Exceptional CX Meets Tech: Future-Proofing Your Agency With Steve Zehngut

Steve Zehngut is a seasoned entrepreneur and technologist with over 30 years of experience in digital strategy, technical leadership, and business development. He founded Zeek Interactive, a Huntington Beach-based digital agency specializing in web, SaaS, and mobile development, which he sold in February 2024 at a 3.5x EBITDA multiple. Steve later founded SnapCTO, where he helps founders align their technology with their business vision. He also serves as the Membership Chair for the Orange County Entrepreneurs’ Organization, highlighting his commitment to fostering entrepreneurial growth and collaboration within the community.

Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Hear:

• [5:45] What sparked Steve Zehngut’s passion for filmmaking?
• [9:23] How Steve transitioned from film to the tech industry
• [12:01] Founding Zeek Interactive: Trials and triumphs
• [18:55] The challenges of building a web agency during the dot-com boom
• [22:04] How dot-com crash prepared Steve for future downturns
• [25:29] Transforming client-vendor dynamics into lasting partnerships
• [31:15] The impact of open knowledge sharing as a business growth strategy
• [35:33] The role of project management and account management within the agency
• [41:19] How creating a prototype helped Steve win a major project with Amazon

In this episode…

Building a business around technology is one thing — aligning that technology with a clear business vision is entirely different. Many founders rush into development without a strategy, burning time and money on products that don’t scale or serve their market. Add in the pressure of hiring technical talent and managing growth, and the journey can quickly spiral into chaos.

Steve Zehngut, a seasoned technology strategist and digital product expert, shares how to approach tech with intention rather than urgency. Steve explains the value of slowing down to ask strategic questions, how saying “no” can fuel growth, and why leaders should focus on aligning tech decisions with business outcomes. He emphasizes the importance of building relationships and providing value, which helped him secure marquee clients like Disney and Amazon, even during tough economic times.

Tune in to this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast as John Corcoran interviews Steve Zehngut, Founder of Zeek Interactive and SnapCTO, about the keys to aligning technology with business vision. They explore Steve’s transition from filmmaking to software development, lessons from the sale of his agency, and his current mission of helping founders avoid common startup tech traps. Listeners will learn the value of choosing value-aligned clients and the impact of community engagement.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• John Corcoran on LinkedIn
• Rise25
• Steve Zehngut on LinkedIn
• Zeek Interactive
• EO Orange County
• EO Accelerator
• Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS)

Special Mention(s):

• Neal Thornhill on LinkedIn
• Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters
• Jeff Turner on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “I learned very young how to greet somebody, smile, and treat them nicely, and they would give me a dollar.”
• “What kept me going through all of it was I had this belief that this was not a fad. It was not going away.”
• “I was always a computer geek before it was cool.”
• “The whole job of an account manager was to give the client a hug.”
• “Once I started trusting the process and trusting her and letting go of things, it was easier.”

Action Steps:

1. Align technology decisions with business goals: Ensuring that every tech move supports the broader business strategy prevents wasted resources and misdirected efforts. This alignment keeps teams focused on impact rather than just output.
2. Say “no” to misaligned projects: Turning down work that doesn’t fit your vision allows your team to focus on clients and initiatives that drive growth. It strengthens brand positioning and builds long-term value.
3. Hire based on trust, not just talent: Prioritizing character and reliability over technical brilliance fosters a stronger, more collaborative culture. Trust-based teams are more resilient and aligned under pressure.
4. Step back from the code as you scale: Founders and CTOs who relinquish hands-on coding gain the bandwidth to lead strategically. This shift empowers their team while allowing leaders to focus on vision and growth.
5. Validate your capabilities with prototypes: Offering a working prototype can differentiate you from competitors and build trust with potential clients. It’s a powerful way to showcase expertise and win high-stakes deals.

Sponsor: Rise25

At Rise25 we help B2B businesses give to and connect to your ‘Dream 200’ relationships and partnerships. We help you cultivate amazing relationships in 2 ways. #1 Podcasting #2 Strategic Gifting

