The Zing Factor: Dan Melnick's Secrets to Entrepreneurial Excellence

I had the chance to connect with Dan Melnick, CEO and Co-Founder of Zing and serial entrepreneur.

Dan Melnick is the CEO and Co-Founder of Zing, a company that specializes in customized software development solutions for businesses, spanning mobile applications, Shopify, Custom Websites, WordPress ecosystems, and more.

Q: Tell me about your business and what separates you from your competition.? ? ? ? ? ?

A: We bring a combination of value and quality when it comes to software development. Many organizations charge a lot for U.S.-based developers who are high quality but lack value in their pricing. Alternatively, they may offer affordable overseas developers who are low quality, poor in communication, and have trouble delivering projects. We combine the best of both worlds. Our core development team is based in Pakistan, but we work U.S. hours. Additionally, I have one co-founder in New Jersey who works directly with all our clients. We also refuse to take on any project that we can't handle. We have completed 100% of the projects we have taken on.

Q: What is the story behind the creation of Zing, and what were the crucial steps you undertook to transform your concept into a functioning company?

A: I have always been very entrepreneurial. I started an eBay store in high school where I would get autographs and sell them online. After traveling internationally, I realized that most people outside of the U.S. weren’t memorabilia customers and didn’t understand the market. I wanted to build something bigger and reach more people globally. I set out to build a fitness marketplace mobile application but had trouble finding good developers on a stringent budget. One developer built a website that was not scalable, and I had to redo the entire process. I finally met Qasim Masud, who is based in Pakistan, and he built my mobile app quickly and efficiently. After it was built, I realized I no longer wanted to pursue that business. Qasim had the idea to start a software development company. We started small on Upwork and got our first client, who had raised about 15 million dollars. If I thought we were good developers, it was one thing, but this client was run by serial tech founders who loved our work. The rest is history. I told Qasim we needed to create an LLC and start an actual business. A year later, we added Effy Gittler as a co-founder to help streamline our operations.

Q: How do you build culture, relationships, and teams inside and outside of your organization?

At Zing, we have a service and customer-first mentality.

A: Culture is an important part of our business. At Zing, we have a service- and customer-first mentality. Our team is very diverse: Effy and I are American, Qasim and our development team are Pakistani, and we have a marketing and business development team in the Philippines. We are all very different, but we have a great relationship and a lot of fun working together!

Q: Who or what has influenced your leadership ethos?

A: Recently, I have spent a lot of time studying and watching Kevin O’Leary. He is very successful in business because he focuses on profits and revenue, the two most important metrics in business. I find his perspective on business and how to grow companies intriguing.

Q: What is your approach to fostering innovation within Zing, and how do you ensure that new ideas are continuously generated and evaluated?

A: We focus on providing value upfront. We offer free consultations, website and mobile app audits, and even free development work to build trust and deliver value. We are in a very competitive space, but we strive to focus on how we can serve and help our clients grow and achieve success. We view ourselves as a growth partner, not just a development shop. We always strive to think outside the box and develop scalable ideas to help our clients as much as possible.

Q: What industry trends do you foresee having the most significant impact on Zing’s future, and how are you preparing for them?

A: Artificial intelligence is a big trend today. We have created a department focusing on AI, system optimization, and efficiency. We have also built an AI chatbot that can help streamline business customer service. We understand the move towards AI and the importance of finding the best ways to use it. I don’t believe it will disrupt or ruin human interaction; it is all about efficiency and allowing humans to focus on what they do best, like genuine communication and relationship building.

Q: What are you expecting out of 2024 and how will that impact your business?

A: We are a little over halfway through 2024. We expect to continue helping more people grow and scale from the software side. There are many exciting developments in our roadmap, so a significant focus is on assisting more individuals in growing and scaling their systems and projects.

Q: Have you had any mentors throughout your career, and what impact have they had on your professional journey? How do you approach mentoring others within your company?

The secret to success is simply hard work—it's not really a secret at all.

A: When I started this company, I reached out to many people in my network and let them know what I was doing. One of them is Tomas Gorny, the CEO of Nextiva. He was very successful and kindly agreed to meet with me, offering advice and support when I started. He told me that the secret to success is simply hard work—it's not really a secret at all. It's about loving what you do and being motivated and dedicated to your craft. When it comes to mentoring others, I am always available to our team to provide advice. I share all the information, knowledge, and lessons I've gained from my failures and successes.

Q: What are the most important lessons you’ve learned as an entrepreneur, and what advice would you give to those looking to start their own ventures?

A: Entrepreneurship is extremely difficult. Many people on social media make it seem easy, but where most organizations fail is by taking on too much money they can’t pay back (overleveraging) or giving up too quickly. My last company, The Workout Pros, was a complete failure. I invested a lot of time and money into it and never made a dollar. However, at that time, I was also working a full-time job and wasn't fully dedicated. Looking back, I know that with the focus I have today, I could have made it work. I wasn't all in. Sometimes, being at your lowest point is a good place to be because you can only go up from there, unlike when you're halfway into something and not putting in enough effort because you have a fallback or plan B.

Q: What do you work for and what do you do for fun?

A: I love meeting new people here in Austin and attending networking events. I am also very involved with my synagogue (Chabad) and enjoy participating in community events there. I try to go to the gym and get some form of exercise every day. I'm also passionate about my work, so I personally do a lot of social media outreach, which allows me to meet and get to know many new people!

Q: What impact do you hope Zing will have on the industry and community, and what legacy do you wish to leave as its co-founder and CEO?

The legacy I aspire to leave is to create a fantastic workplace and environment while delivering maximum value.

A: My vision is that as Zing grows, so does the community around us. I moved to Austin to establish our company here. Despite having a lean U.S.-based team currently, my goal is to expand to a larger team in Austin that can work directly with all our clients. The legacy I aspire to leave is to create a fantastic workplace and environment while delivering maximum value. As we gain more business, it enables us to hire more people and contribute positively to the local community and economy!

Thank you for contributing to this series, Dan.

If you want to learn more about how Zing can be of service, please connect with Dan on LinkedIn and send him a message.

And thank you, @zilkermedia, for making this newsletter possible!?

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