Beyond The Job Title | Underrepresented Career Stories

Join me in this captivating episode as I catch up with my incredible friend Zach Horvath, the visionary behind Live a Great Story. From his recent adventures in Turkey to his reflections on cross-cultural work dynamics, we explore the transformative power of travel and the lessons it imparts. Discover Zach's decision-making framework for embracing uncertainty and hear the inspiring story behind Live a Great Story and his early entrepreneurial endeavors. We dive deep into the profound impact of creativity and storytelling, unlocking their ability to forge genuine connections. If you're seeking inspiration to unleash your creativity, harness the power of storytelling, and cultivate authentic relationships, this episode is a must-listen. Prepare to be empowered to live your best life as we unravel the extraordinary journey of Zach Horvath. Get ready to be inspired!

  • (00:00) - Intro
  • (02:30) - The question that prompted Zach’s most recent travel adventure
  • (06:00) - Reevaluating the meaning of work
  • (13:45) - The origins of Live A Great Story and Zach’s first business venture
  • (18:58) - The importance of expressing your creativity
  • (20:38) - The power of shipping your creative expressions
  • (22:25) - Zach’s advice to those wanting to start a creative project
  • (25:09) - Is Zach an entrepreneur or an artist?
  • (29:34) - What to do with the parts of fulfilling work you might not enjoy?
  • (34:36) - The origins of Story Night
  • (39:04) - The power of sharing personal stories
  • (42:00) - Rapid-fire closing
  • (47:18) - Talk to people about your ideas and collect feedback
  • (48:52) - Outro

Zach's Bio
Zach Horvath is an entrepreneur and the founder of the Live a Great Story brand, which is focused on inspiring and empowering people to live their best lives. He was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and attended Texas State University, where he earned a degree in Advertising. After college, Horvath worked in advertising for a few years, but he became dissatisfied with the corporate world and the lack of meaning in his work. He decided to quit his job and pursue his passion for storytelling and spreading positivity. In 2012, Horvath founded Live a Great Story, initially as a blog to share inspiring stories and messages. Over time, the brand has grown to include merchandise such as t-shirts, hats, and stickers with the "Live a Great Story" slogan, as well as events and workshops focused on personal growth and creative expression. Horvath's message is all about encouraging people to pursue their dreams, take risks, and live life to the fullest. He believes that everyone has a story worth sharing and that by living authentically and following their passions, people can create fulfilling and meaningful lives.

Resources Mentioned
Where to find Zach
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/commonvandal/?hl=en
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liveagreatstory/?hl=en
  • Live a Great Story: https://liveagreatstory.com/pages/great-stories
Where to find Cesar
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamcesarromero
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamcesarromero/

Creators & Guests

Host
Cesar Romero
Helping startups and SMBs build strong customer relationships that drive product adoption, reduce churn, and increase revenue | Community-Driven | Podcast Host
Guest
Zach Horvath
Live A Great Story Founder

What is Beyond The Job Title | Underrepresented Career Stories?

The lack of diversity in tech can lead to imposter syndrome, bias, and a sense of isolation that hinders your growth and ambition.

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Join us as we delve into the personal development and career insights that have fueled their success.

Discover the stories of trailblazing underrepresented SaaS founders, executives, and professionals who have broken barriers and achieved remarkable milestones.

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Tune in to gain valuable insights, build your network, and navigate your tech career journey with confidence.

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Zach Horvath | BJT04
[00:00:00] Zach: If you could tell one really good four minute story about something that you've been through in your life that was hard or sad or that you learned a lesson or was funny or embarrassing or something like that and you just tell it so well then you know, naturally other people are gonna be like, oh yeah man, like that reminds me of this one time.
[00:00:19] And as soon as that happens, as soon as that, like that reminds me of this one time in my life. Your life, my life. There's, there's a connection there. Boom. There's so much potential there. And so I think, you know, most people come to story night and they're like, I don't know what story I'm gonna tell. And I'm like, just show up.
[00:00:34] You're gonna figure it out. And so it's kind of the same idea as like, you know, for, for giving advice to other people or something, it's like just, you know, tell stories from your life. Just like all of us have lived interesting lives. Like, even if you don't think you have, like you for sure, like humanity is interesting.
[00:00:48] Being a freaking human on this planet is inherently like really weird and funny and hard and like, so all of us go through it no matter where we come from. And so for that [00:01:00] reason, it's just like, just learn how to tell like a couple really good stories and then just tell it to people you know, and see what happens.
[00:01:06] Hey friends, this is her house since. Romero. And you're listening to beyond the job title podcast, the show that explores the human experiences to shape our professional and personal lives.
[00:01:25] My guest for this episode is my good old friend, Zach Horvath, the founder of the lifestyle brand live a great story. Which focuses on inspiring and empowering people to live their best lives. I consider the SAC to be a great friend and amazing human. And he wasn't generous enough to carve out a time to catch up while traveling through Turkey.
[00:01:48] And in this episode, we discuss. Zach's most recent travel experiences and what he's learned. Throughout his travel experiences and the differences between cultures, especially when it comes to work. Zach's decision making [00:02:00] framework to push through on certainty. The origins of liberal great story and Saks first entrepreneur, a business.
[00:02:08] The power of creativity and storytelling as a way to connect with other people and so much more. So if there's someone that is looking to get inspired by. The power of creativity, storytelling, and building relationships. Then this episode is for you. Thank you so much for joining and I hope you enjoyed this episode.
[00:02:30] Cesar: Let's start with where you are now. Like how do you get there? You know, what, what prompted this your most recent travel project, uh, I saw on your Instagram traveling until I'm done. Um, yeah, what was the, the spark and what have been some of the most impactful, um, stories that you have collected?
[00:02:51] You know, may maybe one that, that stands out.
[00:02:53] Zach: So I think that this trip, I've not been traveling for about four months and this [00:03:00] trip started because I, when the idea for this trip came up, I was thinking about, you know, there's like travel and. About 10 years ago, I took a trip that had a huge impact to my life and, and I was like, oh wow, this is like a decade later, you know, live a great story.
