Top Forty Under 40: Marketing, hi-tech repair focus for entrepreneur
William Walczak is on a Michelle Obama high when I speak with him. You see, I’m on the phone with Walczak, who owns Hiilite Web and Marketing and Fix My Touch in Kelowna, and he’s at the Inbound Marketing conference in Boston.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama has just addressed, and inspired, thousands of delegates, including Walczak.
“She is the ultimate social influencer,” said Walczak.
“Just look what she did while she and her husband were in the White House.”
In fact, some have called Michelle Obama the most influential woman of this era for her campaigns promoting healthy eating and exercise, female empowerment, staying in school and higher education. She’s also a heck of a marketer. Just by showing up at a conference of marketing experts and mentioning her upcoming book, she’s achieving amped-up pre-promotion.
By the way, the former First Lady’s book, Chasing Light, is out next Tuesday and features 150 photos, plus commentary, from the Obama family’s eight years in the White House.
Inbound marketing is the social media and search engine optimization (such as effective Google searches) that draws customers to products, services, campaigns, information and ideas.
Outbound marketing is getting the word out via more traditional print and broadcast advertising.
In a way, Walczak and Michelle Obama are in the same business.
Both want to draw attention to their projects.
Michelle Obama wants to continue to promote positive social change and sell books.
Walczak wants to help his clients will all things marketing and and fix iPhones, iPads and all things electronic for customers though this Fix My Touch and Repair Express businesses. “I’ve always been a geek,” said Walczak. “I want to work with clients who appreciate good marketing and getting a good return on their investment and I want to make sure people get all their iPhones, iPads and games fixed and back in their hands quickly and affordably.”
Hiilite Web and Marketing has 20 staff in Kelowna in the Commerce Building at the corner of Highway 97 and Water Street working on business consulting, marketing starategies, websites, press releases, signage, business cards and rack cards for clients.
“I’ve been blessed to attract great, passionate and creative people to work at Hiilite who in turn attract great clients,” said Walczak.
Some of Hiilite’s clients include Joey’s Only, the largest seafood restaurant chain in Canada, U.S. healthcare provider Allways Best Care, Synthetic Turf International, Kelowna Museums, Opera Kelowna and Kelowna-based Argen Canada, a dental products and services provider.
Business is going so well in Kelowna that Hiilite is opening a second office in Vancouver to help even more clients.
Walczak’s other business is the aforementioned Fix My Touch in Kelowna and Repair Express in West Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon.
Before even starting his higher education, Walczak came to entrepreneurism early and at age 19 founded A1 Networks in Winnipeg.
The company did information technology consulting, fixed computers and set up computer networks.
Along the way, Walczak earned an engineering degree from Simon Fraser University and an MBA from UBC and moved to Kelowna in 2009.
A1 became ITS Kelowna to do IT consulting, marketing and fixing electronics.
Then, three-and-a-half years ago, the company was split in two to form Hiilite and Fix My Touch-Repair Express.
Walczak has mentored many through both businesses and by talking to kids in school who want to get into web design and marketing.
One Grade 8 kid he met during a web design workshop at a middle school eventually worked at Hiilite and then moved to Winnipeg to start his own firm.
He still works with Hiilite on some projects.