While a student at WashU Zach Moskow (BSBA '20) founded and sold Premier STL, a large-scale nightlife event production business. Zach also served as a teaching assistant and student chief of staff for Olin's Director of Entrepreneurship Doug Villhard. In that role, Zach designed the app for the Olin's Big IdeaBounce® competition.

In the spring of his senior year, Zach shared with us his journey to entrepreneurship and how he made it to a five-figure sale. 

What were some of your first businesses?

When I was five or six, I started doing magic shows performing for charity. When I got to high school, I started doing paid magic shows. Also, in high school, I ran an online phone accessory business and started doing web design consulting. 

How was Premier created?

I started Premier freshman year of college after I saw a lack of social opportunities for students under 21. I took my first semester to get acclimated, and my second semester, I started the business and brought some friends into work for the company. 

How did you balance running your company and being a student?

I had to shift my mindset. I had to focus more on learning and delivering strong deliverables and less on grades. I kept separate business and personal to-do lists. I also prioritized my mental health above everything else. 

What was it like selling your venture?

It was a valuable skill-building experience. At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to sell it. I decided to sell it because it's student-run and I wanted to keep it that way. I wanted to keep the business going after I graduated. I sold it to three current juniors and taught them every aspect of the business over ten weeks in the summer. 

What is the biggest lesson you have learned about starting and running a venture?

The biggest thing is that you have to be all in because it never stops. You kind of need to be on call at all times. You have to be responsive and quick. But that doesn't mean you can't have fun. 

What motivates you?

It's the people I've met and interacted within the St. Louis communities and the relationships I've developed. I like having a positive impact on people's lives. I also like meeting a lot of cool people, seeing a lot of cool things, and sharing experiences. 

What's next for you?

I accepted a job offer in March. Since I graduated in early May, I've been working remotely from home as a management consultant on the analytics and advisor team for St. Louis' own World Wide Technology. I'm moving back to St. Louis on August 1st.