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Austin Zabak
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Justin
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Chandler Bolt
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Chandler Bolt
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Justin
So the companies that I have today all benefit each other, right? And they are all very pretty, vertically integrated I would argue. So I initially set out to just build a lot of companies. That's what I thought, right? That entrepreneurs did. I'm like, oh, Tony Robbins owns 125 companies, has 8,000 employees. I need to do that too, right? What I didn't understand is that Tony Robbins did that after he got really good at one thing, right? This is like the whole idea of, like, you know, if you chase two rabbits, you catch neither, it's like. Yeah, that's true. Eventually you can hire somebody to catch the other rabbit for you, though. Right. And you just have to catch one.
Chandler Bolt
Right.
Justin
And so, you know, I think making the mistake of, like, I owned an ATM company, I owned a marketing company, I owned a golf cart limousine company, own an exotic car rental agency. I did a bunch of stuff that was a mistake.
Chandler Bolt
What is up, entrepreneur DNA? Welcome back to another incredible episode, and I'm super excited. A good friend of mine here in the Phoenix market, we know each other because of real estate, but this man is an entrepreneur through and through. Seven companies, thousands of real estate transactions each and every year, 400 employees, and it's all before 30 years old. Austin Zabak. What's up, bro?
Justin
Dude, appreciate you having me. Justin, you're the man.
Chandler Bolt
Yeah. Super excited about this, because I think there's something to be said about what. What a lot of people would be calling, like, the younger generation. Right. And I don't even know what generation are you.
Justin
I think I'm a millennium. A millennial. Yeah, Millennial, I think.
Chandler Bolt
So I'm technically, like, the last year of millennial.
Justin
Okay, so me too.
Chandler Bolt
Shocker. So. But I think a lot of people give the. The people under 30 this tag of being lazy.
Justin
Yep.
Chandler Bolt
Like, they just take everything for granted. They're entitled, whatever. Right. You are literally the epitome of the opposite of that. Let's talk about it. What, you know, what gave you that drive? Where does that come from?
Justin
I think it comes from not having what I wanted to have growing up and wanting to make sure that my kids and my future family would never have to deal with what I dealt with. Like, I think ultimately, for me, it was just a chip on my shoulder. Right. I grew up in a garage. I grew up in my grandpa and grandma's garage in Gilbert, Arizona. The garage is still there. We can go FaceTime live right now, you know, if people don't believe me, I've got pictures of it. And, you know, I wanted to have a normal family. I didn't have a normal family. My grandparents were amazing, but I ultimately wanted to live with my mom and my dad. They didn't want me. And so, you know, I think. And my grandpa and grandma, they worked very hard. They didn't have a lot of money, but they were business owners that worked really hard their whole life. And I grew up around that, you know, and they. And, you know, I think as I just got Older. I was like, I can't be average. I just. There's just no way I can be average. You know, I don't want, you know, Like, I remember I tried to live with my dad one time for a short period of time. My dad has a lot of money, but you would never know. He's like, Warren Buffett met Dave Ramsey. Like, you know, had a baby. Right?
Chandler Bolt
Yeah.
Justin
And I remember he told me, big, big, big house. I lived with him for one night. And that one. That one night. Yep. That one night, he was like 95 degrees in the house in the middle of August. Queen Creek, Arizona. Big, huge house, RV garage, the whole thing. Right. And I remember walking into his room at like midnight. I'm like, dad, like, we gotta turn on the air conditioner. Like, I'm sweating my you know what off, you know? And he's like, nope, go jump in the pool and go back to bed. He's like, that's what I do. He's like, we're not running the air conditioner. Right.
Chandler Bolt
Wow.
Justin
And so, you know, just the most frugal human being you've ever met in your life.
Chandler Bolt
Yeah.
Justin
And so I think it was just a combination of stuff that led to me saying, nope, you know, I'm gonna become wealthy.
Chandler Bolt
Yeah.
Justin
And that's that.
Chandler Bolt
You know, it's funny, I have a similar story of why I'm so driven is cause my first mentors were my parents. They were alcoholics.
Justin
Yeah.
Chandler Bolt
My dad, my mom, my stepdad. My mom was manic depressive, bipolar. So that mentorship I just recently made a post about it is a very real mentorship that I don't think people realize. And it comes from a place of, like, you. They are teaching you what you don't want. And there's as much value, if not more of what you don't want than.
