Dream Jobs: Michael Wehrenberg

Michael Wehrenberg knows being his own boss has its advantages. And working when and where he wants is the name of his game.

Wehrenberg, the owner of Wehrenberg Design Co., operates the Springfield-based Web services firm out of his home in the rolling hills just east of town. That means his office, a room in his finished basement next to the entertainment room, is at his beck and call day or night. Not that he necessarily needs it. If he wants to work in his shorts from the deck, it’s no problem. If he chooses to take an impromptu family vacation to Disney World, well, he’s the boss and he’s got a laptop.

His work freedom allows Wehrenberg to join community groups such as the Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast or the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, where he can network with potential clients and give back to the community at the same time.

“I’ve been able to put myself in a position – with lots of help – to be able to go work for Rock’n Ribs for four or five days and not have to take a vacation. That’s just where I’m at. I’m still accessible to customers,” he said. “That’s the benefit of being able to control your schedule.”  

Wehrenberg started his company in 1997 when he was a junior at Drury University. Having already enjoyed creating a couple of websites on his own, a class assignment was the catalyst behind starting the business that today has created roughly 90 websites for clients in the last 90 days.

“We were assigned a real-world project for a marketing class and I thought, ‘If I’m going to do a real-world project, I want to get paid,’” he said, noting the assignment led to a referral for him to design Bill Beall Co.’s site. “I never had a business plan. I never had to borrow money because I have done everything on the cheap. If I can’t pay for it, I don’t get it.”

His client list ranges from local companies such as Lambert’s Cafe, Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, O’Reilly Development Co. LLC and Carnahan, Evans, Cantwell & Brown PC to national firms such as Houston, Texas-based retailers Mattress Firm and New York-based media conglomerate Digital First Media. He only takes on the jobs he wants, and his advertising budget is zilch.

A firm believer in the power of networking, his company has forged its path on the backs of recommendations from friends, former Drury acquaintances, fellow Rotary members and satisfied clients.

“I enjoy networking and figuring out what we have in common. ‘Who do we know? Where are you from? Where did you go to high school? Where have you worked?’ That kind of thing. So, I started connecting the dots a lot early on and was able to then utilize that network to further market my services,” Wehrenberg said.

Networking also provides his talent pool. Without a single employee, Wehrenberg leans on as many as 30 independent contractors, many of whom have started their own businesses, to meet the needs of his roughly 1,000 clients.

His network includes Jill Baker of Baker Designworks, Sherry Haney of Pin Oak Web Design, Brenda Raynor of Organizational Marketing Solutions Inc. and Cindy Cook of WebStream Design Group.

“I learned a long time ago that managing people is not what I do. I am not good at it. I understand that, and I don’t want to put anyone else through that,” Wehrenberg said. “Generally, the client could care less how it gets done.”

His connections and accessibility have paid dividends.

About eight years ago, he completed a project for First National Business Corp., and a leader in that firm, Michael Martin, later took a digital marketing position with The Denver Post. Wehrenberg said three years later, he received a call from Martin regarding a Denver Post advertiser that needed urgent help solving a Web problem. Wehrenberg was able to take care of the client, which has led to more requests from the newspaper as well as its parent company, Digital First Media, and its team of more than 1,000 national salespeople.

After graduating from Drury, he worked six years for Enactus as he slowly built his Web design company’s client list. By the time his now 9-year-old twins were on the way, Wehrenberg said he felt comfortable concentrating solely on his business.

He credits Larry Freund, a nonprofit consultant and mentor through a Drury alumni-mentoring program, with helping Wehrenberg Design get its legs. Freund connected him with the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, which needed a website in 1997.

Because the nonprofit had little money available, he charged a flat monthly fee for one year that included service after the site was up and running. He continues to employ that model.

“Nonprofits like it because they know exactly what the site is going to cost them and there’s no hidden, ridiculous hourly fees. And I hate having the uncomfortable money talk all the time. So, we get all of that taken care of in the beginning, and then, ‘Hey, if you need help, call us,’” Wehrenberg said.

Ted Amberg, owner of corporate events firm Amberg Entertainment, said he’s worked with Wehrenberg for the last six months on a website redesign and also receives the company’s search-engine optimization services.

“What makes him stand out compared to other people I’ve worked with is that I can reach him on a whim. Last night, I was sitting out on my deck and I thought, ‘I want to make a change,’ and I called him,” Amberg said on Aug. 14. “I asked him how long it would take, and his exact response was, ‘I should have it done this evening.’ This morning, I looked at the website and there it is. That’s great customer service.”[[In-content Ad]]