Today we’d like to introduce you to John Mazz.
Hi John, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I spent most of my life trying to figure out my personal strengths and weaknesses.And while not all my dreams have come true (yet?), elements of those dreams persist in many of my current endeavors.
Growing up I wanted to be a rockstar. Without any guidance or connections of consequence, I took what I had and I did my best with it, culminating with releasing a CD back in 2000. It never really got off the ground, but it was certainly a bucket list item that I got to cross off at a fairly young age.
While I’ve been paid for playing gigs, both solo and with groups, since 1988, it was never enough to survive on, so I took stock of myself and realized that a career in sales suited my personality and my desire not to sit in an office all day. I figured I better sell something I don’t hate, so I managed to bull my way into the wine distribution business.
To this day, that career path peaked out when I was the state manager for a wine importer for 7 years. But the travel, both around Florida and the world, started to wear on me and my family. Although the travel was the best part of the job for me! I resigned and took a local job with a very small distributor with some work equity on the table. As I built the business the sledding proved tougher than I’d ever experienced, and before I knew it, covid hit torpedoed my plans. While the business I was working for managed to stay afloat, it continued to be a fairly minor source of income and a very part-time job.
At this point, playing gigs as a solo musician was my best option for reaching a sustainable income for me and my family. It hasn’t become full-time, but it’s been pretty close.
About 4 years ago, one of my best friends suggested real estate photography. This made sense to me because I’d spent a lot of time as an avid amateur landscape photographer, And I also had a brief but very successful run as a real estate agent before the market crash in the early 2000s. I took an online course and invested in the gear. After a few hundred shoots, I’ve built another healthy source of income through a small network of clients.
These three jobs–playing music, selling wine and shooting real estate photography–all dovetail very nicely. Since most of my wine buyers don’t get to work until noon or later, it leaves my mornings free for shoots. And in the evenings I play music!
My fourth business card is author and speaker. Last year I released a book on philosophy and psychology called It’s Human To Give A Sh!t. Almost immediately I had many people telling me I should speak on this. I realized that this career is easily my highest and best use at this point in my life, so I’ve been pursuing it when I can while I still work my other jobs to take care of my family.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, life is unpredictable and is often made more challenging by poor decisions that I’ve made. I don’t have any regrets, though. I’ve learned from those mistakes and have grown stronger.
I’ve never been afraid to try something new. Perhaps I was too ignorant to understand, but I always felt that if I tried a new business, I would perform it well enough and work hard enough to not fail, at least. What’s been most important to me is to enjoy what I’m doing. My work endeavors align with my personal interests, rather than maximizing income. Obviously, with those set of priorities, the bottom line can suffer, But my mental wellness does not. I’d rather financially struggle doing things I enjoy than to not struggle doing things I don’t enjoy.
And some things are just out of your hands, anyway, like the real estate crash (Great Recession) and the covid pandemic. And I’ve had many personal challenges too, but I’ve spent decades studying philosophy and I’ve equipped myself to keep my mental and emotional ship afloat. It’s actually leading to yet a new career of writing books, coaching and public speaking.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your businesses?
Being a solopreneur, I am the brand. I’m known for putting out quality products, building great partnerships with my clients, customer service, professionalism and work ethic.
I have four business cards, I’ll break down each…
John Mazz Author/Speaker/Coach– this is my next chapter, and it’s well on its way as I have a book (It’s Human To Give A Sh!t) and I already have public speaking experience under my belt. This career utilizes my strengths of public performance experience, civic engagement, solopreneur mindset, knowledge of philosophy and psychology, developing quick rapport with others, speaking voice, and thought articulation. I’m also incorporating live music performance into my public speaking.
John Mazz Music– this is my longest running career, haven’t performed so low steadily since 1988. I Play guitar and sing four to five times per week. I keep it fun, typically high energy with a wide variety of styles and eras with around 800 songs to choose from all in the name of GOOD VIBES.
John Mazz Real Estate Photography– I took an interest in landscape photography while living in Flagstaff, Arizona. Later, while living in the panhandle of Florida, I had a short very successful career selling real estate before the crash in 2008. About 5 years ago I combined these interests and started shooting real estate photography. I have a handful, a wonderful clients that I have acquired through my connections and referrals. I’ve done about 300 shoots, including drone work, 360 work, virtual staging and more.
Wholesale wine distribution– My second longest career is selling wine to restaurants, wine bars and retail has a wholesale rep. I started doing this work in 1995 with only a 5-year break selling real estate between 2003 and 2008. Currently I work work for Private Cask Imports as an independent contractor Saw an amazing catalog of premium wines, including Grand Cru Burgundies, First growth Bordeauxs, iconic Napa estates & more. I’m also a Certified Specialist of Wine.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is growing up in the country in a small antebellum home in Central Alabama. It was 7 acres surrounded by pine timberland. The home was canopied in beautiful oak trees. It was where I learned to to appreciate solitude and how to entertain myself. I was between the ages of 4 and 9 years old.
My parents were nothing short of amazing. My sister and I cannot be luckier. We never lacked for anything, including parental support, both practical and emotional. Our family was socially engaged and attended/threw many parties. All four of us built many friendships that last to this day.
One of my absolute favorite memories are the 4th of July parties we thew while living on the farm. They were massive affairs It probably 80 to 100 people in attendance. There were all kinds of games (three-legged races, sack races, egg in spoon races, and, of course, lawn darts), tons of food (my dad once split a pig and cooked it in a pit. He dug behind the barn), hat rides in an antique wagon pulled by a horse and of course, fireworks. The driveway was 200 yd long, lined with pecan trees on either side with cars parked all the way down.
Pricing:
- Real estate photo shoot bundles start at $250
- Solo 3-hour music performances start at $250
- Please inquire directly for wine pricing
- My book is available on Amazon and I’m currently open to free speaking engagements for experience
- Beyond a 30-minute drive, all pricing is subject is travel surcharges
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.johnmazzbooks.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmazzbooks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16KX1xhnXJ/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mazz-91b080368
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@johnmazzanovich-u4b?si=hp3oh8KQ3IkX83oh