Justin
What you want, if not more.
Chandler Bolt
And so I can totally appreciate your story there. Right. Is not being felt, seen, heard.
Justin
Yeah.
Chandler Bolt
Loved, wanted, loved.
Justin
Totally.
Chandler Bolt
Even though as a parent you're always going to love your kid, but it doesn't take the priority.
Justin
And so it didn't feel that way.
Chandler Bolt
Right.
Justin
Yeah.
Chandler Bolt
So I feel as if most people find drive out of the pain. Would you basically say, that's your story?
Justin
A million percent.
Chandler Bolt
The pain is so good, I had to be driven.
Justin
I don't think very many people get their drive from the out of voice. I mean, even today. Right. Like, if. If two people stand right next to each other and one person says, austin, you're killing the game, you know you're 29. How. My gosh. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. That doesn't motivate me. Near. I mean, like, that's like 1% motivation compared to the guy standing right next to that guy. This is Austin. You're a piece of crap. And you're not going to this. You're at the peak or whatever it is, or you're. You're going to fail or you can't do it. That. Dude, that's all the motivation I need right there. Is that second guy telling me I can't do it.
Chandler Bolt
That's right.
Justin
Yeah.
Chandler Bolt
And funny enough, I think it's fun. You have 400 people under this roof.
Justin
Yeah.
Chandler Bolt
Okay. Do you lead with motivation of the carrot or the stick?
Justin
You know, I think. I think both. It just depends on the time and the season and the place, you know, But I think, you know, like, there's so much to leadership and the different companies that we run. And it's so interesting because everybody. You have to lead everybody different. Right. And, like, you know, some people just aren't motivated by what you and me are motivated by. And some people don't have the big goals and aspirations that we have. You know, I have agents. I'm like, it took me a long time to realize in the retail world that I live in, which is one of the companies that I own, I always thought that every agent wanted to, you know, be the next Ryan Serhan.
Chandler Bolt
That's right.
Justin
Or Josh Altman. Right. And it took me like a decade to stop forcing that down everybody's throat.
Chandler Bolt
Yeah.
Justin
Because I. It dawned on me one day. I'm like, there's a lot of agents that just want to make 50 grand a year.
Chandler Bolt
Yeah.
Justin
And they're perfectly okay with that.
Chandler Bolt
That's right.
Justin
And I can't change their mind.
Chandler Bolt
That's right.
Justin
And so instead. And in order for me to achieve my goals, then. Then it dawned on me. I just need more agents. Then if I can't get the guy that is making 50k a year to want to make a hundred, then I just need two guys that want to make 50. Right. And so, you know. Yeah. I think the answer to your question is it's both. From time to time, I'll tell you.
Chandler Bolt
For those people who don't aggressively want more, it's harder for me to lead because it's kind of not in alignment with how I am.
Justin
Sure.
Chandler Bolt
Do you feel the same when. Or do you. Are you indifferent? Say, you know what? It's totally fine. I don't care if you want 50 or 50 or do you want to continue to pour in and lead that person?
Justin
Oh, yeah, it's really hard for me because I thought for the longest time. And again, it goes back to what I was just saying. I thought everybody on earth was just like me. Right. That was my flaw as a leader. You know, I just assumed anytime I walked into a room with my employees or my staff or whoever it might be, that everybody had the same goals that I had. Right. And it really didn't serve me or them well because, yeah, it goes back to like me forcing them to be somebody that they don't want to be. And so it is difficult for me. Right. Because I don't think how they think. And so I have to try to put myself in their shoes and try to, you know, do that. But, but I think now where I'm at is I'm. I'm leading the leaders and the leaders are leading the people. Like, I'm not directly engaging with everybody in all my different companies on a day to day basis. There's just no possible way I could do that anymore. I'm interacting with the leadership team and then they're interacting with the people.
Chandler Bolt
That's right, yeah. What is, what are your seven companies? What industries, what verticals?
Justin
So in a wholesale real estate company, we're the either number one, number two wholesaler in the nation. Depends on how Keighley corporate's doing right now. I'm not sure. Love Jamil. Love Hunter. Love Josiah. So we're. We're top wholesale company in the nation. And then we own a. The number one retail real estate team in the state of Arizona. Soon, soon to be the nation. We just opened up Florida, Texas and California. We're the first to ever do it. Okay. We're not building our downline. We do have a downline, but when I say real estate team, I mean they're on our team.