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Episode Transcript

John Corcoran: 00:00 All right. Today we’re talking about how to marry exceptional customer service with technology in order to build a lasting legacy as an agency. My guest today is Steve Zehngut. I’m going to tell you more about him in a second, so stay tuned. Intro: 00:16 Welcome to the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, where we feature top entrepreneurs, business leaders, and thought leaders and ask them how they built key relationships to get where they are today. Now let’s get started with the show. John Corcoran: 00:33 All right. Welcome everyone. John Corcoran, I am the host of this show. And you know, every week I get to talk to smart CEOs, founders and entrepreneurs from all kinds of companies. And if you check out the archives, we’ve got Netflix and Grubhub, Redfin, Gusto, Kinko’s, YPO, EO, Activision Blizzard, lots of great episodes for you to check out, so check those out. And before we get into this interview, this episode is brought to you by our company, Rise25, where we help businesses to connect with their dream relationships and partnerships. How do we do that? We do that by helping you to run your podcast. We’re the easy button for a company to launch and run a podcast. Along with content marketing. We do the strategy, we do the accountability, and we do the full execution. We even invented the platform, which some are calling the Wix of B2B podcasting podcast Co-Pilot. And Steve, I know you are a big fan of building relationships. That’s why we connected through Entrepreneurs’ Organization, which is a big, big component of that is relationship building. And so I’m just absolutely super delighted to have you here today and interview you. And it’s one of the pleasures of my life to be able to not just do it myself, but also help other companies to do that. And so if anyone wants to learn more about what we do, you can go to Rise25.com and learn more about it. But let me tell you about Steve. So Steve is the founder of Zeek Interactive, served as the company’s CEO until February of 2024 and handed off the reins and then also sold the company. So we’re going to talk about that as well. But he started Zeek Interactive back in 1995, back when many people were just getting onto the information superhighway, as they called it, or the World Wide Web, as they called it, back in the day. And he, you know, this is an amazing success story because the company is still around today. And you’ve worked with companies like Amazon and Sony and Disney and Honda. And I just would you know, I’m dying to hear these stories around what that was like. Finally, after 29 years, he sold it. He’s also been really well known in the WordPress community as well, sharing his insights around that for many years now. Steve, such a pleasure to have you here today. But all that is really cool and interesting. But I love to get to know people what they were like as a kid. And you grew up, your father was an entrepreneur. He had a picture frame stop shop. And you went to work at age eight in dad’s shop. So tell me a little bit about what young Steve was doing at eight years old. Steve Zehngut: 02:50 I did so, and thanks for having me, by the way. It’s always good to see you. It’s great to get to know you more. And so I’m happy to be here. Yeah. My dad, like I said, my dad was an entrepreneur, was an entrepreneur my whole life. It’s really all I knew. He had a picture frame shop and art gallery. And so this was back in Cincinnati. He had a store which did custom picture framing. Or if you wanted to save money, he had to do it himself, picture framing in the front of the store. He had about six booths set up with a miter, a mitering tool. I forget, I don’t even know what it was called. John Corcoran: 03:34 It was like a liability to me, like people cutting off. Steve Zehngut: 03:37 Oh, this was oh yeah, this is well, this was the 70s. It was a different time. John Corcoran: 03:41 So okay. Steve Zehngut: 03:41 All right. So yeah, it was a let’s call it a mitering vise grip is what it was. It was a special device where you, you kind of put the frame in. And then literally we were handing people a hammer and nails. Things to cut the mat. Literally, people were using glass cutters to cut the glass. Oh, God. It was, it was. Do it yourself. With no waivers. John Corcoran: 04:12 God. Steve Zehngut: 04:12 And my dad gave me the job of training people on how to build a picture frame. And so at eight years old. What’s that? John Corcoran: 04:22 At age eight. Here’s where my eight year old’s going to teach you how to use this piece of saw machinery. Steve Zehngut: 04:27 That’s what I did. I don’t believe I was getting paid. But I was working for tips. So. And again, I learned very young, you know, how to, you know, greet somebody and smile and treat them nicely. And then they would, you know, give me a dollar or, you know, or whatever it was. And so that’s, that’s how I spent my days. Well, those. John Corcoran: 04:51 Those are important lessons that you carry with you through life. So, you know, sometimes I interview people and they grew up in a that a in a, in a family that had a business or a parent that had a business and they had to work in it and they run as far away as possible. They’re like, I don’t this isn’t for me. I just want a stable job. It sounds like that didn’t happen for you. Steve Zehngut: 05:13 I did not want to be in the picture framing business. Right. So. So that’s the story that kind of applies to me. I think I think, you know, my parents may have wanted me to take over this business for them. You know, I worked in the business off and on throughout age, probably 16. And then I just thought it wasn’t really a business that interested me. I actually always wanted to make films. So. So I, you know, growing up, that’s all I wanted to do was be in the movie business. And that’s what I. That’s what I studied in college. John Corcoran: 05:45 Who were you? Who are you the biggest fan of? Like what? What filmmakers? Steve Zehngut: 05:49 Spielberg. Like that was it for me. For me that was it. I mean, I, you know. John Corcoran: 05:53 Close Encounters, E.T.. Jaws. Steve Zehngut: 05:55 Raiders is my favorite movie. John Corcoran: 05:57 Raiders. Okay. Steve Zehngut: 05:58 Got it. That’s it to me. And so you know that like me, he was just like he was a legend. And so yeah, I just grew up studying him and studying everything he did and just knowing