HOW TO DO IT ALL WITH ZACK PENNINGTON

HOW TO DO IT ALL: 

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.

• 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:
  • The Hard Thing About Hard Things
  • Seth Godin
  • Rework
• Favorite thing to drink:
  • Bourbon and Tecate 
  • Angel’s Envy

SPECIAL SHOUTOUTS AND SHOW NOTES:

• Woodford Reserve – according to Zack it’s scientifically the best bourbon.
• Jameson Irish Whiskey
• Old Forester
• The 4-Hour Workweek
• Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey

You can learn more about Zack by connecting with him on LinkedIn.

Have any topics you want to be covered or amazing people you’d like us to interview? Let us know! You can email us at info@drunkenmoney.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin. Please be sure to subscribe to our weekly mailing list at drunkenmoney.com/subscribe.