The Value Creators Podcast Episode #63. Systems Thinking in Action: Building Community-Of-Passion Based Businesses with Joe Zentmyer

Listen to the episode here:

How do you build a retail business around passion—and scale it successfully? What does it mean to think in systems, not just solve problems?

In this episode of the Value Creators Podcast, Hunter Hastings speaks with serial entrepreneur Joe Zentmyer, founder of Snaggletooth Goby and builder of thriving passion communities—from indoor climbing gyms to tropical fish hobbyists and service ventures. Joe shares how he applies systems thinking, relationship-building, and detail-obsessive iteration to create businesses that endure and expand.

Key insights include:

Why systems—not checklists—create scalability and resilience.
How community, location, and hospitality converge to generate value.
The importance of building teams that thrive in uncertainty and complexity.

This is a hands-on masterclass in entrepreneurial systems design, filled with hard-earned lessons for anyone seeking to grow a values-driven, experience-based business.

Resources:

➡️ Learn What They Didn’t Teach You In Business School: The Value Creators Online Business Course

Connect with Joe Zentmyer on LinkedIn

Learn more about Snaggletooth Goby

Connect with Hunter Hastings on LinkedIn

Subscribe to The Value Creators on Substack

Knowledge Capsule:

1. Systems Thinking Is the Entrepreneur’s Superpower

Many founders jump from problem to problem without ever building a system.
Systems allow entrepreneurs to step back and let their business run, and not be consumed by it.
Joe Zentmyer emphasizes: “If there’s no process, the same problems will keep resurfacing.”

2. A Business Is a Puzzle—And Entrepreneurs Must Love Solving It

Joe sees his ventures as complex puzzles with interlocking systems.
He thrives on balancing operations, team dynamics, and creative problem solving.
Obsession with the system can be productive—if balanced with personal clarity.

3. From Vision to Replication: Systems Enable Scale

Each new climbing gym was hard, but systems made replication possible.
Over time, Joe built a system for teams to independently manage real estate, construction, launch, and operations.
Institutional knowledge—like climbing wall design and layout—became internal IP.

4. Community Is the Core of Passion-Based Businesses

Joe builds businesses around passionate identity: “I’m a climber,” “I’m an aquarist.”
Authenticity matters—customers want to be around others who feel it.
The best engagement comes from shared language, hospitality, and consistency.

5. Location Is Strategy

For niche businesses, there’s no McDonald’s-style data formula.
Objective factors like foot traffic combine with gut-level assessments like safety, vibe, and accessibility.
Joe chose sites near transit to lower costs and serve the community better.

6. Trust-Based Partnerships Enable Growth

Success depends on trusted relationships: real estate, contractors, investors.
Joe spent years assembling a reliable team across disciplines.
Being known for follow-through and fairness makes systems more robust.

7. Creative Problem-Solvers Are Essential

Early-stage ventures require improvisation and initiative, not rigid process followers.
Hiring for adaptability and curiosity is key during expansion and chaos.
“You can’t automate creative problem solving,” says Joe.

8. Marketing Passion Brands Requires Empathy and Simplicity

Deep experts often alienate newcomers with insider jargon.
Joe partners with generalist marketing firms to maintain accessibility.
Marketing must serve both the hardcore enthusiast and the curious beginner.

9. Experience Creates Loyalty

Whether climbing or aquarium care, the in-store experience is key.
Events, workshops, and personalized advice bind people to the brand.
Customers remember how they felt—and that memory drives retention.

10. Recurring Revenue Is the Engine

Joe looks for business models with built-in subscriptions or services.
Climbing gyms rely on memberships; aquariums offer in-home services.
This structure stabilizes cash flow and deepens engagement.

11. Systems Must Integrate with External Environments

Joe’s strategy adapts to zoning laws, transit incentives, and macroeconomic trends.
In Chicago, locating near transit hubs reduced parking costs and aligned with city planning.
Entrepreneurs must plug into broader institutional systems intelligently.

12. The Founder Needs a System, Too

Joe carves out time weekly for reading, writing, and system-level reflection.
He warns against being consumed by the business’s internal systems at the cost of personal well-being.
Sustainable entrepreneurship requires a personal system for focus and renewal.