Gladiator Lacrosse Founder, Rachel Zietz, Called a “Rising Star”
Gladiator Lacrosse founder, Rachel Zietz, was among the other finalists for the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Entrepreneur Award for young professionals. She astonished everyone and all the judges with her impressive background and accomplishments at such a young age. “I looked back to make sure that the birth date was correct no less than four times,” said Pacific National Bank CEO Carlos Fernandez-Guzman, one of the judges. “I kept thinking. ‘This has to be a typographical error. This cannot be correct.’ She was beyond impressive.” Rachel Zietz was the first teenager ever nominated for any of the chamber’s HYPE Miami Awards for young professionals.
Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce is not the only organization that has seen the accomplishments and growth of Gladiator Lacrosse as nothing short of astonishing. Rachel Zietz has also been recognized in several publications such as Entrepreneur Magazine, South Florida Business Journal, Smart Hustle Magazine, and Kidpreneurs Magazine. It is no surprise either, what other 14 year olds have started their own business and generated in $1 million in revenue in less than two years?
Rachel Zietz deserves all the recognition and respect she has receives. Most 14 year old girls have concerns and issues with things like having a crush and having certain clothing and accessories, but that is not the case in the world of Rachel Zietz. Other than spending time trying to grow the business, Rachel plays lacrosse for her high school, Pine Crest High School, is a part of extracurricular activities and spends time with friends and family.
Being dedicated and committing your life to one goal, especially running a business, is a challenge for everyone. Rachel views her business as a child that constantly needs to be attended to and help to grow to becoming something successful and meaningful in the world. That is exactly what Rachel does day in and day out for Gladiator Lacrosse, by even taking phone calls between classes at school to make sure everything is being handled and on track.
Before Gladiator Lacrosse was formed, Rachel always had an entrepreneurial spirit like her father and hence, joined a 33-week program called the Young Entrepreneur’s Academy. She learned that the best way to generate a business idea was to think of a need in your life and develop a solution. As an active lacrosse player, Rachel would practice “wall ball” in her background and was not satisfied with the equipment she used especially for the price. So, at the end of the program she pitched to an investor her idea for high-quality lacrosse products. She won just over $2,700, and with it, worked with suppliers overseas to secure her first 45-foot container of lacrosse goals and rebounders. The rest as they say is history.
