Meet the Waukee CEO who's breaking business norms
Traditional finance and insurance companies have long been ingrained in Des Moines' identity, but VizyPay founder Austin Mac Nab wants to show there's also a counter-culture path toward wealth and growth.
Why it matters: Mac Nab 's credit-card payment-processing company pushes a blunt "work hard, play hard" culture that isn't typical in Waukee — but he believes it's key to success and finding the next generation of talent.
"Most corporations that have corporate people, like a Principal — even the top CEOs wouldn't last six months here because it's just too different than the stereotypical way of running a business," Mac Nab says.
Flashback: Mac Nab, who is Vietnamese American, faced turbulence in his childhood and moved around often, working at a young age to support his mom. At 10, he walked around his neighborhood, selling his mom's eggrolls for cash.
He didn't attend college and instead worked at a credit-card processing company for 11 years before deciding to start his venture in Iowa.
"That's why I don't look at resumes. That's why I give a flying s--- what college you came from," Mac Nab says. "I'm looking for genuine people."
State of play: When he launched VizyPay in 2017, he had just three employees, and brought in $97,000 in revenue that first year. The early days were tough — long hours and a demanding environment — until he realized he wanted to build a workplace where people actually enjoyed coming in.
Now, VizyPay is at nearly $27 million in revenue with 86 employees and an emphasis on "culture before anything," Mac Nab says.
The intrigue: Prior to the pandemic, VizyPay was experiencing steady growth, but 2020 provided an unexpected surge in customers.
As people experienced layoffs, some started their own businesses and needed a credit-card processor. More people were also searching for work, which helped VizyPay grow its own workforce. The company scaled in 2021-22, Mac Nab says.
Zoom in: The Waukee office near Vibrant Music Hall first appears like today's typical open-concept office.
But on a closer look, there are signs of the mentality Mac Nab pushes, like a mural that also has the words "work f------ harder" hidden in the art.
VizyPay's "war room" displays a shelf of liquor and a bottle of Clase Azul tequila. It's where Mac Nab reminisced on the worries of 2020 and whom he would have to cut — and how the company grew instead.
There's a full-scale bar where employees get a happy hour every week that's also held weddings and graduation parties. And the company is known for its giant holiday parties, which Mac Nab touts are for the "sexy-ass, high-energy individuals at our company."
Fun fact: Employees receive unlimited discretionary time off, as well as an annual $1,000 to use however they want, as long as it benefits a small-business owner.
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- San Francisco Chronicle
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