[00:03:15] Was born out of this trip a decade ago now I'm like circling back to it. And there was like a very distinct moment where I was like, okay, I cannot go on this trip. And the reasons not to go on this trip are bouncing full. Like there's so many excuses, so many logical, qualified reasons. I gotta grow the business.
[00:03:34] It's better to stay at home, family, you know, routine, all of these very, you know, justified reasons. And, and then I, you know, ask myself a question that I've asked myself a lot is like, you know, if I was 80 or 85, looking back on my life, how would I feel about this decision? And when I thought about that, I immediately knew what the right answer was.
[00:03:54] And I was like, I gotta go on this trip cuz I'm going to regret this if I don't go on this trip. And what's [00:04:00] really cool is, Not long after making this decision to go, I was with my grandparents and telling them about this trip, and my 85 year old grandfather was like, man, I so wish I could have done that when I was your age.
[00:04:13] Mm-hmm. And it was like, like I got chills thinking about that just now, because it was really like such a ju like, um, confirmation of, of going on this trip and being able to do it for a lot of different reasons. And so, you know, I'm turned 33 like last week or something. And, um, happy birthday. Thank you.
[00:04:28] Yeah. Last week, actually a month ago now. So who, who knows time, who knows. But, um, so yeah, man, so I just like kind of knew that this was the, the be the thing to do and I understood that this was like an opportunity that probably wasn't gonna come again and would most like knowing how much of an impact it had 10 years ago and being like, okay, like I took a seven month trip 10 years ago, like what would another seven month trip do for like the next 10 years of my life?
[00:04:49] I was like, man, let's, let's try this out. And so, um, yeah, now it's been four months and like undoubtedly has had a ripple effect of impact on my life already in so many different ways. And [00:05:00] now, you know, I think right now, today, in the last like week or so, I've been kind of reflecting on okay, like what is the last four months done and like, where does that put me now?
[00:05:10] Mm-hmm. And I've kind of started coming to some answers about what's next and how to keep this trip going and. Apply some of the lessons and apply some of the learnings for continuing this trip. And then also like, kind of amplifying the career and business and life side. So, um, that's, that's kind of like the exciting part of, of all of it is like, a lot of life has happened and like every day is an adventure.
[00:05:31] Like seriously. Yeah, because I'm like, okay, let me, like, I
[00:05:35] Cesar: followed you, I followed you on Instagram and it's, it's been exciting to see your adventures and the moments that you're collecting, you know, the stories that you're collecting. It just, you're becoming a, a story billionaire, right? Cuz you're collecting all these moments that when you get to 85 by your grandpa, you're gonna have like a million stories to share.
[00:05:56] And that alone right there, right. It's, it's, it's something worth, uh, doing. Um, I'm, I'm [00:06:00] curious, anything that stands out to you, uh, in terms of maybe someone you met that, uh, shifted. Shifted your perspective about how we do things here in the us Uh, or I know that your trip to Vietnam, you went to some, cuz I, I've been to Vietnam and, but the way you did Vietnam, I'm like, oh my God.
[00:06:17] Like that is very rugged. Um, so I'm just curious throughout your travels there, if there's anything that stood out to you in terms of life. Yeah, I
[00:06:26] Zach: think, I mean there's been a lot of, a lot of conversations. So I think I. Especially like have been traveling recently with hostels and staying, you know, with people from all around the world and, and having these conversations about life with people from so many different backgrounds.
[00:06:42] They're, I mean, it's literally daily that I'm having. What is it like to live in your country and what is it like to live in my country? And so there's like this repeated self-analysis of, um, of life that's changing. So has there been any [00:07:00] singular one? I think there's been a lot of, I'm sure there has, and I can probably think of some, but there's been some themes that have come up, cyclical themes, and I think for me the, one of the biggest ones is just how much people in the US work and how much not, not only work at their job, but like how important it is for people to like how much pressure and.
[00:07:28] Societal, um, like a foundational element of the UN US culture is like work and work and work and work. And you have to work and you have to like always be moving forward in your career. You always have to be, you know, focused on, you know, growing your money and that money is always gonna be super important.
[00:07:47] So you gotta work more to make more money. And
[00:07:49] so, yeah. And it's just like people in the US work. So much. And I, and I see it with my friends. Like I, I, I talk to people and, and I, you know, I'm like, I mean, a lot of people follow me so they see like a lot of my life. And then [00:08:00] we have conversations and I just see like how this permeation happens of like the, the US work culture that doesn't really exist in other places.
[00:08:08] I mean, like, a lot of places have to work and you know, like, especially here in Turkey right now, like inflation's really bad and it's, things are really intense financially. But just like how people think of like work is a really interesting thing that I've just been reflecting on. And it's had for sure had an impact on how I think about work and like, what is my, like, you know, that grind culture and entrepreneurship especially, and you know, this, this vision of, of kind of where I was going and I see a lot of people going is something that I'm like starting to reevaluate and it's like, and I already had like a good perspective of work, I thought, right?
[00:08:41] And now I'm like even more like sh uh, Softening the edges of that and like rounding it out. So I think, yeah, that's, that's kind of the first thing that pops into mind. Mm-hmm. And, and that's come from kind of all angles, right? From hanging out in Indonesia and seeing how people live in Indonesia and, and even, yeah.
[00:08:55] Like how people think about, or like how people like literally work in, in Vietnam and you know, there's like a [00:09:00] stall and this dude sells scissors and he just sits in his stall all day and sells scissors. Maybe he sells one scissor a day, who knows. But like, that's his job is he just sells scissors. But it's not like he's there all day every day.
[00:09:11] But it's not like he ha like, ha wants to be there and like, has to be there to sell. Si. You know? It's like, it's, so things like that, like just kind of lots of micro instances of, of perceiving how people live and their relationship to work has definitely like, changed my perspective. Yeah, absolutely.
[00:09:28] Cesar: And he, that person that sells sisters, they're probably the happiest.
[00:09:33] Living a simple life where here in the US people get overwhelmed with, with choices, right? And it wasn't until not too long ago where, you know, if you were born into a particular trade, most likely you were gonna follow the footsteps of your dad right? Into that particular trade. But, you know, now it's like we, we have options.
