Zack Pennington might be the coolest guy we know. In addition to being a co-founder or co-owner of Herelancer, U.S. Chia, and Flying Axes, he is also the lead guitarist for Light Treasons and is a Sales Manger at EdjAnalytics.
How to Do It All:
- Zack is one of the owners of Flying Axes in Louisville.
- Although his initial reaction was that it wasn't a great idea, after going to an axe-throwing venue in Canada, Zack realized it was a great industry that appealed to everyone (similar to darts and bowling).
- The team also received great publicity thanks to Jennifer Lawrence on Jimmy Fallon.
- After graduating from college, Zack was in a band and toured across the country. He credits this band for helping him with business, sales, and marketing.
- When Zack was getting his MBA, he started U.S. Chia, a domestic chia seed production company.
- He started the company with a plant scientist, who had a patented variety of chia seeds that would grow in the United States.
- Zack's biggest strength was giving the pitch in business plan competitions.
- The secrets to a great pitch:
- Make it simple enough for the average person to understand it.
- Be confident and credible enough to make it seem like you know all the jargon and technical aspects of the company/industry.
- Once U.S. Chia was established and could operate as a stable business, Zack and his partner decided to sell the company in November 2017.
- Recently, Zack decided to start a new band, Light Treasons.
- Listen in for a quick taste of "The Romantic".
- Zack also started Herelancer, which connects people in the community with local freelancers.
- With Herelancer, Zack was able to focus on aspects of the business other than strictly sales by teaming up with a partner who also has similar strengths.
- Within the last few months, Zack pulled a 180 and went to work for Edj Analytics as a Sales Manager.
- Since he is the first person in his position, Zack still gets to play the role of entrepreneur even though he works for somebody else.
- He explains his reasoning for taking a comfortable job with a salary while still investing in other ventures.
- How does Zack manage all his projects?
- It's amazing how much can be accomplished when you condense your time and focus on the most important tasks.
- He turns off all notifications and distractions on his phone and batches his time to get the maximum amount done.
- What's the most important thing somebody should focus on when starting a business?
- All that matters is how many people you can convince to purchase your product/service and how expensive is it to produce?
Last call questions and answers:
- What's the best career advice you've received?
- Invite people out to lunch who can teach you something or you can help.
- Reach out to people you think are unavailable.
- What advice would you give to your 22-year-old self?
- If you make enough money early, you can do what you love forever.
- What advice would your 60-year-old self give you today?
- Your optimism was the only asset that was perpetual.
- Invest in the inevitable.
- The best thing you have spent money on in the past 6 months:
- Buying food for other people.
- What media do you recommend:
- Favorite thing to drink:
Special shoutouts and show notes:
You can learn more about Zack by connecting with him on LinkedIn.
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