Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Zaroudny.
Hi Mike, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve taken the scenic route in life — plenty of wins, plenty of losses, and a whole lot of learning about myself and the people around me. Music was my first big influence growing up. I was an only child, my mom was widowed when I was sixteen, and let’s just say I wasn’t built for taking orders. That pushed me into working early and figuring things out the hard way.
My ventures have been all over the map: promoting warehouse parties before “raves” was even a word, a retail clothing and record store, a chain of wireless phone kiosks, concert and event promotions, cigar lounge in Santa Monica, and even a boutique hotel overlooking the Santa Monica pier. I’ve always had a curiosity for technology, and living in Seattle during the mid-2000s gave me a front-row seat to the startup world. I spent time in an incubator/accelerator working with companies ranging from a large online marketplace to what eventually became what is now the largest vacation rental booking site. Many ventures failed, a few hit, and the pattern I discovered was that I’m good at stepping into an organization, diagnosing the chaos, solving problems, and pushing it to its next milestone — then exiting, taking earnings off the table, and moving on to the next adventure.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, friends dragged me into the Nevada desert north of Reno, and that turned into one of the most defining parts of my life. I ended up spending nearly 20 years building a temporary city out there in the Blackrock desert, met my wife at the event, and even got married there two years later. Anna and I have been together 18 years now. Building large-scale projects in the middle of the desert teaches you two things: resilience and resourcefulness. If you can build there, you can build anywhere. I credit a lot of my success to those years — being smart enough to execute big plans and just naïve enough not to overthink the risk. That mindset helped me focus on building longer-term ventures in managed IT and cybersecurity.
Fast-forward to our move to Boerne. We lived in Malibu for 12 years and had no plans to leave until the Woolsey Fire in 2018 forced us to rethink everything. On a whim, we decided to “check out Texas,” threw a dart at the Hill Country, and landed here. It turned out to be one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We found our people — genuinely high-quality friends — and that community is a big part of why we stayed.
What’s driven me through all these chapters is a love for craftsmanship and the finer details, whether it’s cars, cigars, watches, motorcycles, planes, boats — or simply creating great experiences around food, travel, and good company. That passion matched up perfectly with the network of people I met in San Antonio who shared similar values.
That’s what ultimately led me to my two current projects: The Oak, a private social club built around connection, hospitality, and craft — and Pizza Volterra, a quality-driven Italian concept focused on Neapolitan pizza. Both are the result of years of experiences, lessons, curiosity, and the desire to build things that bring people together.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not even close — and honestly, I don’t think a smooth road teaches you much. The reality is I’ve had plenty of failures and just as many course corrections. The wins are great, but the losses are what shape you, and in entrepreneurship the cycle of both is constant. That’s the job description.
I also had the advantage of being able to take big swings early in life. For a long stretch, I was single, no family, no real obligations — which meant I could take risks other people couldn’t. If something blew up, I could pick up and start again without affecting anyone but myself. That freedom gave me the chance to experiment, fail fast, and keep moving. It wasn’t smooth, but it was necessary — and ultimately it’s what built the resilience I rely on today.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a builder at my core — not just of businesses, but of environments, experiences, and communities. I love design, and I love the process of taking an idea in my head and turning it into something people can walk into, feel, and immediately “get.” When someone steps into a space I’ve created and it resonates with them, that’s the fuel that keeps me moving.
A lot of that comes from my years in the desert building large-scale temporary cities and seeing firsthand how environment shapes community. Those projects taught me how design, intention, and culture intersect — lessons that transferred directly into what I do today.
I’ve also been fortunate to partner with the right people along the way. Not every partnership is perfect, but I’ve had more good ones than bad, and the great partners are the ones who elevate the vision, bring their own talents to the table, and make the work better. I don’t take that for granted.
What I focus on now is creating high-quality, hospitality-driven experiences: The Oak, a private social club built around connection and craft; and Pizza Volterra, an Italian concept dedicated to authentic Neapolitan pizza. I’m proud of both — not just for the businesses themselves, but for the communities that are forming around them.
What sets me apart is that I’m not building cookie-cutter concepts. I create places I personally want to spend time in, with people I genuinely enjoy. I design for authenticity, not trends. If I can build a space where people feel welcome, relaxed, and part of something meaningful, then I’ve done what I set out to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theoakofboerne.com | www.pizzavolterra.com | www.youroneit.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoakofboerne/ | https://www.instagram.com/pizzavolterra
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theoakofboerne | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578844671393
