Episode 20: Jessica Zouaoui, Oakwell Beer Spa

Episode 20: Jessica Zouaoui, Oakwell Beer Spa

Jessica Zouaoui started out with a one dream: quit her corporate job, travel the world, and open a small business when she returned. Then she met Damien. Nine months later they were married — and their individual dreams had become one joint plan. They quit their jobs and bought one-way tickets to travel the world with the goal of finding a business idea worth bringing back to the United States. Over 14 months and 25 countries, they visited hedgehog cafes in Japan, went Mario Kart racing through the streets of Tokyo, and soaked in wine spas in France — until a rainy day in Zakopane, Poland changed everything. A beer spa. It checked every box: novel, scalable, hospitable, and achievable without outside investors. They spent the back half of their trip visiting onsens in Japan and jjimjilbangs in South Korea, refining their concept and writing a full business plan from hostel common rooms in Australia. Then they flew directly to Denver — a city neither of them had ever visited — and started knocking on doors. In this episode, Jessica talks about how she and Damien evaluated business ideas on the road, how they secured funding through an unexpected city program, and what it actually took to get a landlord to rent to a beer spa. 🔗 Read the article + subscribe to the weekly newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com 🍺 Learn more about Oakwell Beer Spa: https://oakwell.com/

Episode 19: Gene Nifenecker, Balloon Kings

Gene Neffenecker II — aka King Gene — is the founder of Balloon Kings. What started as a single store on the Upper West Side with and a cult following among locals (including me) is now a growing franchise. Before all of this, Gene was a Marine Corps veteran who survived cancer, lost his sign-making business in the 2008 financial crisis, and was picking up landscaping work to make ends meet. A chance visit to a friend's balloon store changed everything. We talk about leaving his family's sign-making legacy, the four hours that turned his life around, and why he decided to grow through franchising instead of just opening more stores himself. 🎈 Balloon Kings: https://balloon-kings.com/ [https://balloon-kings.com/]📩 Dana's Newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com

Episode 18: Bob Young, Geese Chasers

Bob Young didn't just build a business, he built an entirely new category: using Border Collies to humanely chase geese off golf courses, school yards, parks, and neighborhoods. He didn't go looking for the idea — a golf course owner flagged him down while he was exercising his dog Boomer and begged him to clear his course. That was 1999. GeeseChasers now has 13 franchises and 27 consecutive years of growth. We talk about how Bob knew he had a real business on his hands, how he quit his day job in stages, and the advice from a billionaire that made him go all in. GeeseChasers: https://geesechasers.com [https://geesechasers.com] Bob's Memoir: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F8Q9MY12 📲 FOLLOWInstagram: @thisisathingpod | TikTok: @thisisathingpod | YouTube: @thisisathingpodNewsletter: https://nationofdoers.substack.com/ [https://nationofdoers.substack.com/]

Episode 17: Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere

Charlie Todd is the founder of Improv Everywhere — the group behind 200 people freezing in Grand Central Station, the No Pants Subway Ride, and some of the most joyful viral videos on the internet. He's been staging surprise performances in public spaces for 25 years. And it all started as something he did just for fun. In this episode, Dana and Charlie talk about the three decisions that built his career: putting on his first mission on a total whim, sharing his work publicly before it was easy to do so, and finally quitting his day job when a very understanding HR rep gave him the push he needed. Plus: why YouTube was the real turning point, how he thinks about saying yes to wildly different opportunities, and what keeps him excited after 25 years. https://improveverywhere.com/ Join IE's next mission! https://hudsonriverpark.org/visit/events/event/improv-everywhere-mp3-experiment-21-june-21-2026/

Episode 16: Omar Atia, Zero Carb Lyfe

He sold candy bars at recess when he was 7. By 31, he was the youngest plant manager in his industry. Today, Omar Atia is co-founder of Zero Carb Lyfe — a growing company famous for its chicken-crust pizza. Dana Mauriello talks to Omar about three pivotal decisions: leaving his corporate career in big food, partnering with an inventor who had the idea but needed someone who could scale it, and choosing to grow through retail, new product lines, and venture capital. What makes Omar's story stick is how methodical he was. He tested everything — the product, the co-founder chemistry, the channels, the logistics — before going all in. His advice: don't project on hope, project on data. You'll hear about the mother who called Zero Carb Lyfe's company line sobbing because her daughter with celiac disease finally got to eat pizza at a pizza party. That's the moment Omar knew they were onto something real. This Is a Thing is hosted by Dana Mauriello, Professor of Entrepreneurship at NYU Stern. Every episode features a founder of an unusual business talking about how they made their wild idea happen. New episodes weekly. Find the newsletter at nationofdoers.substack.com.