Michael Lizanich

Surround yourselves with motivated individuals that want to see you grow and succeed just as much as you do.

 

Michael G. Lizanich II is the Founder of Manufacturefy, Inc., an international manufacturing disrupter that intelligently connects manufacturers with products. Developing his first business in his dorm room while in undergrad at playing D1 football, Lizanich experienced first hand all of the intricacies associated with operating a business. He was able to grow his first enterprise from a pitch deck to an 8,000 SF facility with $15MM worth of assets all under his care, custody, and control.

Upon the sale of his first business, Lizanich started working for a $3B real estate private equity firm in Washington, D.C.. Working directly with the c-suite to assisting in developing and acquiring $400MM in real estate during his tenure. Now, Manufacturefy is headquartered in Palm Beach, FL and is set to go live in this quarter.

Lizanich holds a BA in management and minor in legal studies from Tulane University. In addition, he will obtain his Masters in Real Estate from Georgetown University this Spring.

Where did the idea for Manufacturefy come from?

Manufacturefy’s platform was rooted after trying to search for an easier way to connect manufacturers with products. Equipped with a creative mind, and a list of hundreds of potential inventions, I was always curious to know the cost of manufacturing my ideas. I would inquire through traditional sourcing agents and receive news that I had to compensate them for just receiving quotes. And the fees did not stop there – they insisted that they would also collect a commission from any future orders!

With an idea in hand – I sought the services of an international freedom to operate firm. The international freedom to operate search would provide research findings on all international prior art – providing assurance that Manufacturefy was able to move forward at full speed.

Manufacturefy is set to go live this month!

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

Since playing football all my life, and earning a full division 1 football scholarship to Tulane University, I have made sure to continue my rigorous athletic schedule into my professional life.
5:00 AM – Wake Up
5:05 AM – Check eMails & Social Media
6:00 AM – Workout – Weights
7:30 AM – Shower & Breakfast
8:00 AM – Arrive to Manufacturefy’s offices
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Most intellectually engaging tasks (Such as phone calls, meetings, catching up with staff, developers, and sales team)
12:00 PM – Lunch at a local restaurant or dining club with friends or business associates
1:30 PM – Time consuming tasks for the day
4:00 PM – Planning for next day’s tasks
5:30 PM – Workout – Cardio
7:30 PM – Dinner with friends/investors/business associates/family
With the rise of social media, it has been extremely tough to stay productive throughout the day. Therefore, Apple has implemented a very convenient feature that allows you to limit your time on certain applications. So, I set my time limit to 15 minutes – of course there are some days where I must see what my friends are doing – otherwise I stay loyal to the time limit.

How do you bring ideas to life?

One of my first tasks when bringing ideas to life is creating the logo and brand image. They are my favorite tasks and motivates me to continue on developing the new business.
Once I see the logo and branding, the legitimacy of the business starts with the incorporation documents, business plans, website, business cards, partnerships agreements and much more.

What’s one trend that excites you?

The growth of connectivity among individuals around the world is a trend that will continue to rise. With the goal to conduct international business, I developed a concept that would connect people from all over the world. This “intelligent connectivity” will undoubtedly continue to change how consumers live, work, play and shop throughout the world.

Intelligent Connectivity enables manufacturers to discover underleveraged value along the supply chain for process optimization, productivity improvement and risk mitigation. It also supports and gives rise to new manufacturing ecosystems including more collaborative R&D, intelligent supply chains, a growing role for robotics, and enhanced asset performance. Through intelligent connectivity cross border business will increase.

“Intelligent connectivity” is expected to have the manufacturing sector increase to a value of $6.4 trillion by 2025.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I continually combine my professional and personal life. This way I able to have a friendly relationship with all business associates and enjoy being around them.

What advice would you give your younger self?

To date, I still mention that my biggest regret to date is not joining a fraternity while a student at Tulane University. Since, I felt that playing football occupied a lot of my time I declined the invitations to join a fraternity… Big mistake.

Developing instant lifelong friendships are extremely beneficial in the business community. It is important to find similarities when networking. By doing so, it leads people to be more interested and wanting to help somebody with similarities.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Not everybody has the mindset, skillset, business acumen or desire to be a business leader.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Surround yourselves with motivated individuals that want to see you grow and succeed just as much as you do.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Many advisors to Manufacturefy has suggested,”Start small, maybe with just the “toys and gifts” industry before going to all industries”.

Unfortunately, the specific industry business model would not work for fast growth. And I, definitely was in the need for an income after leaving my job – he needed to develop Manufacturefy for all manufacturers and all products – regardless of the industry.

My strategy– go broad from the start – the opportunity is greater.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I was quoted during in a previous article, “Ultimately, the goal is to get into real estate development like my [peers]. This is a way for me to do that.”

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Recently I hired a home cleaning service for $100. This personal investment has benefitted me professionally as well. The time that I would have spent cleaning, changing sheets, emptying the dishwasher, and more total up to approximately 20 hours per month!
Now I am able to dedicate 20 more hours per month to Manufacturefy’s growth and doing what Manufacturefy does best, “Manufacturing reltationships” ™.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: The Life and Times of Jacob Fugger
Jacob Fugger was a German banker who financed kings, explorers, bishops and popes — and along the way made the biggest fortune ever amassed by a business person. Fugger was worth about $400 billion in current dollars at the time of his death in 1525 — or 2% of Europe’s GDP at the time.
There are multiple lessons in this biography that Jacob Fugger practiced that made him the wealthiest individual to ever walk our planet. With his diversified business philosophy , he was able to leverage himself far more than anybody else in our time.

What is your favorite quote?

“Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen.”

Key Learnings:

• When first meeting new potential business colleagues, develop a genuine personal relationship with them first before transforming the relationship to business.
• Determine what are your most time intensive tasks. If it is a task that you are comfortable mitigating to others – do so! This way you are able to focus more on tasks that need more of your time.
• When coming up with a new business venture – determine what processes are the most enjoyable. Start with those tasks first as it will continue to propel your momentum with your business.
• I am advocate for incorporating fitness into my daily life. According to a Harvard Medical School study, The benefits of exercise come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and increase the development of new brain cells. Indirectly, exercise improves mood and sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety. Problems in these areas frequently cause or contribute to cognitive impairment. Your body is a machine and it needs to be maintained appropriately.

Connect:

Manufacturefy.com
instagram: @manufacturefy
twitter: @manufacturefy
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