Meet Mark | Owner

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

Hi Mark, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“Good leaders don’t make excuses. Instead, they figure out a way to get things done,”. “Extreme ownership. Leaders must own everything in their world”. “There is no leadership where there is no team”.

I chose this quote of the many quotes I have written down from various people like Marcus Aurelius to Jocko Willink because of it’s impact on my life, business, and family. Aside from my business trials, I’ve learned equally as much from people like them. These men have figured out the keys to success. A common theme among inspirational leaders is, as Jocko Willink says, “Extreme Ownership”. You can not make excuses or place blame on others when you are in a leadership position. I started reading and listening to these individuals early when starting the business. Since I’ve started the business, I’ve had very few problems with employees, customers, or other individuals that I work with. There is no need for yelling, pointing fingers, or micromanaging when in a leadership position. Extreme ownership is the key to smooth operations and simplicity.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
At Zig Zag Welding we accommodate our customers with transparency, efficiency, and quality that is hard to find in the industry. When starting the business, I had already spent more than a decade in the industry in various positions as a welder/fabricator and supervisor. The businesses that I worked for had a lot of problems with easy solutions that revolved around leadership. I always thought that if I was able to start my own business I could easily eliminate some of the major problems. My intentions were to make sure that each and every customer knew that they could not find the quality of care and high project quality even if that meant a sacrifice to profit in the beginning. I started the business in 2019, but didn’t really begin working at it until 2021. In 4 years, we have acquired great customers. I can’t say I have seen the same quality of customers at the other places I’ve worked. I owe it to our efforts to provide the best service possible every time.

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?
Phoenix has a lot of great places to eat. I would take them to some of my favorite restaurants like Perfect Pear, Fate, Hundred Mile, Osho, Vig, and others. Aside from food and drink, there is a lot of great outdoor activities in Phoenix during the cooler months. Some of my favorite spots around the valley are Usery Park, Camelback for the view of the city and other city parks. I think it would be worth traveling outside of Phoenix to get a good idea of the beauty of Arizona. There are many places with deserts or forests that provide an escape from the heat even during some of the hotter months. Some of these places are near Flagstaff, Show low, Pine top and the White Mountains, Mount Lemon and the other sky islands, and much more.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
At the point I decided to start the business, money was tight. My wife Elizabeth and I had just graduated from ASU and were getting ready to join the workforce. In order to start the business, my wife was willing to pay all the bills including rent, power, water, internet, insurance, etc., so that I could focus on trying to acquire customers. Many of the first projects that I completed did not return enough money to profit. Slowly but surely, the business grew, and over the course of a year or two, I was able to contribute to our expenses. Elizabeth now stays home with our twin children Elsie and Max who are two years old. Without her help, I would have been forced into a position with another company in order to pay the bills. Thanks Elizabeth, I love you!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zigzagwelding/

Image Credits
All images are taken by Zig Zag Welding Owner Mark Di Napoli or employees using Marks phone