Meet Zach Weismann | Founder & CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zach Weismann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zach, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
One piece of conventional advice that I find myself disagreeing with lately is that “finding your purpose” is good advice. I used to really subscribe to that belief and it did lead me to leave the world of finance and go into sustainability, more environmental issues and work. But the piece of advice that has come to resonate with me more and that I think is better advice is, “what cause are you willing to work towards, to sacrifice for?” Finding your purpose, or your passion in life implies that once you do, it will be all roses and and easy. It does not imply that once you find your purpose, then the real hard work begins. Putting that purpose into action, into a career, making a living off of it, and measuring the impact of your work are all hard, day-in and day-out challenges. That can be frustrating, time consuming, and sometimes immeasurable. But the advice of understanding what cause, what value, what issue you are willing to fight for, sacrifice for, frames it in a totally different light. I am passionate and extremely interested in social impact. That is the cause I want to stay up late working on a project for, invest my time and energy into, and get into the weeds, into the “muck” to make change with. So I encourage those looking to find their purpose, their passion in life, to instead identify the values, causes, or issues you are willing to fight for. And then go fight! Because we know, the world needs that spark right now.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am the Founder & CEO of MAG Impact Collective. MAG Impact Collective is a membership group of high-level, experienced leaders in branding, marketing, design, strategy and organizational development – all passionate about and experienced in driving social impact. We provide a closed network of professionals who serve clients, make up a vibrant community, and who have wonderful backgrounds working with everyone from the worlds most influential organizations to rural community members. We work together & collaborate on projects to help clients achieve their goals while delivering social impact locally, nationally, and globally. Honestly, I’m most proud of the members in MAG. I’ve learned so much from such a talented and diverse group. Everyone runs their own business or their own consultancy, serves as leaders in their community, and has done just such important and impactful work. When we come together in unique and innovative ways to help clients achieve more impact (growing or launching a social enterprise or nonprofit, better communicate their work, become leaders, and more) it’s really inspiring to see. It almost feels like this collective of folks who know there is a better way – a better way to do business, to be a global citizen, to help support causes, that it is really inspiring. These days, I don’t think anything is really easy, despite what the internet tells us. But by surrounding yourself with smart, committed, passionate people, you can really learn, adapt, and thrive which has been critical to MAG’s beginnings, as well as especially right now in the COVID pandemic. I want the world to know that there is a better way of doing business, a better way of leaning on one another to create change and that you can in fact align people, planet and profit 🙂

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh gosh, this is a loaded question as I’m a Dallas native! I’m most proud of some recent developments in Dallas such as the Katy Trail, Klyde Warren Park, the rise of Deep Ellum and culture there, and many of the small local businesses and shops on Lower Greenville, Uptown, and Bishops Arts. Dallas has a reputation (I can say this because I was born and raised here!) of often being devoid of culture. Just cars, unnecessarily high freeway overpasses, and big hair. But these recent urban developments, parks, dedication to revitalizing neighborhoods and communities has made me most proud of my city and would definitley be areas I would show a visitor!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The book I’d like to give a shoutout to is “Twelve by Twelve” by William Powers. I read this book at a pivotal time in my life. I had just quit my high-paying job at Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Dallas, and was living in rural Peru doing volunteer environmental work. When my mom bought and mailed me a copy of the book to Peru, she wrote a little note in there that said “please don’t go live in a 12×12 cabin in the woods!” Ha. But the premise of the book was about our society, our culture, and trying to live a life that was in better balance, more attune with nature and the physical world around it us. It was transformational for me and really helped me slow down and assess what a future path for me could, would, and should look like.

Website: www.magcollective.com
Instagram: @zacho3432
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/zachweismann
Twitter: www.twitter.com/zachweismann

Image Credits
@MAG Impact Collective