Designing A Better Life
Wilian Iralzabal created Zabal Media to design the work-life he couldn’t find anywhere else.
“As a kid, I was told I could do anything—to believe in my power to create what I envision. I’ve followed that my entire life.”
Wilian is a leader. He doesn’t describe himself this way, but within minutes of talking with him it’s easy to see.
In 2019, Wilian worked with Google as an in-house contract designer.
“You have to learn before you work independently or it’s a bit more tricky. So I chose to go corporate first.”
Today Wilian is the Founder, CEO, and sometimes janitor of Zabal Media, a fully remote, multi-million dollar design and no-code development company. Zabal Media helps everyone from freelancers (hint hint) to enterprise-level companies build beautifully designed, functional websites—fast.
“We specialize in no-code technologies, for example, WebFlow and Adalo. We’re also specialists in UX and UI design, so we work from the vision all the way through design, then we implement the software. We’re a one-stop shop.”
What Wilian loves about the work is simple. “The exchange of value excites me. Working with small companies, for example, that are Round-A or seed-funded, working with them all the way to hundreds of millions of dollars in investments and growing their teams from 30 people to 500 people. Knowing we’re part of that journey. Getting to contribute to these people, their stories. That’s what excites me about what we do every day.”
Wilian’s Secret Weapon: Knowing People
Until age nine, Wilian grew up in Suri, Cuba—a place that shaped his worldview. In sharp contrast, moving to the United States forced Wilian to adapt to a lightning-fast pace, which he describes as sipping from a firehose.
“After we moved to the States, we lived in a one bedroom apartment until I was fourteen—me, my mom, my dad, and my brother, all in one room. We’re still very close.”
That experience, in part, primed Wilian to better navigate the ultimate growth period: Becoming a father and raising a business in parallel. Everything Wilian continues to learn from his family and his mentors, he puts to great use. The uncompromising values Wilian brings to Zabal Media are a direct reflection of his own values.
“I’ve built the Zabal Media team up to 26 people, full-time. We’re fully remote, able to work independently. I want to cultivate a culture where people feel free to do whatever they want, while also maintaining a high standard of quality.”
Wilian describes his superpower as an ability to choose the right people. Logically, and also intuitively. From his high school mentor to his now life partner and current teammates, Wilian’s greatest influence is the company he keeps.
A Day in the Work-Life
Beyond the occasional janitorial duties, Wilian’s primary job is to guide responsible growth. Quality-controlling leads, making sure no trash clients get into the pipeline. Zabal Media has a strict no a**holes policy.
“We don’t just accept projects for revenue. Part of the reason I went independent is because I needed control over two simple things: Who I work with, and how long I work with them. I cannot budge on those two things. Life is too short.”
Wilian’s next priority: Supporting his team. Because Wilian is no longer doing design and dev work he knows the importance of caring for those who live and breathe the work. When challenges arise, people can come straight to him.
When asked how he feels about no longer being in the day-to-day, Wilian shared an important insight for anyone considering taking their business independent and scaling to become more of a manager.
“Not being in the tactical, ground-level work is difficult because I identify as a creator, a practitioner. Shedding those layers, the question that often came up for me is, ‘If this doesn’t work out, what do I go back to, if I let go of this identity?’ It was very challenging. Still is.”
Betting On Yourself
Wilian has nothing against people working full-time jobs for other employers. In fact, he even defines the dream as full-time employment with the right team, right compensation, and where one’s true work desires align with the company.
“I wasn’t able to find that. But it is the dream because then you don’t take all the risk. And that’s where you want to be.” Today, Wilian is all-in on risk taking.
“My entire career, I always thought someone else had the answer. Someone more experienced, with a higher salary, or a different background or an MBA, and so on. I looked at myself as an inferior character in the story. Always bet on yourself. Before you do anything else. I wish I had done it sooner.”
A Day in the Life-Life
Wilian balances the rigor of work by getting far away from it all. When he’s not bringing in business, supporting his team, or evolving Zabal Media’s systems, Wilian enjoys hiking and other activities that require being in nature, fully unplugged.
Wilian values family. He prioritizes time with his daughter, Ava (we witnessed a Wilian-Ava hang during the virtual portion of our interview!), quality time with his partner, his friends, and visiting family nearby. Wilian defines success not in terms of numbers, but by earning more time with people he loves.
“When did I know I’d made it? I believe success is rented, so every day I pay that price—at the end of every day that I put in the work, I make it. Also, when I have freedom to, say, go visit my family at 2 o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon without hesitation—having more freedom with my time, to me, means I’ve made it.”
Connect with Wilian here: