S02 E10 Most Perceived Risk is Imaginary - How He Grew His Business 800% in Year One | Zachary Bailey

What does 800% growth actually cost a founder?

In this episode of Untold: Best Kept Secrets in Utah, Jon sits down with Zachary Bailey, founder and CEO of ZB Designs and creator of Wigglitz— the award-winning line of 3D printed fidget collectible toys that exploded from a handful of retail stores to thousands of doors nationwide.

But this conversation isn’t about the highlight reel. It’s about the hard parts behind rapid business growth: the uncomfortable decisions, the fear of walking away from profitable products, the pressure of scaling too fast, and the leadership shifts required when your company outgrows the version of you that built it.

Zack shares how he went from engineering student to full-time entrepreneur, why he shut down other successful product lines to go all in on Wiglets, how he transitioned from lead designer to CEO, and what it took to scale one of the largest 3D print farms in the United States. He also opens up about risk, entrepreneurship, delegation, leadership mistakes, and the mindset required to keep building when the stakes get real.

If you’re a founder, entrepreneur, business owner, or someone wrestling with a big decision, this episode is packed with honest lessons on scaling a business, product focus, leadership growth, and betting on yourself.

In this episode, we cover:

* How Zack Bailey built Wiglets and scaled ZB Designs
* The real story behind 800% business growth
* Why he cut other profitable products to focus on one winning offer
* The challenges of delegation and stepping away from product design
* How the Theory of Constraints shaped the company’s growth strategy
* Scaling production, retail expansion, and building a massive 3D print farm
* The hidden emotional cost of entrepreneurship and leadership
* Why “safe” choices can still be risky
* Advice for young entrepreneurs taking big bets

If you enjoy conversations about entrepreneurship, founder journeys, leadership, scaling, business strategy, manufacturing, product design, and startup growth, make sure to like, subscribe, and share the episode.

#Entrepreneurship #StartupGrowth #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #FounderStory #Podcast #Wiglets #ZackBailey #ZBDesigns #3DPrinting #Manufacturing #SmallBusiness #ScalingABusiness #CEO #ProductDesign

Connect with Jon on LinkedIn where he shares leadership insights regularly:
https://linkedin.com/in/jonspiesman

Book a free exploration call with Jon here: https://calendly.com/d/ytw-khm-4r5?utm_source=LI&utm_campaign=Bio

Listen to Untold on these podcast platforms:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0bshg8B2x1kX665eeYkk52
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/untold/id1805797903
Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa845f62-543e-44b2-a6f1-7704bccfc099/untold

Untold is the podcast hosted by Jon Spiesman where we uncover the best-kept business secrets of Utah.

Each week, we sit down with local entrepreneurs and business owners to explore their unique journeys, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the lessons they've learned along the way. Whether you're building your own business or just love a good underdog story, you'll find hidden gems of advice and inspiration in every episode.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Untold.
Jon and the Untold podcast team

#UntoldPodcastWithJon #UtahBusiness #EntrepreneurPodcast #JonSpiesman #SmallBusinessStories #LocalBusinessUtah #StartupJourney #PodcastForEntrepreneurs