We were lucky to catch up with Kyle Zagrodzky recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kyle , appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
Vision, Purpose, Perseverance, and Resourcefulness.
Vision: A clear end-view of where you see your idea impacting the future. When I started OsteoStrong, I set out to deliver a service no one really knew anything about. Essentially creating an industry out of thin air. A visionary is constantly challenged because by its very nature, a visionary sees what no one else can, and that can scare people.
Purpose and Perseverance drive the visionary when there’s no profit or logical reasoning supporting the hard work and expense to build something in the early days. I’ve experienced this with virtually every entrepreneurial project I’ve started.
Finally, Resourcefulness. There seems to never be enough resources to achieve the goals of an entrepreneur. However, there’s always a way to get what you want. With that kind of attitude, and in times of scarcity, a leader will find a way. I’ve lost count of the number of times I was weeks or days away from payroll with no money to cover it but was able to become hyper-resourceful and figured out a solution, usually in the last minute. For me, I see it as God’s way of performing miracles so that there is no doubt that it was Him and not me. After the dust settles with these types of scenarios, my perseverance always increases, because I know God has got my back!
Kyle , 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?
I am what you would call a boot-strap entrepreneur, which is to say that I get an idea that I am excited about and largely self-fund it. Since I was 18 years old, my companies have generated over 200MM in revenue, spanning the globe and employing thousands of people. I have always been drawn to concepts and businesses that are unique and serve to elevate the human condition in some way. Through it all, I have become a world-class speaker, published books, maintained a level 10 marriage, and have raised three sons with my wife. Together we all share great relationships with one another and maintain a strong faith in God.
Any fun sales or marketing stories?
Sometime in the early 2000’s, I was running my software company, Go Figure, Inc. when I was invited to present our software to the CEO of a large fitness franchise with over 800 locations for use in their centers. The franchise team had been evaluating several of my competitors for a year, and Go Figure was an afterthought that they determined should be considered prior to making their final decision. I went into the meeting with the the CEO and his executive team and quickly realized that the reason they had not decided on a software platform to date had nothing to do with features and pricing, but rather fear of losing control of their systems, processes and data with such an important decision. Instead of lauding the virtues of my system, I instead focused on a simple structure that would allow the franchisor to maintain control while sharing equally in the profits and expenses of new feature development for their franchise system. The CEO was visibly relieved and quickly agreed to my proposal. He and I then went out to lunch while both of our lawyers worked on the agreement much to the chagrin on my competitors.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
There are many resources and mentors that have impacted me over the years, but probably the most significant is Tony Robbins. His events and books have both inspired and me brought clarity in so many ways. Others that have impacted my business philosophies are Tai Lopez, Grant Cardone, Keith Cunningham, and Ray Dalio. I think any entrepreneur would be well-served to follow and learn from these masters.
Website: https://www.osteostrong.me/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylezagrodzky
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-zagrodzky-6034396