[00:09:55] And I think a lot of times that cripples people in terms of [00:10:00] what do I do now? You know, trying to figure out what to do next. Um, you, you mentioned work. What do, what does work mean to you?
[00:10:07] Zach: That's a great question and I, I kind of, it's changed so much for me too, like even before this trip, right? Like, I think. There was this kind of sweet spot of time, I would say from like, maybe like 2015 to 2020 where there was this, like, I mean, for me there was that time and probably for a lot of people, but it was like, like to follow your passion time, right?
[00:10:29] And it was like, be really passionate about what you do and you know, like build a business around your passion. And then, and then I think that there was kind of a shift probably around 2021, right? Whatever, like Covid times. Mm-hmm. Um, where I think for me it's like maybe, maybe like you shouldn't probably like make your passion your work, right?
[00:10:49] And like there, there can be elements of that and like some people obviously do. I think I definitely have. You know, kind of have the opportunity to do something I'm really passionate about, but it's [00:11:00] not like necessarily the best way to do it. And like, unless you have like a really sweet spot of alignment between your passion and your work and the revenue from your work and the monetization and the work-life balance and all these different things that are super important, then I think that there's, you know, an opportunity to find some sort of career that satisfies a certain amount of your life.
[00:11:22] It doesn't have to be a hundred percent, it's not gonna give you everything, but if you can just like, you know, work with good people, enjoy the work that you do, be challenged, be compensated well, and you know, not like, have work detract from your life. So much that you can't have something else on the side that can also contribute to your life.
[00:11:42] Then I think that there's some sort of mix there of work and passion and, you know, monetization and not like pedal to the metal life. Like there's so much more that happens outside of work and life, right? And it's like people live for the weekends or whatever is like, and like [00:12:00] so much of our culture does that, or they don't even have weekends, you know, like a lot of people.
[00:12:03] So it's like, you know, I think that the US is just like, it's always just consumer based and spending base and it's like, man, if you can just like scale that back a little bit, buy less stuff sp like work a little less, you know, be a little bit more frugal and like focus on collecting experiences in your life.
[00:12:17] I think that there's some sort of mix there that, um, interjects into like the equation of what, what it means to work. I love that
[00:12:24] Cesar: and I agree with you sometimes. We confuse and we think that we have to make our passion at work and our work, our passion, but there's something to, like, it's okay to have a passion outside of work, right?
[00:12:36] It's okay to have work to pay the bills, and then maybe you have a passion project that fulfills you, right? And that could be a podcast, it could be art, it could be painting, writing. Like it doesn't have to be, um, the thing they're passionate about, not, doesn't necessarily have to be the thing that makes you money, right?
[00:12:56] But people get confused with that. And, and there's a lot [00:13:00] of layoffs, right? Happening, uh, this year. And while it sucks, I also think it's an opportunity for people to, to pause, to take a step back and to reevaluate and what am I doing right? Like, is. Some people probably are, they weren't even happy with, with, with their job.
[00:13:21] I'm, I'm one of those people, if we're being honest, like got laid off in October, still on the hunt. But it's been a blessing in disguise cuz it's taking, I've taken that time to reflect to, to be with my family, start this podcast. And crazy enough, Zach, I've never been happier, you know what I mean? It's, it's like, it's, it's weird how, how this, this works.
[00:13:45] Um, and I wanna go back in time here to that moment, to that 400 road where you decided to start live a great story. And not only start it right, like you, [00:14:00] you embody all the values of what it means to live a great story, align your passions, your values. Um, yeah. What was the moment like for you? Like what, what was the, the catalyst that made you say, you know what the corporate path is not For me, the job, typical job path is not for me.
[00:14:16] I'm gonna do this thing or die trying,
[00:14:20] Zach: bro. There was not necessarily one time that that happened, but it's probably happened infinite amounts of time. That decision, that fork in the road has been chosen so many times. Um, and even before live a great story. Like, so I started my first. Entrepreneurial venture. Let's quote that. You know, selling t-shirts in high school.
[00:14:43] Hey, that comes when I was like 16 or something. 16, 17, I think. 16. Yeah. And that was a total accident. And you know, I
[00:14:53] Cesar: What do you mean by by, by accident? Like it just happened
[00:14:57] Zach: f Yeah. So yeah, so I kind of always knew, I was like somewhat, I mean, I was always a rebel. I always did my own [00:15:00] thing and I always like blazed my own trail.
[00:15:01] I was like, since the beginning of time, like I have memories from, I don't know, six or seven years old, that I like saw everybody do this and I was like, I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna go this way. So there's something there that's genetic or you know, some, somewhere in my family history, whatever. So I think that has some sorting something to do with entrepreneurship.
[00:15:22] But, um, When I was, yeah, when I, so having that kind of upbringing and, you know, inherent energy to like, create and be independent, um, definitely like traits of an entrepreneur. And then, but, and, and I was also really creative, so I was always drawing and, and like writing and creative. And so my first business and was not even like necessarily a business, but I, I always used to sign my signature all the time.
[00:15:48] So I started again when I was. I guess probably 13 years old. I started, like, my signature evolved from when I could first write all the way until about 13, and I settled on a signature that I've had ever since then. [00:16:00] And this is really cool, like cursive, artistic z h combination. And I drew it everywhere.
[00:16:05] Every class I was always drawing it. So I have like, I still have these binder separators. Do you remember these like folders that had like the, the blue and the red and the green. Like I have those still in like a trunk that are covered in li in, uh, my signature in all different colors and shapes and designs.
[00:16:21] And I signed all my papers like that. I would draw it on the whiteboards and the chalkboards all around schools. So everybody knew that this was me and somet. One day someone's like, bro, you should put that on a shirt. I would buy it. And I, I was like, cool. So I like digitize the art back in like, 2000, like six or something, like sat down with someone, you know, somehow digitized it and put it on a shirt and started selling shirts.
[00:16:42] And I think I did like, you know, over the course of like three or four years, I made maybe 12 designs of these shirts. So probably, you know, somewhere between three and 500 shirts that I sold. And, um, and that's, that was my first business. And so ever since then I was like, something about that [00:17:00] excited me.
