We had the good fortune of connecting with Zoe Zappas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zoe, what is the most important factor behind your success?
For me, a lot of my success has come from community engagement. In my mind, there’s not much that is more important than knowing the people in business around you and really knowing the people that live in your area. Being from a small town makes this a bit easier, but even on a larger scale this is totally attainable. I don’t just mean networking, networking is certainly part of it, but what I mean here is relationship development. I want to be everyones biggest fan and cheerleader. I post about them on social media and remind them of why they are special and worth supporting. I am genuine and personal in what I choose to reveal and I think that a lot of people are looking for that kind of connection in where they live, who they buy from, and how they spend their time. I am not attached to the outcome or what I will get in return, I am really just focused on making people feel seen and heard. There are so many factors on the path to success but I also think an underrated factor is curiosity. I like curiosity because it’s something subjective and individual, when we follow our curiosity we are listening to a whispering from inside which can lead you to something remarkable you probably couldn’t think/plan/budget yourself into.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am most excited and most proud about the Equality Mural Project that I have put together as a side project to my daily grind doing property management and real estate development. I have pulled together 7 artists and community members to help with the execution of our mission, which is: to add 10 murals in the theme of equality to downtown Atascadero. We have completed our first 2 of our planned 10 murals and we have the next 3 going up in the next couple of months. We have also managed to raise $30,000 because it is a HUGE priority of mine to pay artists for their work. We aren’t done fundraising, but I feel really good about where we are and where we are going. I have never done any significant fundraising or worked with non-profits before so it has been an incredibly expansive time for me and I think that may be part of what sets me apart as a person in the real estate world. I love that this project has shown me that I have a real passion for community development and confirmed in me that art has the power to transform a place or a whole city!

As a result of being the key player in community development, our company has seen the value of being the source for finding out what’s going on in town. It has led to countless commercial tenants for our company as well as residential tenants. The special thing about our company is that we are still small enough to pivot and do unusual things that most would not expect from a management and development company. We are in the middle of building a restaurant incubator program in partnership with the City of Atascadero. This concept is probably the most exciting thing we have put together as a company. I love that we have the ability to see a need (lack of restaurants) and are able to and want to wrap supporting arms around our community to allow it to grow as we grow.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh my gosh, I love this question because I often find myself in tour guide mode. The Central Coast (SLO County) is full of hidden gems! I have an athletic background as a collegiate soccer player, ironman finisher, and now hobby mountain biker so I hope my visitor is interested in some quality outdoor time.

Mountain Biking: my favorite place to ride is in Montana De Oro State Park, there are a ton of trails here. There are also some more technically challenging trails off of West Cuesta Grade behind Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Hiking: I think I would likely try to convince this person to join me on an all day excursion connecting Cerro Alto to West Cuesta up above San Luis Obispo. It would be a long day, about 18 miles of hiking but bring a picnic and tahdah…fun day! Other hiking options would be Irish Hills, Bishops Peak, Madonna Mountain, Lizzie Street, 3 bridges, Cambria Headlands. There’s a ton of hiking and trails!

Eating, Drinking, Hanging Out: My top choice is always going to be Sidecar which is based in San Luis Obispo. They have such amazing and creative cocktails and their food menu is always changing and is always exciting. Their Brussel Sprouts will NOT disappoint. Giuseppe’s in San Luis Obispo is also pretty dang good, cocktails, food, and….nerd alert….the building design in Giuseppe’s is truly inspiring. We know the building designer and the interiors are just so mind blowingly good. I also really love The Raconteur Room up in Atascadero as well as Ancient Owl Beer Garden. Ancient Owl Beer Garden is a great spot with a solid Taco Tuesday and DJ sets every Friday night. If you like a dive bar, Whiskey & June is going to be your place!

Other Iconic Places/Activities: Hearst Castle is great for those that love to hear about history and architecture, clearly up my alley! Beaches are great here so I would recommend all of them. Avila Beach has the most reliable weather, but Cayucos has a great bungalow beachy feel and Hidden Kitchen is a great place for breakfast/lunch and I can’t recommend that enough.

I might have to write a guide book because I could go on and on!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give major credit to my business partners, Max Zappas and Mike Zappas. I am extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them. It’s kind of beautiful how it all worked out though, my brother Max is extremely good at detail within the financial side of our business and my father Mike is a big picture and creative solutions kind of guy. With each one of us being strong in our respective areas it made it easy for me to find where I could excel and really leverage my strengths. So, very thankful for my family.

Website: www.zvillages.com

Instagram: zoezappas

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-zappas

Facebook: Zoe Zappas

Other: Project IG’s: @atascaderolaplaza @zvillages @block.shops @laslomasvillage @hiddenoaksvillage @equalitymuralproject

Image Credits
Image of me: Annie Hock Photography Image of Isaac in front of his block mural: Jenny Ashley Fine Art Photography Image of Brandy Pippin in front of her nature mural: Richard Fusillo Photography

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