We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Keagan Mataele Jackson Miner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Keagan Mataele, appreciate you joining us today. How do you think about spending on the little things / small joys when finances are tight?

2023 was a difficult year for everyone, but 2024 was even harder. We opened our doors on August 17, 2024 and ride in the thick of it all! It was definitely nerve-racking, taking on the costs associated with building out this project. Neither of us had leased commercial space and it was a big undertaking. Deep down though, we knew that we had something really cool and if people could see what we were trying to build, they would want to be a part of it. Both of us pulled out of our personal bank accounts to fund all our events, giveaways, etc. because we were dedicated to getting our name out there. In the beginning, it was funny because we did everything we could to be very intentional with every dollar we spent. We are grateful for that, because we’ve kept the same intentionality, but now we have more money to work with. Because of that, we are planning some really, really cool events.

Keagan Mataele, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Jackson and Keagan have been friends since they were 11 years old. As kids they would buy and sell dirt bikes, four wheelers and all kinds of random vehicles because they had a passion for cars and anything that had a motor. As they grew up, they both went different directions with their careers and as things go, fell out of touch. In 2022, they reconnected through their love of cars, specifically Porsche. They each had a 911 and they started to go to car meets to hangout and get back into their passion. As the relationship rekindled, they started talking about opening a “supercar storage” in Utah. Jackson had been working on the concept for some time before that and started sharing his ideas with Keagan. One thing led to another and Iron Pine Garage was born in August of 2024. Iron Pine’s motto is, “Cars are better with friends” and everything Jackson and Keagan do is based around this principle. All the events, merchandise and culture is based on the importance of community, friendship and good times that can be had around cars.

The thing that makes Iron Pine Garage stand out from other businesses really is the root concept of being an enthusiast. There isn’t another place like this in Utah in the sense of how well these cars are taken care of. Every week, the owner of the vehicle gets a video walk-around of their car, the vehicle is dusted inside and out, tire pressure is checked and the engine is cycled to ensure fluids aren’t just sitting at the bottom. On top of this, Iron Pine can coordinate with local dealerships for any maintenance the vehicle needs as well as Executive Pickup and Drop-off. Iron Pine focuses on quality above everything else – This is one of the reasons the company became profitable in less than 5 months.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

Probably one of the best marketing stories was the Grand Opening of Iron Pine. Jackson and Keagan had been building up awareness in the community about this new concept coming to Bluffdale, UT. They networked like crazy; Going to every car meet, meeting as many people as they could and spending time in the community as much as possible. Keagan owns a Real Estate Brokerage as well, so they decided to do one giant Grand Opening for the two businesses, together. As this was growing, they invited other businesses to come and participate as well as invite their clientele. The idea? If each business involved marketed this event to the max, EVERYONE would benefit. And that’s exactly what happened. The Grand Opening, which was held at Iron Pine, accommodated over 2,000 attendees! It was a massive success!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Keagan shares with us that the two books that had the largest impact on his entrepreneurship endeavors are: “Give and Take” by Adam Grant and “The Untethered Soul” by Michael Singer. “Give and Take” is a book that talks about the importance and seriousness of being generous in all your interactions. Adam Grant, who is a behavioral psychologist, studies some of the wealthiest individuals in the world and interviews them on what got them to have so much success. The common denominator? In every business interaction, the individual being interview had a genuine desire to watch their partner succeed. If you set your goal as making those around you successful, it will return to you ten-fold. Keagan shares that he has seen this happen time and time again in each business he’s started and ran over the last 10 years.

As for the second book, “The Untethered Soul”, Keagan shares that this book is the #1 book for learning how to manage YOURSELF while running an enterprise. At a glance, one might think the book is “granola” or “yogi”, because it talks about finding inner peace. The truth of the matter is, if one is filled with confusion, anger, insecurity, etc., it will directly affect their decision-making skills in not only their personal lives, but their business as well. Finding solitude and balance internally is what helps drive a business forward and is CRUCIAL to running a successful enterprise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ironpinegarage.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ironpinegarageut/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560991181508