new people and “build working relationships with them in order to help them succeed online and use the internet to prosper their business.”
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You’ll need to take calculated risks. Kornel Kurtz, WebTek
Jerome Knyszewski: Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
Kornel Kurtz: I started working in the manufacturing industry and rose up through the company serving many roles. This gave me a great foundation in all areas of the business. After 10 years of working for someone else, I started getting the drive to try something on my own. I started a web design / internet marketing company part-time, and 5 years later went full-time in it. Today I own WebTek, a full-service digital marketing agency with 15 employees.
Jerome Knyszewski: What was the “Aha Moment” that led to the idea for your current company? Can you share that story with us?
Kornel Kurtz: I picked up a book at a local bookstore on HTML / internet and started reading and learning about the internet. I started forming a vision for how this was a game changing medium for business advertising. That was my “Aha!” moment.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
Kornel Kurtz: My company not only started in the basement of my house like so many others do, but my office was literally in a water cistern. We pumped out the rainwater reservoir located underneath our side porch, busted through the basement foundation wall to access it, and that served as my first little office.
If you cannot commit 3 years to its success, don’t start.
Jerome Knyszewski: So, how are things going today? How did your grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?
Kornel Kurtz: We are thriving today, more successful than I ever imagined, and the outlook continues to look very bright.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
Kornel Kurtz: When I was first starting out in the manufacturing company, I referred to a vendor by a certain nickname to my co-workers. Accidentally, my co-worker faxed my written notes to this vendor not realizing I wrote this nickname on the paper being faxed. Life lesson — don’t ever talk about someone in a negative way behind their back.
What are you going to give up to pursue your dream? Kornel Kurtz
Jerome Knyszewski: Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading My Company”? Please share a story or an example for each.
Kornel Kurtz:
- You’ll need to take calculated risks — You need to be a risk taker, nothing ventured nothing gained.
- Have a foundation in business operations — You’ll need this more than you realize.
- It will take longer and be harder than you imagine — If you cannot commit 3 years to its success, don’t start.
- Get a mentor or peer group to help navigate the hard dilemmas that arise — It is easy to do this with online peer groups or local in-person connections.
- You need to make personal sacrifices — What are you going to give up to pursue your dream?
Jerome Knyszewski: How can our readers further follow you online?
Kornel Kurtz: Check out WebTek on our website.
Jerome Knyszewski: This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!
