Drivers Behind Growing Demand for Organic Food in the United States

In addition to his prolific fundraising activities that have generated more than $100 million for numerous charities, Neal Zeavy supports new businesses as an angel investor. In 2016, Neal Zeavy invested in Nic’s Organic Fast Food, one of the first fast-food chains offering 100 percent organic produce. 

According to Nielsen data on organic products, organic food sales in the United States reached more than 20 billion dollars in 2018, a nine-percent increase year over year. Interest in organic products has become more mainstream as more consumers consider factors such as sustainability and ethical sourcing when making purchases. The demand for organically-grown fruits and vegetables is particularly high amongst Millennials, who are more environmentally-conscious about their food choices. 

The largest segment of organic food customers are concerned about the pesticides or toxins in conventionally-grown produce but are not deeply knowledgeable on organic farming practices. Most members of this consumer segment rely on organic certification labels administered by the USDA to make purchasing decisions. More sophisticated consumers may prefer to buy organic produce from small, locally-run farms.

Nic’s Organic Fast Food in Chicago

Fundraiser and serial entrepreneur Neal Zeavy serves as the head of development of Nic’s Organic Fast Food, a restaurant that he also co-owns. Neal Zeavy has been instrumental in the restaurant's expansion to several strategic locations in Chicago.

In 2017, the first Nic’s Organic Fast Food opened in Rolling Meadows after receiving certification from Quality Assurance International, an agency accredited by the US Department of Agriculture to verify organic standards of food. Since that time, Nic’s Organic Fast Food has opened two additional locations, one at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg and the other in The Loop in downtown Chicago. The restaurant will open its fourth location soon in Evanston. 

Everything on Nic’s Organic Fast Food menu, from burgers and fries to ice cream, is made from organic ingredients that are sourced locally. Customers can also order online and request delivery through Postmates, Ritual, or Uber Eats. Within the next three years, Nic’s Organic Fast Food plans to open 50 locations in major cities in Arizona, Colorado, California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and Oregon.

Three Tips for Starting a Business with a Side Hustle

Neal Zeavy is the co-owner of Nic’s Organic Fast Food, a certified-organic restaurant with a drive-through and delivery services in Chicago. Mr. Zeavy also manages Zeavy Development, a commercial real estate firm that acquires and develops properties across the United States. Neal Zeavy enjoys being an entrepreneur and exploring new business opportunities in different industries.

While being a full-time entrepreneur has its perks, not everyone is brave enough to leave their job, risk losing their savings, and start from scratch. A good way to test the waters and see if you have a future in entrepreneurship is by starting a “side hustle,” a (usually) part-time job on the side. Here are three tips for building a successful business from a side hustle:

1. Treat the side hustle as a functioning business.

A side hustle is a business and not a hobby. Even if you have a full-time job, the best way to gain traction on your side hustle is to set specific and measurable goals and create a detailed plan of execution. Set aside a number of hours a day or week to devote your time and energy to the side hustle, and stick to your schedule. 

2. Test the product or service with a small targeted audience.

Find out how a few targeted customers will respond to your product or service before you invest more money, time, and energy into it. Use the customers’ feedback to improve your offering. The sooner you can create a product or service that solves customers’ problems, the better your chance of success.

3. Spend money on resources based on demand.

Hiring people and buying supplies in anticipation of demand can set you back financially. Study the growth of your business and spend money only when you have customers who will pay for the product or service.

Three Signs Your Business Is Ready to Expand

Serial entrepreneur Neal Martin Zeavy divides his time among several executive-level positions, including as the president of not only Zeavy Development, but also NZ Consulting. More recently, Neal Zeavy joined Nic’s Organic Fast Food as an angel investors and a co-owner. The first certified organic fast food restaurant in the United States, this Illinois-based company plans to expand to California and New York.

Below are three signs your business is ready for expansion:

1. You have loyal customers. No matter what you are selling, a steady flow of customers indicates that there is a steady demand for your product. These customers not only reward your business with a recurring revenue source, but they also promote stability and are a great indicator that you’re ready to grow. Customers may also be requesting that you open another location, thus reassuring you that the successful expansion of your business is highly probable.

2. You need extra space. As your company grows, you will need more workers and space to accommodate growing demand. This is great, but it may result in your current space being too small for your operations. If you find that you are bursting at the seams to handle your current volume, it’s time to consider expanding to an additional location to balance the demand.