[00:17:00] And it was like creativity. It was the autonomy, it was the, obviously the revenue side. Um, but it wasn't, it wasn't really like profit driven. It was more like, it was fulfilling something inside of me. And so ever since then I've been on, uh, my entrepreneurial journey. So I've started a lot of different things.
[00:17:15] And so when you're asking about this like fork in the road of, did I, you know, what happened when this happened? And with live a great story, there had been like six. Are seven iterations of different vlogs and, you know, um, event businesses or art businesses or, you know, like different things that I had done before that from about 16 to 24, I guess is when Liver gray story started or 23.
[00:17:40] And so it had taken like a lot of trial and error and a lot of like experience to get to this point where then live a great story hit. And I was like, okay, something's here. Like I can't ignore this
[00:17:50] more. I'm back. You're back.
[00:17:50] Cesar: Yeah. It's so inspiring because you only see the tip of the iceberg, right? Like all these creative projects, [00:18:00] all these pivots that you've made. You don't talk about them. Right. Or, or they're, they really get the, the light, right. People only see like once you've made it. But it's important to talk about this because most likely if you start something, you're going to pivot, right?
[00:18:14] Because you're gonna try things, you're gonna experiment, see what works, see what doesn't. Or maybe you tried it and you know, that's it. Right? That's the whole project. Just trying, but pivoting is important. Right. And has there ever been a time where you felt like you could not share your art and your creativity?
[00:18:33] Um, yeah. What, what was that environment like? I'm assuming your parents were always like, Hey, yeah, just be yourself, be creative. Right? Um, or Yeah. You know, I'm, I'm just curious, right, because a, a a lot of people, they have this creative, um, need, but they don't find. A vehicle or the environment to to, to put it out there.
[00:18:53] Right. And, and, and they become, they settle. Right. So I'm just curious, what, what was that environment for you growing
[00:18:58] Zach: up? [00:19:00] I would say that I've never had an external impact on limiting my creativity. So definitely parents always supported it and I always had that kind of inner drive to create and draw and express myself.
[00:19:17] And even in private school when I was like in sixth and seventh grade where we had a uniform and you couldn't wear whatever you wanted to wear, I was like still expressing my creativity. So I was like the one that somehow figured out a way everybody had these same kind of boring brown shoes. I'm gonna have a different cooler brown shoe, I'm gonna still fit in this box that the school made me fit into, but I'm gonna fit into it differently.
[00:19:41] I was drawing on my shoes in, you know, sixth grade. I have all I. Maybe still have these, some of them at least, where I like drew all my basketball shoes. Um, I was like, creatively I was cutting them up, I was cutting up clothes. So I've always had this like creative expression that really nobody was going to [00:20:00] externally limit.
[00:20:01] Now, right now I'm at a really interesting point where I'm trying to, it's not an external imitation. It's a little bit of an internal limitation of, I'm still expressing myself creatively, but I don't necessarily have a goal for it. And so it's a weird place. Like, you know, you follow me on social and you see what I'm like writing and photoing and my stories and like content like that, but that's like such limited value add that I'm, and I just feel like a little bit handcuffed or uncertain or probably a little bit.
[00:20:38] Overwhelmed with what I can do and the opportunity that it's not necessarily eliminating my creativity, but it's, it's not energizing my creativity because I don't, like, I can create with, and I am doing it. I wrote something for the first time the other day, you know, like I have like a, I'm editing like a 10 minute YouTube [00:21:00] video that's like a, a compilation of this trip that I did.
[00:21:02] It's like a vlog, this like, you know, really cool vlog. So I'm like creating, but I'm like, what am I doing with this? Like, why is this, like, who's watching this? Do they care? Do I want them to care? Is it like a vanity thing for me to be like, look at me, I'm traveling the world. Like, or can I like add value to people?
[00:21:19] Like, can I share my, you know, learnings and, and like, like why am I doing all of this stuff? And I shoot so much content, I fly the drone all the time. I, I, I can, I can, I have the ability, I have the mics, I have the camera gear, I have everything to create, and I just, but I'm just like, what am I doing with it?
[00:21:35] And so I think other people that might be in a similar position, um, that are trying to like, understand this for themselves, I think that, for me, the way that I'm handling it is just, just shipping stuff. It's like, like, I don't know it, I don't, I don't really have a game plan. I don't have a, you know, a, a roadmap.
[00:21:49] Like I'm not following any sort of like, guidelines, but I'm just like, just do it, dude. Like put it out there. Like, I published something like this kind of, I wrote something and I put it on Instagram and. [00:22:00] It didn't do very well, but I liked it. I'm like, I don't care if it doesn't do it well, you know, like, whatever I ship, like, I was like, I like, and I have like such an archive of drafts that I'm like, I, I like have to share this stuff.
[00:22:10] And, and so I think for people that are like not sure about their creativity, I think everybody has, everybody's creative, right? And I think everybody has the opportunity to, like, they have their own worldview, they have their own experiences, they have their own art, whatever that means. And it's like, just go for it and just ship it.
[00:22:25] And like, and like who cares if no one likes it? You know? Um, it doesn't matter. Yeah. My friend the other day, I met her traveling and she's, she was like, Hey, like my business is turning one years old and I wanna do like an event at the hostel and how do I do that? And I was like, well, first things first.
[00:22:40] Remember that you're a badass. This is like, literally what I told her. I was like, you're a badass. You're doing really cool stuff. You have a great heart. Like, it doesn't matter what people. Like it, it like that's enough. Like you have the self-confidence in yourself to like remember that. And then I was like, organize whatever you're gonna do.
[00:22:56] And for me, what I always think is no one cares and no one's gonna [00:23:00] show up. And I just set this baseline of like zero. And I'm like, no one's, no one cares about this. It's my thing. And no one's gonna show up. No one's gonna read this, no one's gonna click on it, no one's gonna like it, no one's gonna comment.
[00:23:10] It's okay if no one does, that's fine, but I'm gonna ship it anyway. And then when one person comments or one person likes, then you get a win. Right? And I try to approach a lot of things like that because it's like, then you're not like, you don't have expectations or like these external, um, metrics for like success.
[00:23:26] It's like, nah man, I just created my art and put it out there. And like people, like, it doesn't matter if people like it or not. Like I liked it, I shipped it, it, I feel good. Let's do it again. Oh
[00:23:35] Cesar: man. Um, I wanna come back to this, but a couple things I wanna say First. It's very inspiring because most people are on the inaction, um, end where, you know, they read books, they take courses, they pre prepare to do the thing, but never do the thing.
[00:23:56] And you are on the opposite side of like, just shipping, taking action.[00:24:00] Um, and I think that's how you learn right? By, by putting things out there and even if no one reads it, even if, if no one likes it, you are getting that out of your system. Like you're creating something, right? And, and, and putting it into the world.
[00:24:18] Um, and it's very inspiring, man, because most, most people don't, don't do that. Right. And when you said about. Who cares if nobody likes it, who cares if no one reads it? Right. That that is so true, right? It it takes all the pressure off.
[00:24:31] Zach: Yeah. I mean it's then it's pure. It's pure and it's just you and the canvas, whatever the canvas is for anybody. And it's like, that's all it should be. And I think, and I think Tyler, the creator was on stage the other day saying something like this, and you know, he was like, just forget about the metrics.
[00:24:50] Just make your art. And I think that this is why it's important to separate the, like, profitability of your art versus the creativity of your art. [00:25:00] Because if you have to make money off of it, then you fall into this trap of like looking what other people want and what they buy and what they click on and stuff like that.
[00:25:09] And so when you rely on that, then you lose some of the, you can lose some of the authenticity of it. And so I think the people, yeah, I mean like when you can create in a vacuum and it's like had this analogy that I think about a lot that I always try to like understand for myself like, am is Zach an entrepreneur or is Zach an artist?
[00:25:30] Because like, I like creating stuff. I'm not like, I am capitalistic and I like selling stuff and obviously like the business has to make money, but like, that's not what drives me. So like making those shirts in high school was not what drove me. Like painting on my shoes was not what I wasn't trying to sell them.
[00:25:47] So I have this like inherent artisticness where you could be an artist and never sell a piece of art. You cannot be an entrepreneur and never sell your widget, right? Mm-hmm. To be an entrepreneur, to be a [00:26:00] business person is in, there's an inherent. Commerce element to it. Whereas artistically you need zero commerce to be it.
[00:26:09] Right? And maybe eventually it happens. But you can be an artist and never sell anything in your life, right? And so there's kind of this contradiction there that I kind of balance all the time. It's like I happen to make some stuff that people buy and I, and people like, and people support and things like that, but it's like, I don't know, like it's like a weird one.
[00:26:28] So I, but I think there's a cool overlap of entrepreneurship and art being an artist that's a really amazing sweet spot to find. But it's almost better to like not try to find that from the beginning and like separate those things so that you can just be an artist, like a pure artist and find your money somewhere else and just pour into your art and like fuel that fire versus like trying to siphon off business money to like fuel your art.
[00:26:55] Yeah.
[00:26:55] Cesar: And I'm curious cuz at, at the, you know, before we start recording, we were talking about where [00:27:00] you are at this stage, where you're trying to figure it out, what's next for a living story. You're, you're thinking about growth and removing yourself from the operational and, you know, being more strategic.
[00:27:10] And I'm wondering if this idea, this need is coming from Zach, the creator, or, or, or, or Zach, the entrepreneur. You know, that's, maybe you're getting some sort of pressure from the capitalistic society, right? Like bigger is better, more money. Uh, and I'm just curious about, you know, why, why do you want to take that next step with Licr story in terms of growth and, and make it a bigger, you know, business wise?
[00:27:39] Zach: That's a very good question and I think there's a couple pieces here. So thank you for asking and I'm gonna ramble a little bit to kind of piece my answer together. There's one very new element of this idea of growing live a great story so that I don't have to work as [00:28:00] hard. So if I can put the right people into the right places and let the business let other people grow the business, then I don't have to work as hard and I can only work at what I want to do and what I do really well and be more of an artist that contributes to an business rather than be a business person trying to like force.
[00:28:30] Maybe some business skills, but not like the business skills that we'll take live a great story to the next level. So I want to work less and I want to do better work at what I'm really good at. Um, I love, I wrote this down the other day, like I want to practice more of the like lion mentality, right?
[00:28:51] Where like, the lion doesn't hunt all day, every day. The lion chills and hangs out in the sun and plays with his cubs [00:29:00] and, you know, hangs out with his lioness. And then every once in a while he just freaking turns it on and goes full speed and massacres whatever he needs to, and like brings home the meat and then he feast and chills, right?
[00:29:13] And like, I want more of that in my life. Whereas I didn't think I'd really, I had, I had that kind of built into my life a little bit, but I just focused way too much on like being like a full speed lion. And I think that now traveling and, and seeing how other people live in other parts of the world and understanding more of this, I've now have a better understanding of like, yeah, I'm like not trying to like work my whole life.
[00:29:34] I was definitely not, luckily I have work that really fulfills me. Um, but e but so much of it also doesn't fulfill me. You know, like, uh, like it's not like I love all the pieces of liver grade story and I'm like, especially now I took like a two week break, like basically didn't touch my computer for two weeks and now I'm having to like crank up on momentum in certain areas that I'm like, dude, I suck at this.
[00:29:53] Like, this is really hard and I don't, I don't enjoy this. Whereas before it was kind of easy, but now I'm like, this is not my thing. And I'm [00:30:00] like, how can I get someone else to do this? Who is their thing? Mm-hmm. Um, so. That's kind of where I am with it, where it's like partially an artistic side, partially the live and, and then from the business capitalistic side, it's like live a great story can do so much more for the world with me not running the ship like I am.
[00:30:16] 100%. The reason that live a great story isn't, you know, the me in Soul control and holding on too tight is, is for sure the reason that live a great story hasn't grown to the opportunity that it has and to the capability. So letting go of that and letting someone else who can do a better job of that, that's like the capitalistic side, or I'm like, dude, this should be such a bigger business than it is.
[00:30:41] And I see other people, I'm like, dude, we could do, I could totally be doing that. Like live a great story, could be eating these people's lunch, but I'm the one that's holding it back. So it's a little bit of a personal thing. It's a little bit of like, you know, I've, I've used my superpowers as much as possible to get to where it is and now it's like, okay.
[00:30:54] How can this go to even bigger and better? And that's like me just kind of like being [00:31:00] more of a lion. It sounds like you,
[00:31:01] Cesar: well first of all, self-awareness is key, right? And it sounds like you have become self-aware in terms of what are your strengths, what are you're geared at, what you enjoy in terms of difficult story and running the business and why you don't enjoy it.
[00:31:16] And I went to, uh, uh, Tony Robbins event once, um, cuz once is enough. But in that event, he talked about
[00:31:26] trying to get someone who is the operator of the business that is the opposite of you in terms of strengths, right? In this case, maybe someone that's more into the business side and, and operations and giving this person stake in the company. What, whatever percentage that that is, you know, 20%, 30%, and having this person be that quarterback that just runs with it.
[00:31:52] And you are there, you're still the owner, majority owner, and you have your creative input, but this person is the one just,[00:32:00] um, scoring for you. Right. Um, and I thought that was, that was a very simple strategy, but, you know, finding this person essentially that's, that's the most difficult part because there has to be so much trust.
[00:32:14] Right. Uh, so that, that might take time. But I think you're, I think you're onto something here and in terms of deliver story. Yeah. There's so much potential. And when it became clear to me, you know, I've been following you for years. I remember when you did that campaign where you. Uh, launched this, uh, I, I believe it was like a journal exercise, uh,
[00:32:37] Zach: which a live a grade story guide.
[00:32:40] Yeah. The big, the biggest failure of live a grade story.
[00:32:43] Cesar: Oh, no. I, I, I bought it and I was like, man, this is cool. Like, I wish I would've done this. Um, I lost so much
[00:32:48] Zach: money on that thing, dude.
[00:32:50] Cesar: Well, I'm happy that I contributed to less losing,
[00:32:54] Zach: but it was such a good idea, but just,
[00:32:57] Cesar: yeah. Anyway, but that's part of it, right?
[00:32:59] [00:33:00] You launch things, they don't work, and you have to be okay with that because you launched it and now it becomes to story that you can share with, with others. But when it became clear to me most recently is when you organized the first story night in Austin, Texas. And, and even before that, when you did this, this, this conference at this house.
[00:33:20] Uh, and I saw the power of liver story of connection, and I think especially this day and age where loneliness is becoming this epidemic that a apparently is, is in the, at the same level of, um, chronic disease, like, you know, anxiety, depression, diabetes, and I think liver's story can contribute to reducing that loneliness effect, right?
[00:33:48] And there's so much power there. So I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm all about Lili story, right? Uh, I have the sticker on my computer. I have the flags in, in the closet. Um, because that's all we have, man, at the end of the day, who [00:34:00] doesn't wanna live a great story and, and the power of, it's that we control our own story, right?
[00:34:06] Like you, you're not telling everybody what their story should be, but you're inspiring people. On how to tell their story, you know, which, that's, that's where the power is. So, um, yeah, you know, how how did that, uh, idea come about for story night? Because I thought that was very powerful and you know, it was like all of a sudden, like, Zach is doing this story night, and, and you, it was very scrappy, right?
[00:34:28] You put it together, you send invites and um, I guess you use that mindset too, but hey, whoever comes, comes and we'll see what happens.
[00:34:36] Zach: Um, yeah, yeah, yeah. So story night, that's now story time because the next one's gonna be on a Sunday morning cuz we're switching it up. It's an experiment like that scrappiness that you're talking about, like I always would say, um, social storytelling experiment cuz it would change every time, right?
[00:34:50] Like, change you, you, you try it, you learn a little bit, you do the next thing and you just keep iterating. And so that was what, um, story time's all about. And you know, same like. [00:35:00] Story time came from the conference, it came from, you know, other conferences. We had these like, called them like micro conferences, mini conferences.
[00:35:08] Did 'em in San Diego, Philly, Austin back in like 2016. You know, so like these events where people are talking to each other, like story time is where you have small groups and things like that. It's been part of liver grade's story since the beginning. And this was just the next iteration of it and years of, of testing.
[00:35:30] Nailed it. You know, like there's, there's a reason that story time happened. You came, other people came and they felt it and they were there and they're like, dude, this is it. You know? And, and it wasn't like, it wasn't the first time it was, it was literally like the 50th time. Like I've hosted so many events through the years and so much just like.
[00:35:47] Event like ex um, iterations. And so for story time to happen like that and, and then to host it on the boat, host it at the hostel, like it's crazy that it, like you, you know, had all [00:36:00] men's one, you know, so like, have done it for other people. So the kind of the energy there for it to like hit is, is like something super special.
[00:36:08] But it didn't, it wasn't a thin air. It was like years of this. And I'm like, anybody can host this story time. Like that's kinda the idea is like the formula's there. Mm-hmm. And, but like, it took z you know, hundreds of hours of like being in front of people and like organizing things like this for, to like bake that formula just Right.
[00:36:23] I, I
[00:36:23] Cesar: love that. Uh, and I wanna ask you about a boat cause that seems like a very unique space to host one of these, but I was at, uh, live podcasting recording of my first million and they did it here in Austin. And it's interesting. But you know, one, one of the interesting things was I got introduced to the work of Nick Gray, um, and Nick Gray has this book called A Two Hour Cocktail Party.
[00:36:46] Uh, and I just thought it, it was very powerful in the way that he approaches building relationships, uh, and, and hosting or re rebranding what it means to host a cocktail party. Right? Like he, he really [00:37:00] tries to have a balance between, um, yeah, superficial conversations, but also go, go deep into one question, right?
[00:37:07] And have like, group groups of four or six people, you know, depending on how many attendees. Um, so I thought that was, uh, you know, one of the things that, that stood out to me, uh, and also the, the power of live events, um, where you, you, you, you can bring people into a room and it wasn't so much about the content, but.
[00:37:23] About the people in the room, right. And just seeing that, um, successful people support each other. Right. Uh, I saw Cody Sanchez. I don't know if, if you know, if you know who she is, but you know, she's, uh, the founder of Contrary and Thinking, which is a newsletter for, uh, basically to learn how to buy businesses.
[00:37:39] But she was there and there's, and there's other entrepreneurs that were there in the room. And I just thought that, you know, there's, there's powering connection in, in relationships, in finding those people that want to see you succeed. Um, which, you know, I think the story nights, uh, are a big component of that.
[00:37:55] Zach: Um, people, man, it's like successful people, [00:38:00] not successful people. Travelers, old people, young people like. You get people together who wanna meet other people and who believe in the power of community and supporting other people, you know, and like listening, just being an ear. Then like really cool stuff happens.
[00:38:17] And that's kind of at the core of story night. It's kind of at the core of live a great story. You just put on long great story shirt and walk to the freaking supermarket. People are gonna talk to you. And like that in that in itself has enough, you know, potential energy to lead to an amazing direction doesn't always happen.
[00:38:34] But more often than not, the person that sees a liver grade story shirt and the person that's wearing a liver grade story shirt have something similar that creates the same energy as, you know, my first million or story night or you know, whatever, a Nick Gray event. It's like, it's just, it's just like you need, you need like a little bit of a spark.
[00:38:48] And I think that, um, in general, live a gray story just like creates a lot of those sparks across the world. And then, Obviously through events or the podcast or different things like tries to [00:39:00] encourage other people to like, believe in that spark and like act on that spark. Yeah.
[00:39:04] Cesar: And, and related to this, one of the questions that I have for you in terms of connecting and sharing your stories, right, for, for people that might not feel comfortable with, with that, um, you know, any other advice you, you would give them be be besides what you mentioned already.
[00:39:15] Zach: So the kind of the root of what story night is all about is when you share a story about your life, really any story, but a real story that you went through that you experienced and you share
[00:39:28] that. Certainly they've gone through something similar or it touches them in a certain way that reminds them of another experience in their life. And with that, there's an opportunity to, because of that, there's an opportunity for everybody to share a story from their life. And so I think everybody has those stories and that's why at story night it's like try to tell the stories.
[00:39:52] Like encourage people to tell stories that they've told a bunch. Cuz you can like tell a really good four minute story. Like if you could tell one really good four minute story about [00:40:00] something that you've been through in your life that was hard or sad or that you learned a lesson or was funny or embarrassing or something like that and you just tell it so well then you know, naturally other people are gonna be like, oh yeah man, like that reminds me of this one time.
[00:40:17] And as soon as that happens, as soon as that, like that reminds me of this one time in my life. Your life, my life. There's, there's a connection there. Boom. There's so much potential there. And so I think, you know, most people come to story night and they're like, I don't know what story I'm gonna tell. And I'm like, just show up.
[00:40:32] You're gonna figure it out. And so it's kind of the same idea as like, you know, for, for giving advice to other people or something, it's like just, you know, tell stories from your life. Just like all of us have lived interesting lives. Like, even if you don't think you have, like you for sure, like humanity is interesting.
[00:40:46] Being a freaking human on this planet is inherently like really weird and funny and hard and like, so all of us go through it no matter where we come from. And so for that reason, it's just like, just learn how to [00:41:00] tell like a couple really good stories and then just tell it to people you know, and see what happens.
[00:41:03] And then, and then also tell really bad stories. You know, it's like, like you don't have, doesn't have to be a perfect story. I tell stories sometimes and I'm like, wow, that was a, like, I'm a storyteller. And that was a horrible story. Like I had to like, Barely salvage that. Like the person was like falling asleep.
[00:41:15] You know, like you can tell, but you know, that's how you learn. How
[00:41:17] Cesar: do you, how do you measure a good story from a past story? Do you measure it by the recipient's reaction or? Yeah,
[00:41:24] Zach: I'm, I'm just curious. Yeah, it's the engagement. I think when people are nodding and they're leaning in and they're like, they're facial stuff.
[00:41:32] That's why I think, yeah, that's why it's really hard to tell something from like stage, cuz you can't tell as well, but when you're only in a small group of a couple people, then you can like tell and you're like, oh wow. Like people are looking away, they're looking at their feet, they're like, okay, this is a bad story.
[00:41:46] You know, like, I need to wrap this up. Right. Um, so yeah, gauging by the feedback or response from other people is definitely like the only way to tell. Like, you can't tell like a bad story in your room by yourself, you know? Like, you're not gonna be able to tell. Yeah. No,
[00:41:59] Cesar: [00:42:00] absolutely. Um, awesome Zach. Well, I wanna wrap it up with by doing a, what I call a rapid fire round, and where basically I'll ask you a question and then I'll, um, you g you, you gimme your top of mind.
[00:42:12] Answer. Um, you ready? Let's go. Let's go. Um, one, one book that has greatly influenced your life.
[00:42:19] Zach: Probably Tribes by Seth Godin was a book I read in about 2010. So like yeah, 13 years ago. And undoubtedly that book planted seeds for what live a great story is. That's a
[00:42:34] Cesar: great book. The og Seth Godin og. Still relevant to this day. It's, it's incredible.
[00:42:39] Zach: He's a legend.
[00:42:41] Cesar: All right, next question. One of the most worthwhile investments that you've made.
[00:42:48] And in, you know, when I say investment, it could be something physical, it could be our relationship, it could be an experience.
[00:42:56] Zach: First thing that comes to mind is travel a hundred [00:43:00] percent. Book the trip. Go by yourself to someplace. Stay at a hostel. Sit at a restaurant by yourself. Talk to strangers. Push your limits.
[00:43:11] Like do it because it will change your life. And I don't think any financial investment measures the impact of, of what you can accomplish with a really authentic, amazing, difficult, deep dive of a trip where you put yourself into a hard position. And most people are scared to travel alone. Most people are, you know, all of that stuff.
[00:43:38] Is this country safe? What am I gonna do? Mm-hmm. All that. Just freaking go, just get out there, go as far as you would can from your home and like, it'll change your life.
[00:43:48] Cesar: I second that as someone that has, has traveled quite a lot. Uh, maybe not as much as you, but, you know, travel quite a lot, so. Alright.
[00:43:56] Next, next question. Um, a quote that you think of and [00:44:00] reflect often and, or, or a model that, that you lived, you lived your life by,
[00:44:04] Zach: I mean, of course live a great story
[00:44:06] Cesar: outside of that,
[00:44:07] Zach: A lot of story related stuff. Um, if your life was a book, would anybody read it? No risk, no story. Um hmm.
[00:44:15] I think no risk, no story. That's just, that's something I've seen. I'm gonna eventually make that into a shirt. Um, do it. I'll, I'll buy it. Yeah. Um,
[00:44:19] I like, like, I like all the adventurous stuff. Like the fruit is out on the limb. Right. Like, I, I think about that a lot. Pressure makes diamonds. Hmm. Um, things like that, that are like, like go for it. Quotes. Like, always get me actually. I love that. Yeah. Yeah. Fear is a compass. I don't know if that's an actual quote, but that's something I think about is whenever I'm scared of something that's probably pointing in the direction I need to go.
[00:44:39] Um, and then I really love that one. I think it's Theodore Roosevelt, like the man in the arena. Mm. That one's
[00:44:44] Cesar: one of my favorites.
[00:44:45] Zach: Yeah, that's like, just hits, man. It's like I always, I'm like, I'd rather be on the court than in the stands with popcorn. You know, like that's kind of my, that's my shortened version of that, you know, very intense, long quote.
[00:44:58] I'm like, like I'm, you know, catch me, [00:45:00] catch me shooting instead of like being a critic.
[00:45:03] Cesar: I love that. Alright, next question. In, in the last year or six months, um, um, habit that you have developed that has improved your, your lifestyle
[00:45:12] or perhaps, uh, a mindset shift shift that has occurred?
[00:45:17] Zach: One thing that I have very much caught myself doing recently, especially traveling, is just. Very genuine smiles, like, you know, walking down the street sometimes, you know, you like have your headphones in or like, you know, head down, whatever, it's cold here, whatever it is. And I, and I'm like, I catch myself not, and I just look up and I just smile, like really big.
[00:45:41] And I just look at people and smile and, and, um, it's just something I've been doing recently and it's like, it's just really cool. Like, I don't know. I, I, I mean it's definitely something I've learned a long time ago. It's like whenever you walk into a room, like if you just take a pause before you walk into a room where there's other people like posture book up, you know, like [00:46:00] smile walking confidently, like there's, you know, a lot of psychology and you know, behavioral science behind a lot of stuff.
[00:46:05] But I just have con have recently found myself doing it a bunch where it's like, cuz like there's no like, I hear no English on the streets here in Turkey right now. Like it's just, there's just literally no English. Like I can count like one, one table today spoke English. Um, that, and that's the only person I've heard speak English all day.
[00:46:24] And, uh, and so anyway, because of those barriers, language barriers, you know, there's a lot of, you gotta have to compensate with, with body language and stuff, and so, mm-hmm. Um, that's, I would say like a habit or, or some sort of practice that I've gotten a lot better at, whereas it's like, and it just makes me feel so good, man.
[00:46:39] I'm like, I'd like, I know it has an impact on other people. It has an impact on me. Mm-hmm. And I, I think that it, you know, there's some sort of energy there that like ripples out when you like, just like give a really good smile to somebody or like to yourself, you know, doesn't even have to be to any direct person.
[00:46:54] It's just smile out into the world and it'll do something cool. Yeah.
[00:46:58] Cesar: It's so underrated. Right. But it, it, it makes [00:47:00] you appreciate a body language so much. Awesome, Zach. Well, um, what's the one takeaway that you would love to share with, with our listeners in terms of, in te in terms of life o of or their career?
[00:47:14] Um, yeah, what, what, what will be your one advisor or takeaway from, from the episode?
[00:47:18] Zach: It's really good to talk to people about this stuff cuz like, this has been a great conversation and having to formulate ideas kind of on the fly and, you know, I've been kind of in my head or in my journal or you know, whatever about a lot of this stuff in the last couple of weeks. And so I think I took like a couple months to like, Shake up the waters and now the waters are kind of like settling a little bit.
[00:47:43] And so it's been cool to kind of use a lot of the data that I've been gathering or like experience or, you know, introspection to now like kind of formulate some stuff. And so I've been writing about it and yeah, like know that, but like now to talk about it, um, it's been really helpful, which is how we started this.[00:48:00]
[00:48:00] That was like one takeaway as like, something I'm gonna talk about is gonna be helpful. And so it's been really good to, you know, when you, I think when you take something from your mind and you like release it onto the world and then there's someone else who can counter it or feedback or, you know, challenge it or whatever.
[00:48:13] And like that cycle of listening, talking, listening, thinking, talking, listening, thinking, talking is really good. So if, you know, I think. Anybody that's like trying to figure something out or do something new or build a new habit or change something, it's like go talk to some people about it and, and you know, get some external feedback is it's really helpful.
[00:48:30] So, and you've been really helpful, so thank you.
[00:48:32] Cesar: I'm happy to help. That's why I'm here for and that's, that's good advice. You know, listen, talking thinking, isn't that what humans all about? Right? So yeah, go, go talk to some people and see what you find out. Um, but Zach, so thanks so much. I appreciate you making the time, especially on the other side of the world.
[00:48:48] This has been an amazing conversation. Um, and yeah, you know, thanks so much for, for the opportunity. Thanks brother. Listen.
[00:48:52] [00:49:00] all right. I hope you enjoyed this episode and thank you so much for listening all the way through. I appreciate you. And I hope that you get some valuable information that you can apply to our personal and professional life. If this story resonated with you and you would like to support the podcast.
[00:49:17] Please make sure to subscribe. So you don't miss out on any future episodes. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I appreciate you. And I look forward to serving you in the next episode.