- Written by Hozio
- March 10, 2026
- 3 Minute Read
From the Mortgage Bubble to Marketing: The DNA of a Founder
Steve Orandello wasn’t born clutching a laptop. His “MBA” started with a simple philosophy: “Good clean business.” For Steve, business was always about treating clients and employees exactly how he wanted to be treated.
By 2008, that hustle was centered in the mortgage industry. While competitors were still relying on cold calls and telemarketers—which Steve describes as a “crazy” process of constant convincing—he and his partner John were busy getting themselves on Google. While the rest of the world was reeling from the financial crash, Steve was discovering that Google ads were a “win-win” that allowed customers to call him. It wasn’t just luck; it was the realization that the web was the ultimate bridge between a problem and a solution. When the mortgage industry crushed, they knew they had a blueprint that could save other businesses too.
The "Aha!" Moment: When the Internet Became a Magnet
In 2009, most business owners viewed a website like a digital business card. Steve saw a magnet. He realized that if you show up exactly when someone is searching for help, you don’t have to “sell”—you just have to serve.
When he and John pivoted to start the agency, they started with just two guys. Today, they are 70 strong, managing over 300 customers. But the core “Aha!” moment hasn’t changed: if you can rank at the top of Google for your service in 50 or 100 different towns, the business follows naturally. Today, Hozio is even applying this DNA to the next frontier: ranking on ChatGPT, ensuring their clients stay visible as search evolves into the AI era.
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The "Why": Championing the NYC and Long Island Entrepreneur
In 2009, most business owners viewed a website like a digital business card. Steve saw a magnet. He realized that if you show up exactly when someone is searching for help, you don’t have to “sell”—you just have to serve.
When he and John pivoted to start the agency, they started with just two guys. Today, they are 70 strong, managing over 300 customers. But the core “Aha!” moment hasn’t changed: if you can rank at the top of Google for your service in 50 or 100 different towns, the business follows naturally. Today, Hozio is even applying this DNA to the next frontier: ranking on ChatGPT, ensuring their clients stay visible as search evolves into the AI era.
The New York Edge: Why Local SEO is a Different Beast
If you think ranking a business in Manhattan is the same as ranking one in a quiet rural town, you’re in for a rude awakening. New York is a battlefield. It’s hyper-competitive and moves at light speed.
Steve and the Hozio team understand this granularity. We know that “Plumber Los Angeles” or “Doctor NYC” are high-intent searches that require a hyper-focused approach. Just as Gemini 3.1 Pro uses advanced reasoning to solve complex problems, Hozio uses deep local data to “shut out” the competition. We don’t guess what works in New York—we live here and we’ve been doing it for 16 years.
Turning Neighborhood Knowledge into Digital Dollars
Local expertise isn’t just about knowing where the best bagels are; it’s about visibility. If you aren’t showing up at the very, very top of the search results for your individual town, you’re handing your customers to your competitors.
At Hozio, we go deep. We specialize in local, hyper-focused areas to help you get those rankings. Whether it’s through traditional SEO or the latest AI-driven search tools like Canvas in Search, we ensure your business is the one that appears when a customer has a credit card in their hand and a problem that needs solving.
"Good Clean Business": The Transparency Revolution
Why do clients stay with Hozio? Because Steve built this company on a radical concept: No long-term contracts. While other companies try to lock you in and “charge an arm and a leg,” Hozio stays month-to-month. If they don’t produce results, you don’t stay.
Steve’s philosophy of “Good clean business” means total honesty. If he can’t help you, he will tell you “straight off the bat” rather than waste your time. In an industry full of “sales floors,” Steve and John remain the only salespeople, ensuring that the promise made during the first call is the reality delivered by the 70-person team. They aren’t just your “SEO vendor”—they are the team that wants to make the world 1% better every day.
Your Business, Our Story: Let’s Write the Next Chapter
Hozio exists because Steve Orandello believes that small businesses deserve a fair shot at the top of the search results. He built this agency to be the partner he wished he had—someone who is a “man of his word” and talks about phone calls, not just clicks.
If you’re tired of being a ghost on page five of Google, and you’re ready to work with a team that knows the streets of Long Island and NYC as well as they know the back end of a website, let’s talk. Click the link, experience our month-to-month transparency, and let’s see what we can do for you.