3. You’ve enjoyed steady profits. Businesses sometimes experience sudden surges in profits. While this isn’t necessarily bad, a brief increase in profits does not automatically mean you should expand. Instead, make sure you’ve been enjoying steady profits for at least three years before adding another location. Since these profits are more long term, they are more indicative that your business model is working and that you’ll be capable of recreating it elsewhere.

Commercial Real Estate Trends to Watch for in 2019

Neal Martin Zeavy is a co-owner of, and an angel investor in, Nic’s Organic Fast Food, the first certified organic fast food company in the United States. Additionally, Neal Zeavy serves as the president of NZ Consulting and Zeavy Development, the latter of which acquires and develops commercial real estate around the country.

For those involved in the commercial real estate industry, 2019 will bring plenty of new challenges and opportunities. Following are just a few of these expected trends:

- Brick and mortar will grow in popularity. In recent years, many brick and mortar stores have fallen into obscurity. While larger retailers may continue to go out of business, brick and mortar stores will grow in popularity in 2019 due to the increasing practice of online companies moving into retail spaces.

- Federal Reserve will make things harder. Shortly after the recession, the Fed began buying up bonds to increase the money in the market and drive commercial real estate investment. While it still hopes to maintain economic stability, the Fed will start selling its bonds at attractive rates. In turn, this will leave less money for real estate investing. At the same time, the Fed plans on increasing interest rates for investors, a practice that’s echoed by many Wall Street and other central banks.

- Suburbia will see more millennials. As an increasing number of millennials reach their 30s, they are showing more of an interest to live in suburban areas. As they shift, trendy retailers and other entities will move with them in an effort to attract talent and reduce rent costs.

- Opportunity zone programs will increase. In 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created what’s known as the Opportunity Zone program, which promotes economic development in underserved communities by offering developers a large tax break for building in such areas. In 2019, the number of these programs will likely increase.

Fast Food Gone Organic

Accomplished businessman Neal Zeavy is the president of real estate company Zeavy Development. While pursuing his passion for real estate, Neal Zeavy also promotes healthy living. His enthusiasm for healthy and nutritious food led to his involvement as a co-owner and investor in Nic’s Organic Fast Food.

The first restaurant of its kind in the United States, Nic’s Organic Fast Food offers 100-percent organic fast food. The meat in the burgers is free of hormones, antibiotics, preservatives, GMOs, artificial colors, and artificial flavors.

The business philosophy of Nic’s Organic Fast Food is providing favorite food on the go that satisfies hunger but does not sacrifice health or compromise quality. The menu is good for customers’ health and good for the environment. Nic’s Organic Fast Food prides itself in providing an alternative to popular fast foods by using ingredients that are safe for customers and safe for the environment.

A Few Common Metrics Observed in Commercial Real Estate Investment

Neal Zeavy, a serial entrepreneur based in Seattle, Washington, serves as an angel investor and co-owner of Nic’s Organic Fast Food, the nation’s first certified organic fast food restaurant. Beyond this, Neal Zeavy also serves as the president of NZ Consulting, a raffle fundraising consulting business, and of Zeavy Development, a commercial real estate development and investment company with properties in states such as Illinois, Virginia, Missouri, and Maryland.

When investing in real estate, there are multiple financial metrics that investors will come across. One of the most common metrics used in commercial real estate investing is net operating income (NOI). This metric is an essential part of real estate investments since it includes the total annual income generated by a property, including rent, parking, and laundry. The property’s operating expenses are subtracted from this income, which gives investors an idea of how much a property generates after operating costs are covered.

The capitalization, or cap, rate is another common metric in commercial real estate investment. Responsible for determining the value of an income-producing property, the cap rate is created by dividing annual NOI by the current value of the property. Investors use this metric to find a good average between nearby properties and to figure out what their potential returns will be in the future. Normally, investors prefer high cap rates since they are associated with higher returns on investment.

Finally, there is the cash on cash return (CoC) metric. One of the easiest metrics to generate, CoC, also shortened as CCR, measures the ratio between the down payment of a property and its annual cash flow. With the CoC metric, investors can project the return on their investment.

Improving Work-Life Balance When Working from Home

Over nearly two decades, dynamic entrepreneur Neal Martin Zeavy has established several profitable ventures in various industries, including real estate, fundraising, and the food and beverage sector. Despite overseeing four thriving businesses simultaneously, Neal Martin Zeavy leverages his ability to work from home to create an ideal work-life balance and make time for his family.

By planning thoughtfully and establishing routines, remote workers and entrepreneurs who work from home can remain productive and engaged in their work while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Some effective suggestions are listed below.

Create a Separate Space - One way to strengthen the boundary between home and work is to establish a defined workspace. Whether this space is a whole room or a cordoned-off section of another living area, the workspace should be treated like any other office and be considered by all household members as a distraction-free zone most of the time.

Schedule Breaks - Entrepreneurs who blur the lines between work and home often engage in work activities even during their time off. Instead, it is best to establish a set work schedule that includes meal breaks and bans checking work emails or doing other work-related tasks after a certain time. 

Develop Rituals - For people who work from home, rituals can take the place of a commute and provide a transitional space between work and personal time. Some effective rituals include taking a walk before and after work or drinking coffee from a specific mug when on the clock.

Positive Outlook for Kansas City Commercial Real Estate Market

A leading fundraising professional and serial entrepreneur, Neal Martin Zeavy has coordinated fundraising efforts for nonprofit organizations across California. In addition to raising more than $100 million for charitable causes, Neal Martin Zeavy serves as president of Zeavy Development, a commercial real estate firm with holdings in up-and-coming markets such as Richmond, Virginia, and Kansas City, Missouri. 

Since the 2000s, Kansas City has undergone a downtown and urban real estate development boom, one similar to those experienced by other populous cities such as Denver and San Diego, if on a smaller and more extended scale. The growth is driven by an influx of transplants, the majority of whom moved to the city from other areas of Missouri and bordering states. 

While this population growth has primarily translated into accelerated suburban development, shifting housing demands of both retiring boomers and professional Millennials are driving residential development in the downtown core. 

Further, large technology focused companies, keen to attract talent, are moving into well-placed office spaces close to the central Kansas City neighborhoods their candidates prefer. This has decreased vacancy rates and raised average leasing prices for much of the downtown area.

Combined, these dynamics have prompted real estate experts to identify Kansas City as a high-potential market for 2019.

Key Websites from Which Every Entrepreneur Can Learn

An alumnus of the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a BA in community studies, 
Neal Martin Zeavy serves as the CEO of Nic’s Organic Fast Food, which he co-owns, and president of Zeavy Development and NZ Consulting. Involved in numerous business activities over the course of his career, Neal Martin Zeavy also mentors aspiring entrepreneurs and continuously seeks to expand his knowledge.

Requiring many skills to start a business, entrepreneurs can benefit from online educational resources to help them gain new information. The following are just a few of the best online resources for entrepreneurs to support their business endeavors:

AllBusiness.com provides entrepreneurs with many useful tips on a diverse array of business topics, ranging from Internet marketing to office etiquette, as does HubSpot Academy, which offers free courses on subjects such as lead nurturing, landing pages, and website optimization. Furthermore, Moz provides search engine optimization-related learning opportunities through not only its free Moz Academy, but also webinars and guides to link building, social media, and SEO.

LearnVest is helpful for entrepreneurs who want to learn how to manage their business and personal incomes. Some of the site’s classes, including “How to Budget” and “Building Better Money Habits,” are free. Also beneficial for its financial-related information, CrunchBase is especially valuable for providing everything an entrepreneur needs to know about funding his or her new business.

Key Ways Fructose Consumption Harms Your Health

Seattle-based Neal Martin Zeavy is the president of Raffle Administration, NZ Consulting, and Zeavy Development. An established entrepreneur who enjoys learning, Neal Martin Zeavy is also interested in exercise, nutrition, and following a diet that is low in sugar. Here a few reasons why consuming too much sugar in the form known as fructose is harmful to your health.

A high intake of fructose, a simple sugar, can be harmful to the liver and potentially damage it, since it is the only organ that can metabolize it. Fructose consumption also interferes with the metabolic system by reducing insulin release, thus preventing the production of the hormone leptin, which helps to control appetite. 

Excess fructose consumption is associated with numerous health problems such as increased triglycerides, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, abdominal obesity, and weight gain. Studies have found that fructose nourishes cancer cells so that they grow more rapidly and spread more quickly throughout the body. Research also demonstrates that high fructose consumption is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

What is an Angel Investor?

As the president of NZ Consulting and a raffle director for numerous organizations in California, Neal Martin Zeavy has raised more than $100 million on behalf of various charities throughout the United States. Neal Martin Zeavy also serves as the president of Zeavy Development and as a co-owner and an angel investor in Nic’s Organic Fast Food in Chicago.

