Beyond A Million 221: How Jack Zimmermann Built 7 Hospitality Brands in One of the Hardest Industries
Opening a night club or restaurant looks fun from the outside, but behind the scenes it's one of the most operationally complex businesses you can start.
That's why I was interested in speaking with Jack Zimmermann. After managing a team of over 200 people at XS in Las Vegas during its $100M peak, he returned to Austin to build Nova Hospitality, a portfolio of hospitality concepts including TenTen, Devil May Care, The Well, Mayfair, Neptune Sushi, LZR, and Coffee & Chill Austin.
Most founders in this space struggle to make even a single concept work, and somehow Jack's been able to start and scale 7.
I wanted to find out how he decides which concepts to launch, how he funds them, and how he manages the risk and pressure that comes with leading hundreds of people.
You don't have to be a restaurateur to get value from this one. Let's get into it!
Key Takeaways with Jack Zimmermann
(00:00) Running A $100M Vegas Nightclub
(06:16) Why Clubs Must Constantly Find New Customers
(07:00) Running Multiple Hospitality Concepts Successfully
(11:02) The Shift In Alcohol Consumption
(13:11) Taking Big Swings in Austin
(15:07) New Locations vs Brand New Concepts
(19:58) Using Partnerships To Expand Faster
(22:27) Why Hospitality is So Hard
(25:04) Staying Healthy in the Hospitality Industry
(26:20) Letting Your Team Put Out the Fires
(28:06) Funding Through Strategic Partnerships
(31:42) How To Build A Hospitality Concept
(36:47) What He Personally Refuses To Delegate
(40:50) Leadership Advice That Stuck
(41:45) Non-Negotiable Operating Principle
(42:55) Where Austin Hospitality Is Headed
(47:05) Advice For New Entrepreneurs
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qAsdI6N1vrE
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