Est. 1991
This business is older than most websites.
Wakonda Digital didn't start in a garage with venture capital. It started with a handshake, a small office, and a belief that every business deserves to be seen.
How it started
In 1991, my grandfather started Wakonda Marketing. It was a small operation — two, maybe three people at any given time — helping local businesses with the fundamentals: getting their name out there, building relationships, earning trust in their community.
There was no SEO back then. No Google, no social media algorithms, no paid ad funnels. Marketing meant showing up, understanding someone's business, and figuring out how to connect them with the people who needed what they offered. It was honest work.
For over two decades, that's exactly what Wakonda did. Small firm, real relationships, no shortcuts.
What was passed down
When my grandfather passed in 2013, the business went to my father. And eventually, it came to me.
By then, the world had changed completely. The businesses that once thrived on word of mouth and local reputation were now invisible if they didn't have a website. The playing field had shifted — and most small businesses got left behind.
I didn't inherit just a business. I inherited a responsibility. My grandfather spent his career making sure small businesses could compete. The tools changed, but the mission didn't.
Why I brought it back
I revived Wakonda because this industry needs something different.
Digital marketing has a problem. It's full of agencies that hide behind jargon, lock clients into contracts they don't understand, and deliver dashboards full of vanity metrics that don't translate into actual business. It's cliquish. It's secretive. It's designed to make you feel like you need to spend $10,000 a month just to exist online.
That's not how my grandfather did things. And it's not how I do things.
Wakonda Digital is the same firm, rebuilt for the internet. We do web design, web development, custom applications, and SEO — not because those are buzzwords, but because those are the tools that actually get small businesses found online. I build things by hand. I explain what I'm doing and why. There are no mystery reports and no smoke and mirrors.
My background is in web development, custom web applications, and IT services. I write real code for real businesses. When you hire Wakonda, you're not getting a resold template with a markup — you're getting something built for your business, by someone who understands how the technology actually works.
What we believe
Every business deserves a real website.
Not a template someone slapped your logo on. A website that's built for how your business actually works, loads fast, looks right on every screen, and helps people find you.
You should understand what you're paying for.
No black-box SEO. No vague monthly reports. If we're doing work for you, you'll know exactly what it is and exactly why it matters.
Small doesn't mean less-than.
A five-person company deserves the same quality of work that a Fortune 500 gets. The budget is different, but the craft shouldn't be.
Security is not optional.
Every site we build has HTTPS, proper headers, input validation, and protection against common attacks — because your customers' trust depends on it.
Three generations
1991
Wakonda Marketing is founded
My grandfather starts a small marketing firm in Michigan. Two to three employees, helping local businesses get their name out there. Traditional marketing — print, local advertising, relationship-driven strategy.
1991 — 2013
Two decades of steady work
Wakonda Marketing operates as a tight, reliable firm. Small team, real client relationships, honest results. The kind of business that earns repeat customers by doing good work, not by running ads.
2013
The business is passed down
After my grandfather's passing, the business transfers to my father. The foundation he built — trust, integrity, showing up for small businesses — carries forward.
2025
Wakonda goes digital
I take the reins and rebuild the business for the internet. Same mission — help small businesses compete — with modern tools: custom websites, web applications, SEO, and security. Wakonda Digital is born.
Your business has a story too.
Let's make sure people can actually find it.