Angel investors provide a one-time investment that helps companies get through their beginning stages and provides entrepreneurs with a source of equity financing. When angel investors give money to a business, they receive a certain amount of equity in the company, which will give them increasingly larger returns as the company becomes successful.

Although angel investors get money back in the form of equity, they do not make investments solely for profit. They believe in helping entrepreneurs succeed and often invest in the entrepreneur rather than in a particular business. 

Angel investors look for particular qualities in the entrepreneur instead of examining company profits. However, angel investors make sure the company idea is viable, and they determine whether the entrepreneur has created a good business plan and valued the company appropriately.

Since their primary focus is helping entrepreneurs succeed, angel investors are often family members and friends of the entrepreneur. On average, they invest $25,000 to $100,000. 

Contrary to popular belief, most angel investors are not millionaires. Many are lawyers, doctors, and other professionals.

The Origins of Waldorf Education

A cum laude graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, Neal Martin Zeavy has spent more than two decades in leadership positions with real estate, hospitality, and wellness companies throughout the West Coast. A former teacher, Neal Martin Zeavy stays involved with the field of education through his support of the Seattle Waldorf School and his passion for Waldorf education.

For nearly 100 years, students around the world have evolved into critical thinkers, creative problem-solvers, and conscientious adults through a Waldorf education. Built around a comprehensive and rigorous academic curriculum, the Waldorf philosophy blends academics with the arts and experiential methods to provide a holistic learning journey.

The Waldorf philosophy is rooted in the work of Rudolf Steiner, an early-20th-century Austrian philosopher, who believed that a human being comprises mind, body, and spirit in equal measures. In 1919, he visited the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory in Stuttgart, Germany, where he lectured to the workers on his ideas. Inspired, the owner of the factory invited Steiner to serve as head of pedagogy at a new school for the children of the factory workers. 

Steiner agreed, though he stipulated that the school be coed, that it be open to all children, and that teachers have total control over the classroom. In September 1919, the first Waldorf school opened, ushering in a new philosophy of education that has since spread to hundreds of schools around the globe.

The Ins and Outs of a Gluten-Free Diet

Operating from Seattle, Neal Martin Zeavy oversees a broad spectrum of commercial real estate investments spanning the country. One of the high-profile companies Neal Martin Zeavy has helped launch and expand is Chicago-based Nic's Organic Fast Food. Featuring Quality Assurance International-certified organic ingredients, Nic’s takes pride in providing options that meet a number of dietary requirements, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free. 

As part of its commitment to gluten-free offerings, Nic’s allows customers to substitute the organic white hamburger bun with an organic gluten-free waffle bun or lettuce wrap. This meets the needs of people living with celiac disease, for whom gluten triggers a small intestine-damaging immune response. In addition, some people experience non-celiac gluten sensitivity, which features celiac disease-like symptoms, while avoiding intestinal damage.

Gluten-free diets steer clear of traditional bread, pasta, and cereal products, as well as specific items such as soy sauce and beer. In order to avoid nutritional deficiencies associated with lack of fiber, those who live gluten free often consume ingredients such as quinoa, brown rice, vegetables, beans, and fruits. They also supplement with B vitamins, including folic acid, which are typically included in fortified bread products.

Nic’s Organic Fast Food - Convenience, Affordability in Quality Meals

The president of Zeavy Development in Seattle, Neal Martin Zeavy is pursuing innovative, health-focused commercial investments nationwide. Neal Martin Zeavy counts Nic’s Organic Fast Food, which has three Chicago area locations with further expansion planned, among his current projects.

Located in Rolling Meadows, the first Nic’s Organic Fast Food was described in Eater Chicago as offering healthy food alongside a highly recognizable mascot with a function similar to that of other fast food brands.

The restaurant also presents prominently “Quality Assurance International Certified Organic” and “USDA Organic” seals of approval for all of the ingredients used on its premises. This represents a serious investment in the future of organic farming, which is vital to environmental sustainability and the planet’s health.

The first organic fast food establishment in the United States to offer drive-thru service, Nic’s Organic Fast Food features a menu that is surprisingly affordable. For less than $8, patrons can order a meal that includes a hamburger, a drink, and fries. Additionally, there are wholesome vegetarian menu items available, including garden salads and a veggie burger.