Chandler Bolt
Yeah.
Justin
Not just in our downline. Right. Yeah. So like we have a team. So we're the number one in Arizona that's a big company. We own a mortgage company, title company, media company, obviously. And then I own two flipping companies and then an education company actually. So, yeah, I love it.
Chandler Bolt
And we're in your studio. So this, this episode, everybody is being shot in Austin studio as I'm here in Seattle, Arizona. Okay. So you just talked about how you have all these different companies. They're all essentially in the real estate vertical.
Justin
They are. So every one of them, which I made that mistake a long time ago. You probably saw me make that mistake, because we knew each other, right. I did the golf carts, I did the edge of the atm, I did all that crap. And, and I think that was a mistake. Looking back, you know, I think that I could have been further along in the real estate world had I not kept going off course and building all these other companies that had nothing to do with real estate.
Chandler Bolt
That's right, yeah. Yeah. So I mean in there are somewhat vertically integrated to some extent.
Justin
Sure.
Chandler Bolt
But also separate, which I think is the challenge with people these days is they don't actually know what they want. And obviously you are under 30 years old, you're 29 years old, turning 30 this year, and you own seven companies, you have an executive team, you have 400 people under your leadership and guidance as a whole. But I think it's because you were able to find clarity in the direction you wanted to go. I think a lot of people, especially in the younger years, there's no clarity right now. Talk, talk to us about like, how you kind of woke up or found like, okay, if I can find some clarity. And the word I really want to use is, well, clarity is probably the best word for right now. But like, and how that has changed your trajectory within business.
Justin
Well, I think if you don't know where you want to go, how are you going to get there? Right? Yeah. So, you know, it's like if, if, if, if you're just getting your car and you want and, and you, you're like, just started driving but you had no destination, then where are you going to end up, right? Like, who knows? I mean, maybe right back where you started. I, I don't know, you know, so I think, you know, you have to know where you want to go. And I think where you want to go can change though too. That's the other part of it is I think when, like when I got into entrepreneurship. Okay, I, I'm just going to say it because I know there's a lot of people probably watching Justin that are going to be like I was back then, but I just wanted to make a lot of money. Yeah, I wasn't this guy initially, day one, when I was 18 years old. I'm 29 now, been a full time entrepreneur for 11, going on 12 years, you know, but at the end of the day, I just wanted to make a lot of money. I didn't at that time. I wasn't thinking about going on mission trips. I wasn't thinking about charity. I wasn't thinking about, you know, any of that. Dude. I was thinking about a Lamborghini.
Chandler Bolt
But you still want to make a lot of money.
Justin
A million percent. But now I've gone on three mission trips. I'm a, you know, I, I do a lot for the church, I do a lot for philanthropy. Our companies, you know, are very generous in a lot of things that we do. And now it isn't the money that drives me anymore. The money used to actually physically drive me. Where now what drives me, I think is the achievement, helping people. Like, dude, there's nothing. And you know this better than anybody. When I walk out onto my floor, which I don't even think you've been out there yet. I'll show you in a little while. And I see a 20 year old making 70 grand a month that used to work at Safeway or whatever the case might be. Like, dude, that gets me fired up, bro. Way more than walking out and seeing a Lamborghini in the parking lot. That's mine. I want to see a Lamborghini in a parking lot. That is somebody that works underneath my umbrella, that I helped achieve that. Nothing gets me fired up like that. So I think that's my drive now and that's my goal now. So I got clear on that as time went along. Right. But in the beginning, I was very clear on one thing. I wanted to make a lot of money. And I never wanted to tell my kids one day no, I never wanted it to be Christmas morning and my kids to want something and me to say, hey, you know, your daddy didn't work hard enough on his goals and dreams 20 years ago, so therefore you can't have that toy. Yeah, I never wanted those words to come out of my mouth.
Chandler Bolt
Yeah. You know, you will want to have to say, I'm in that season right now where saying no is actually really difficult. It's really difficult, but you have to. Yeah, of course. But listen, you know, people will criticize me or others about talking about money or being money hungry. And you said it the right way. The reasons for wanting to make a lot of money can change. They can, right? Initially, just like you, it was more just like I wanted the nice things, whether it's a car or whatever. Right. But you, you get to a place where you're like, no, I still want to make a lot of money. I'm still willing to work really hard to go make a lot of money because I want to be able to finance a church, I want to be able to finance a mission. I want to be able to do something where the tool of money changes. Why I'm making it.
