Meet Michael Zerah | Co-Founder & Chief Catalyst

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

Hi Michael, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting MULLIE really came from a place of necessity. I’ve started a few companies before in my life, they typically have always come about because I’ve seen a problem that needed to be solved or a void in the market where something could exist. On that note, I was going through a tough chapter in my life, following the closure of one of my previous businesses, and was in a very deep financial hole. It was so bad that I was selling golf clubs to put food on the table and pay bills. At that same time, I was watching friends use platforms, like Grailed or Poshmark to flip clothing items, and conduct business in these “micro-economies, rather than use traditional platforms like eBay, or craigslist, which was what I was using at the time. I sold some rare clubs and afterward I saw that I paid eBay a hefty amount in “fees” and truly never understood why the commission seller fees were so high on golf clubs when they’re intended for garage sale items… So that’s when I decided I was going to build something better, specifically intended for the Golf community, with 0% seller commission fees. This was approximately 3 years ago when the idea for MULLIE came about. Fast forward to today, we’re about to celebrate our one-year anniversary post-launch and have 25,000 members, so clearly we’re doing something right and solving a problem, the other golfers had.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
MULLIE is an experiential marketplace for golfers to buy, sell, connect, and discover. It’s more than just commerce, it’s a social economy for the golf community to engage, learn, and laugh. We were able to consolidate fragmented pieces of technology and bring them together in a unified way, onto one platform. We knew golf was growing but the industry’s technology was not. The idea for this came about in 2019, pre-pandemic, and knew it was going to be an uphill battle. Building technology is never easy! It’s expensive, time-consuming, and stressful. When we set out to build this company our goal was simply to make a difference in the golf community, to give them something powerful that could help golf’s growth.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m new to Nashville, so I don’t have all the places nailed down yet. I recently moved here from my hometown of Los Angeles, CA in pursuit of new. The pandemic really hit LA hard and craved a normal life. Nashville has welcomed me with open arms. While I don’t have all the “hot spots” nailed down, quite yet, I strongly recommend Henrietta Reds, LA Jackson, and of course Prince’s Hot Chicken!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe a TON OF THANKS to so many people… to list them all would take over an hour. The bulk of my gratitude is directed towards my parents, Cheryl Zerah, Sid Zerah, and Cindy Zerah, for managing and handling their divorce with as much grace as they had at the time. During that time is when I found golf, as a means to spend more time with my father. What a challenging time in all of our lives, as I was only 8 years old. From there, I need to pay thanks to close friends and mentors that have also shaped my being in this world, Dr. Jade Teta and Seth Epstein! Thank you to “my tribe”. You know who you are… those people that have been a stand for me in tough times. Last but certainly not least, a massive thank you to my best friend, my cousin, and business partner in MULLIE, Steve Moskowitz… thank you for being the big brother I never had. Thank you for the tough love, the gentle support, and always having my back when most others did not.

Website: www.mulliegolf.com

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