Meet Zack Jurasek

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zack Jurasek. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zack below.

Zack, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Purpose is not something simply stumbled upon. It is sought after by the old, young, rich and poor. I was lucky enough to find mine at an early age when I was nothing more than a child wondering around at night with simple instruments as a lantern, a gig and a sense of wonderment. This was not realized until later in life after i had spent 14 years in the engineering field, 5 years as a commercial pilot and another 5 as a commercial beekeeper. Once I went back to basics of my childhood is when i found my purpose. It was only then when the sense of wonder came back and i got excited, and i mean truly excited about showing people the aquatic night life! Even recently as last week i had a young lady that purchased a GlowRow Experience for her mother. Her mother was so touched and excited that she was about to go kayaking with dolphins she was crying from happiness as it was her lifelong dream to do. Moments like these is where i know I am doing something right. When you touch someone’s heart to make such a core memory and a lasting experience, being part of that is something that big, even just for 1 person, no one will ever be able to take away. When you can do that time and time again… it give me purpose and lets me know, me and my team, we are far from done.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
GlowRow unofficially started in October of 2021. I had kayaks delayed by 2 hurricanes so i had missed the peak of summer, unknowingly this was a blessing. GlowRow ran for 2 months October and November. This short term was something i look back on and call the public test phase. This public test phase taught me hard lessons that i picked up extremely fast. It also was the giant sign in my face that i was onto something. The next three months of December through February I was under construction making modifications to equipment and learning alternatives to the corrosive atmosphere of the Texas Gulf Coast. The old saying of “if you build it, they will come” and boy oh boy was i building. When March of 2022 rolled around, I hit the water rowing. With the grand opening March 1st things honestly started slowly and i was a bit thankful as i was still fully employed at the engineering firm at the time. This did not last for long at all, as March past things continued to pick up as April progressed. When May hit it took all i had to continue the daytime job and the new nighttime job i had created for myself as a founder of GlowRow. I am talking about those 21 hours days. The days that every successful person enunciates as the hardest part of their journey, yet looking back, that was just the start of my long days they still havent ended, but then again, the kayaking GlowRow empire is not done. By the end of May i had requested unpaid leave from the firm and jumped into GlowRow completely. This absence of daytime time work hours now gave me an excess of time in which i had to fill. The capital was flowing in so i had the idea of expanding. I doubled the size of the kayak fleets by July and had a second GlowRow trailer operational. All while developing the world’s first glowing paddle, initializing patent procedures, initializing federal trademarking, and expanding our launch locations. We are about to now unveil our 10th location near San Antonio at canyon lake and a new passport system much like a punch card but with massive rewards for fulfilling a card.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I am going to take this moment to quote someone i idolize as an entrepreneur, Steve Jobs. “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something—your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” Aug 10, 2018
This was extremely relatable to me.
Looking back i had previous jobs at Radioshack to my career in the engineering world. This is where my intellect for electronics, schematics and troubleshooting all came into play, which is evident in my circuit designs for my patented paddles.
Then there is my time as a commercial pilot, in particular what is used from piloting to building a kayaking business is the weather training. The second would be the usage of FAA part 91 airspace as i fly the am also the commercial drone pilot for GlowRow.
Lastly, charisma, it’s something that cannot just be taught or learned. It is being the totality of the dad jokes and compilation of knowledge that projects charisma and confidence.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
The book title is something silly. It is called ” Tuck Everlasting. ”

The message in here is a simple quote. “Do not fear death, fear the unlived life.”

I took this to a different whole new level. Everyone ultimately reaches the same ending. It’s what we do with our time here that matters the most. To me providing lasting memories, fulfilling dreams, and when i can touch someone’s heart, that is limitless. GlowRow doesn’t just sell an experience, it sells high quality memories that will cause a flood of emotions. From fear, laughter, excitement, to fascination and a childhood sense of wonderment. That is what is unforgettable and will cause anyone to feel alive!

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