013: Zach Hatraf (Founder at Anchor Rides)

Zach Hatraf on Innovation City

“I actually make a list of 3-5 things that I need to do, and if I hit those… I know that I’ve won the day. And when I win the day, I just need to win a series of days to succeed. I guess that’s my whole strategy.” — Zach Hatraf

Welcome to Innovation City, powered by Venture Cafe St. Louis and Venture Cafe Miami.

Tyler Kelley and Michael Johnson of SLAM! Agency, a content marketing agency, interview innovators, disruptors, and creators to see how business is changing in the modern world.

Innovation City gives you an inside look at how and why business and culture are changing so rapidly, thanks to increasing diversity and inclusion, heightened creativity, and a stronger and better-connected business community.

Zach Hatraf is the Founder and CEO of Anchor Charter Services, which provides pier-to-pier boat charter services, allowing passengers to quick charter on demand rides around Lake of the Ozarks. Boat owners who want to be captains should visit: Anchor Academy. Customers looking to book an experience on the water in Lake of the Ozarks (and soon Tampa, FL) should visit anchorrides.com. Find the Anchor Passenger App on iOS and Android.

They talk about:

• Zach’s background as a gymnast; starting at 3 and a half years old, up through his Olympic tryout for the U.S. Gymnastics Team.
• The mental toughness you get from gymnastics training
• St. Louis’ strong rugby community
• The similarities between competitive athletes and entrepreneurs
• Zach’s coach, Jason Selk, a best-selling sports psychologist
• How to Win the Day
• Where the idea for Anchor came from
• The first iteration of Anchor Rides; Who’s Your Captain, and the importance of keeping boaters safe
• Empowering boat owners
• Learning from bad business decisions
• The importance of operating agreements
• Process goals vs. Product goals
• Why Zach focuses on planning 3-5 years out as opposed to 10 years out
• Coast Guard Captain Certification
• Training new boat captains at Anchor Academy
• The importance of keeping existing captains happy
• Marketing vs. word-of-mouth
• Keeping the peace while disrupting stagnant markets
• The need to have thick skin
• Sharing your idea, and then doing it