Seth Katz
Dos Gatos Kolache Bakery
San Marcos, TX USA
"Before I opened a kolache bakery, I had never made a kolache. Before I opened a bar, I had never bartended. Before I opened a pizzeria, I had never made a pizza. If you put your mind to it, you can do anything."
Career Roadmap
Seth's work combines: Entrepreneurship, Business, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
They say if your business lasts 1 year, then you've made good headway. If it lasts longer than 3 years, you've made it. I just went for it and stayed dedicated to making my businesses work. In the end, I've been really lucky that all of my businesses are still going strong.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Hospitality Administration/Management, General
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Born and raised south of Houston, Texas—his parents were optometrists and owned their own small business, so he grew up with an interest in entrepreneurship.
2.
Attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he received his degree in hospitality.
3.
While his brother, Chase, was attending Texas State University in San Marcos, they got the idea to open a kolache bakery—they opened their first business there, Dos Gatos Kolache Bakery, in 2009.
4.
Admits that when they were first starting out, they couldn’t afford employees so they had to run the business all by themselves from the top to the bottom.
5.
Opened their second business in 2011, Zelicks Icehouse, an old car shop that was converted into a bar and named after their grandfather who helped financially support the bakery in its early days.
6.
He recruited one of his classmates, Benjie Ackerman, from the University of Nevada to help run the bar.
7.
Together, the trio saw another business opportunity nearby in San Marcos—they took over ownership and expanded a New York style pizzeria which they renamed, Pie Society.
8.
Credits his success in business with being able to see the gaps in the market, knowing how to fill them, remaining consistent, and focusing on customer satisfaction.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
This business won't last.
How I responded:
They say if your business lasts 1 year, then you've made good headway. If it lasts longer than 3 years, you've made it. I just went for it and stayed dedicated to making my businesses work. In the end, I've been really lucky that all of my businesses are still going strong.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I had to borrow money to start our first business. Financial problems come with the territory when running your own business. You have to make sure that the businesses are making enough money to support their continued growth and keep employees paid.