Justin
Sure.
Chandler Bolt
Right. But that takes maturity. And, like, I was joking before we went live. You are lightning years beyond where I was at 29. Right. I was making a lot of money, so I'd go to Old Town, spend it. Right. Or go to Vegas. Yeah, spend it. That's why I wanted to make a lot of money. And there's a tool for that. Right. I would tell you, everyone has seasons. We have a mutual friend that's going through a season we were just talking about. Right. I mean, there's. There's seasons to all this. But again, getting the clarity that we were talking about is really impactful.
Justin
I agree. And it will change too, Justin. And you know that. Right? Because I. I didn't, like, at the time. If you'd have asked me when I was 18, like, will it ever change? I'd have been like, nah, dude, I just want to make. You know, I just want to be a billionaire. Right. But it just does change. It's like, you didn't even have to try for your, like, thing to change or what motivates you to change. It will change.
Chandler Bolt
That's right.
Justin
Over time. So it's like I tell young people in particular, hey, if money's your goal, there's nothing wrong with that.
Chandler Bolt
That's right.
Justin
Right.
Chandler Bolt
This.
Justin
You're 20 years old, 25 years old. There's nothing wrong with putting a Lamborghini poster on your wall and wanting a nice car to be what drives you. Because it will change once you get that car and you drive down the road and you have a bad day in that car. You never thought you would. And you will. Right. I remember there was a lot of days where I was unhappy driving my Lamborghini down the road.
Chandler Bolt
Yeah.
Justin
You know, well, yeah.
Chandler Bolt
And that kind of stuff isn't fulfilling. Right. I mean, there's always something. There's always something more I want to dive into. You have seven businesses. But why. Why did you decide to go this big? I mean, you can make a lot of money with one company. Yeah, right. And extreme focus. That was one of the words I wanted to use. Extreme focus can create extreme results. Sure. So why did you choose to go build and grow seven companies? Did you know that publishing your own book is one of the fastest ways to grow your business, to build trust and increase your income? But let's face it, getting started can feel impossible. Mindset hurdles like imposter syndrome and doubt can feel overwhelming. And busy schedules don't help either. It's completely normal to feel stuck when starting something so big, but you don't have to do it alone. Every day you delay, you're leaving money and opportunities on the table, not to mention the chance to share your story with the world. That's why self publishing.com the leading resource for writing and self publishing, has helped thousands of aspiring authors turn their ideas into best selling books. They don't just help you with publishing, they show you how to use your book to grow your business, generate high quality leads, land speaking gigs and unlock new revenue streams. With expert author success coaches, step by step training and world class book production services including editing, formatting and cover design. They simply make publishing simple and stress free. Now is the time to make your New Year's resolution a reality. Visit self publishing.com DNA to register for a free one hour masterclass where I'm co hosting with their founder Chandler Bolt. During the session we'll share the exact step to writing and publishing a book that could add seven figures to your business this year alone. Again, you can register for free for the upcoming masterclass by visiting this episode.
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Austin Zabak
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Podcast Summary: The Entrepreneur DNA
Episode: 7 Companies, 400 Employees, and a $250M Exit Before 30 Years Old | Austin Zaback | EP 57
Release Date: February 3, 2025
Host: Justin Colby, Bleav
Guest: Austin Zaback
Duration: Approximately 16 minutes
In Episode 57 of The Entrepreneur DNA, host Justin Colby sits down with Austin Zaback, a dynamic entrepreneur who has impressively built seven companies, employs 400 people, and achieved a $250 million exit—all before turning 30. Co-hosting alongside Chandler Bolt, founder and CEO of Self Publishing.com, the episode delves deep into Austin's entrepreneurial journey, leadership philosophies, and the personal motivations that have fueled his success.
Early Aspirations and Initial Ventures
Austin Zaback begins by sharing his early ambitions and the initial steps that led him into entrepreneurship. Reflecting on his youth, he acknowledges making several ventures that, in hindsight, were not aligned with his ultimate passion for real estate. "I owned an ATM company, a marketing company, a golf cart limousine company, and an exotic car rental agency," Austin admits at [03:00]. He recognizes these as missteps, emphasizing that focusing on real estate would have accelerated his progress in that field.
