We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maggie Rose Macar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Maggie Rose, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was founding zant. I gave up everything to start and grow this company including my savings, my career stability, and countless personal moments. When I made the decision to go all in, I left a secure job to dedicate every ounce of my time and energy to building zant. I sacrificed financial security, depleted my savings, and faced the uncertainty that comes with putting everything on the line for a dream. More than that, I gave up time with family and friends to seize every opportunity and ensure no moment was wasted in the pursuit of zant’s mission.
The story behind this risk is deeply personal. I founded zant out of tragedy and loss when I lost a close friend to suicide at 18. Navigating the fragmented mental health system left a profound impact on me. The experience of finding one provider who charged $10 a session transformed my life and sparked an unshakable commitment to breaking down barriers to support for others. This vision burned so strongly in me that I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. The cost of not trying felt far greater than the risk of failure.
Risk, by its very nature, is scary (it’s a risk after-all).
Building a company comes with a steep learning curve, sleepless nights, and the constant challenge of figuring out how to keep moving forward. But I believe in what we’re doing with zant: empowering providers and creating access to affordable support that can save lives. Because of relentless focus, passion, and hard work, zant continues to grow. Every milestone we reach and every life we impact reminds me that this risk was worth taking.
While it’s a journey not meant for everyone, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Founding zant has been the greatest challenge and gift of my life… a risk that carries weight, responsibility, and immense pride. I took the leap, and the impact we are making fuels me every day to keep pushing forward.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m Maggie Rose Macar, the Founder and CEO of zant (www.getzant.com), a platform built to simplify and revolutionize how coaching and professional development empower individuals. My journey into this field is deeply personal. After losing a dear friend to suicide at 18, I experienced the challenges of navigating a fragmented mental health system. It was a $10 coaching session that ultimately changed my life. That transformative experience inspired my mission: to eliminate barriers and make growth-focused coaching and support more accessible, impactful, and affordable for everyone.
At zant, we are redefining what it means to lead and grow in today’s dynamic world. Our platform provides life, leadership, and executive coaches with an all-in-one solution to manage their practices (scheduling, client management, payments, and more) while creating a supportive community that fosters growth and collaboration. We also connect with entrepreneurs and graduate students, providing affordable coaching sessions that help them reach their dreams.
Our vision is to be “everything a coach or entrepreneur needs to build their dream”, whether it’s building a successful coaching practice or growing as an entrepreneur with the right resources and coaching services. We simplify coaching by providing tools that streamline operations and allow providers to focus on making an impact, while also offering affordable, personalized coaching for clients to unlock their full potential.
The problems we solve are twofold: For coaches and consultants, we make running a successful business easier by providing the tools they need to manage clients, book sessions, handle payments, and customize services—all in one place.
For clients, which are graduate students or entrepreneurs, and professionals, we provide affordable access to coaching, offering tailored support that makes personal and professional development achievable and impactful.
What sets zant apart is our unwavering focus on building a community of growth, collaboration, and impact. We are more than a tool, we are a partner for professionals and clients alike, working together to shape the next generation of leaders and thriving coaches.
What I’m most proud of is our ability to impact lives through coaching, from a graduate student building their future to an entrepreneur scaling their dream business or a coach growing a practice that transforms lives. For potential clients and providers, zant is designed to be “everything you need to build your dream”, whether that’s a thriving practice, a successful business, or a fulfilling life.
With an ambitious mission to impact one million lives, zant is more than just a platform. It’s a movement of growth and possibility, where coaching is accessible, powerful, and human. We believe in the potential of every individual, and we’re here to support them on their journey.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Our biggest pivot with zant came after launching as a telehealth platform connecting counselors with college students. While we aimed to make mental health support accessible, our providers revealed a new need: they wanted to use our tools to manage their existing client bases while accepting the “perks” that came with new clientele through our marketplace. Many struggled with juggling multiple platforms for payments, scheduling, video conferencing, and client communication.
We followed the data and realized that zant was solving back-office and growth challenges for coaches more than therapists. As we expanded into entrepreneurial circles, it became clear that founders, who are 75% more likely to face anxiety, burnout, and imposter syndrome, desperately needed coaching.
This insight led us to pivot zant into a comprehensive platform that empowers coaches and consultants to grow their businesses while offering entrepreneurs and graduate students accessible coaching services. The shift has been transformative, solving critical needs for both coaches and clients. By listening to our users and adapting, we turned a niche telehealth solution into a thriving marketplace and management tool that helps build dreams on both sides of the equation.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
When I started zant, I had no network, no friends or family who could invest, and no immediate access to traditional funding. I turned to LinkedIn, knowing it was a powerful tool for building connections from scratch. I created a profile, identified angel investors whose values aligned with our mission, and started sending personalized connection requests. Once they accepted, I used a carefully crafted cold outreach template to introduce zant, share our vision, and ask for a call.
Through persistence and genuine relationship-building, I engaged with investors who resonated with our story and saw the potential in our platform. These relationships laid the foundation for zant’s growth, and I successfully raised our first $500K entirely through cold LinkedIn outreach.
This experience taught me that resourcefulness, consistency, and authentic connections can open doors even when you have no pre-existing network. It also reinforced my belief that every challenge is an opportunity to innovate and that passion for solving a real problem attracts the right partners.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.getzant.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/zant.app
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggierosemacar/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zant-app
https://zantappclients.substack.com/