everything about Spielberg. John Corcoran: 06:12 Yeah. I mentioned to you earlier that my dad was a film critic when I was growing up. So I saw movies all the time. And sometimes we’d see them before they came out, which was super cool. Eventually he got it, and mailed the VHS and the DVDs for the movies that were sent out to the Academy. So you’d get all these, which was really cool. And he. Is my dad still alive? He’s 82 years old. Spielberg was his biggest, you know, filmmaker, his biggest fan. And one time Spielberg said to him, you’re the only critic that I watch. And my dad has been living off of that compliment. Steve Zehngut: 06:49 Wow. John Corcoran: 06:49 The rest of his life? Yeah. Amazing. Absolutely loved it. Yeah. Yeah. but steelworkers are the best. I mean absolutely amazing. There’s a great documentary on Disney Plus about his collaborator blanking on it. The symphony guy from John Williams. John Williams. Yes, of course. Great documentary about that. Steve Zehngut: 07:08 I will tell you, I will I, I this is going out to the public anyway but my, my kids their great uncle is actually John Williams. My ex-wife is his niece. John Corcoran: 07:21 Wow. So you married in so you that’s how much of a fan you were. I’m going to marry my way in. Steve Zehngut: 07:26 This was not on purpose. I didn’t I didn’t know it. I didn’t know it until I was actually married into that family. But yeah, my kids all, you know, have a musical, a bit of a musical gift. John Corcoran: 07:38 Well, a genius. Yeah. So, like, John Williams shows up at the wedding and you’re like, what? You’re married. You’re you’re John. Steve Zehngut: 07:45 Williams. He did not. He’s a very private guy. I think throughout the entire marriage I met him twice or I interacted with him twice. John Corcoran: 07:53 Got it. So no, it wasn’t a conduit to hang out with Spielberg then? Yes. Steve Zehngut: 07:57 No no. John Corcoran: 07:58 No. Yeah. All right. So. And you’ve got over your shoulder here a really cool old I think that’s an apple two e is that right? Steve Zehngut: 08:06 That is a macintosh plus actually. John Corcoran: 08:09 Okay. Steve Zehngut: 08:09 I think it’s even older. John Corcoran: 08:11 And how did you do it? So you go from the film you’re fascinated with. And how does that lead to your interest in tech? Steve Zehngut: 08:19 So I’ll tell you I went to film school, graduated and while still in film school, got a job in the industry. I worked at a post-production facility. I worked on several commercials, I worked on a few feature films. John Corcoran: 08:34 And you’re proud of it. Steve Zehngut: 08:37 Me? Well, the last movie I worked on was Forget Paris, the Billy Crystal movie. Okay. And that was fun. It was. Listen, I had a great experience. I liked being in the industry. What I didn’t like was the drama. I just couldn’t take the drama. And I knew even at a young age it just wasn’t the right fit for me. And so I lasted about three years and then moved on. I was always a computer geek before it was cool. I was a computer geek and so went and got a job in graphic design to kind of learn the computer, and then eventually started my business. John Corcoran: 09:13 And what was that like? How did you start? Like, what were the very early days? I mean, we’re talking June of 95. Were you designing websites or was it something else at that time? Steve Zehngut: 09:24 So here’s actually how it all came to be. And so my boss at the time, you know, one of my mentors, his name is Jeff Turner, I went to work for him doing graphic design. What I was doing was I was on a small team that was creating newspaper ads. We’re specifically creating auto ads for the LA times and the Daily News. John Corcoran: 09:45 Oh, that’s got a great future ahead of you, I can tell. Yeah. Steve Zehngut: 09:48 So it was, it was as if I was literally working third shift. My shift started at 5 p.m.. We were working till about 3 a.m., and the reason was because of the ad, the creative had to be turned around for the next day to present to the car dealers, and we had a very tight deadline. Had to be done by we started on Monday, had to be done by Thursday for the Sunday newspaper printed on Fridays. John Corcoran: 10:13 And you’re reminding me, like these car ads were everything back then, these massive cars. Steve Zehngut: 10:18 Because full page car ads. John Corcoran: 10:20 They didn’t have a website. So it was like all the cars that they were selling with pictures and details of all the different cars and full page ads. Steve Zehngut: 10:26 Yeah, this was 1993, 92, 93. And so what? Because I was working third shift and because we’re talking 93 age computers to print a full page car ad with four panels, because we’re talking Cmyk just to print. It took about 45 minutes. And so we’d design it and then we have to send it to print. And I just had all this downtime in the middle of the night and so on the shelf. Jeff had a copy of Macromedia Director. I don’t know if you remember that program. And so I cracked it open, put it on my computer, and I started teaching myself how to code in the middle of the night. And so that’s what I was doing. And so once the web started to form, I also started learning some early HTML and started learning about the web. And I wrote a business plan for Jeff to start a division of his company, basically as a website services type of division. John Corcoran: 11:24 By the way, I can see where this is going because this happens so often. Enterprising, young, you know, up and coming upstart employee says, I got this great idea. Why don’t we add this new division? And then they present it to the boss, and the boss is like, nah, we ain’t going to do that. Steve Zehngut: 11:40 Close. Very close. Jeff. Jeff loved it. He was a visionary. He could see the future. Absolutely loved it. His business partner at the time could. And who was the finance guy who could not see the future and said, no, we’re not, we’re not going to do that. This is our core business. And so I resigned and started Zeek. John Corcoran: 12:01 So no clients yet. Steve Zehngut: 12:02 I literally resigned with no clients, no business plan, no money, no equipment. John Corcoran: 12:10 Just you needed some expensive equipment back then like that building that. That kind of stuff was not easy. Steve Zehngut: 12:16 Yeah. And I just. I just had an idea. And so I just decided to go on this venture and, and started talking to anybody who would listen about, you know, what, what I was offering.