Transition to Real Estate
Under Justin's guidance, Austin pivoted towards real estate, where his true interests and strengths lie. He now oversees a vertically integrated portfolio of companies within the real estate sector, including:
Austin emphasizes the importance of vertical integration: "The companies that I have today all benefit each other, right? And they are all very pretty, vertically integrated I would argue." [02:27]
Evolving Leadership Style
Austin candidly discusses his evolution as a leader, particularly the shift from trying to manage every aspect personally to delegating responsibilities effectively. He acknowledges his early misconception that all employees shared his high aspirations. "I thought everybody on earth was just like me... I just assumed anytime I walked into a room with my employees or my staff... that everybody had the same goals that I had." [08:47]
Realizing this flaw, Austin adapted by leading through a tiered leadership structure. "I'm leading the leaders and the leaders are leading the people. I'm not directly engaging with everybody in all my different companies on a day-to-day basis." [09:51]
Motivation: The Carrot and the Stick
A significant portion of the discussion centers around motivational strategies. Austin explains that his approach varies depending on the individual and the situation. "I think both. It just depends on the time and the season and the place." [07:29] He shares his realization that not all team members are driven by the same incentives, leading him to diversify his motivational tactics.
He further illustrates this with an analogy: "If I can't get the guy that is making 50k a year to want to make a hundred, then I just need two guys that want to make 50." [08:16]
From Financial Gains to Impact
Austin opens up about the personal motivations that drive his relentless pursuit of success. Initially, his goal was straightforward: to make a substantial amount of money. "I was thinking about a Lamborghini." [12:10] However, over time, his motivations have evolved. He now finds greater fulfillment in helping others achieve financial success. "Nothing gets me fired up like seeing someone I helped achieve success... like a Lamborghini in a parking lot that's someone else driving because of my support." [13:03]
Influence of Early Life Experiences
Austin attributes his drive to his challenging upbringing. Growing up in his grandparents' garage in Gilbert, Arizona, he was exposed to the value of hard work and resilience. "I think ultimately, for me, it was just a chip on my shoulder. I grew up in a garage... I wanted to have a normal family. I didn't have a normal family." [04:12] These experiences instilled in him a determination to create a better future for himself and his family.
Clarity and Focus
One of the key takeaways from Austin's journey is the importance of having clear objectives. "If you don't know where you want to go, how are you going to get there?" [12:10] He advises entrepreneurs to define their goals early on and remain flexible as those goals evolve.
Embracing Vertical Integration
Austin emphasizes the benefits of a vertically integrated business model, especially within the real estate sector. By owning multiple interconnected companies, he ensures streamlined operations and maximized synergy between different facets of the business.
Adapting Leadership to Individual Needs
Understanding that each employee is unique, Austin advocates for personalized leadership approaches. "Some people just aren't motivated by what you and me are motivated by... You have to try to put yourself in their shoes." [08:47] This empathy-driven leadership fosters a more motivated and cohesive team.
Leveraging Your Story
While not explicitly detailed in the conversation, the presence of Chandler Bolt, a self-publishing expert, subtly underscores the importance of sharing one's entrepreneurial story as a tool for growth and influence.
Austin Zaback: "I owned an ATM company, a marketing company, a golf cart limousine company, and an exotic car rental agency... I think that was a mistake." [03:00]
Austin Zaback: "If I can't get the guy that is making 50k a year to want to make a hundred, then I just need two guys that want to make 50." [08:16]
Austin Zaback: "Nothing gets me fired up like seeing someone I helped achieve success... like a Lamborghini in a parking lot that's someone else driving because of my support." [13:03]
Austin Zaback: "If you don't know where you want to go, how are you going to get there?" [12:10]
In this inspiring episode, Austin Zaback's story serves as a testament to the power of clarity, focused leadership, and evolving personal motivations in the entrepreneurial landscape. Justin Colby and Chandler Bolt provide a platform for Austin to share invaluable insights, making this episode a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking to scale their businesses while maintaining personal fulfillment.
Episode Highlights:
For those interested in diving deeper into Austin Zaback's strategies and experiences, tuning into Episode 57 of The Entrepreneur DNA offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration.