Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zach Fritz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Zach, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
I had always enjoyed woodshop class in school, but I never saw a career path that didn’t involve construction or architecture. I would use my time in class to make small things like wooden pens or jewelry boxes, and that was a great creative outlet, just not something I saw a way to monetize as a 17-year-old. Seven years later, while working in the automotive technology field, I was completely burnt out. To recharge, I would still go out to my garage shop and make small wood projects. The decision to start was made easy. I could keep getting by hating my job or just jump in. I had always enjoyed the world of spirits and collecting small things from the places I toured, and it suddenly clicked when I made my first pen from a whiskey barrel and sold it online within 2 minutes with friends calling me to make them one. I started calling distilleries, whiskey clubs, and whoever’s ear I could bend until I could afford more equipment to expand the product line and fulfill larger orders.
Zach, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Oak & Iron makes products designed to improve the experience of the spirit enthusiast. Our medium includes repurposed whiskey, wine, rum, and tequila barrels along with locally sourced Texas hardwoods. We range from small, branded gifts like pens, cocktail smoking kits, barrel stave cigar rests, and much more to help our distillery partners and customers connect to tell the story of their favorite spirit long after the bottle is gone.
Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?
The closest Oak & Iron has been to near-death was during the launch phase. Before I fully understood our industry and identified our niche, there were points where I was picking up handyman jobs, selling off old automotive tools, and picking up free trashed furniture and repainting it to flip for money to keep the lights on. There is nothing as frightening or exhilarating as having your back against the wall. Going through these times of thin margin, no call-backs, and finding creative ways to keep the business afloat really made me a better leader and the company that much stronger. Learning to hustle like that helps take the nerves off when making a pitch to a new client.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Learning how to grow a social media page was a steep learning curve. I came from just using a personal profile and being the type of person who denies friend requests if I don’t know somebody, to managing a business profile. Every person that likes our page or follows could be a customer who I need to keep engaged by posting new and exciting content. I struggled with this for a while until I began writing lists of what posts performed well and what they had in common so I could replicate them and adjust. Later, I learned I should have just used the “business tools” most social media platforms offer, but there’s another lesson learned.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://oakandirontx.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oakandirontx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oakandirontx
- Youtube: OakandIronTX