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Zach Yadegari, Founder & CEO at Cal AI
4.9/5 Rating
SaaS, Marketing
$1M+/mo

Zach YadegariFounder & CEO

In this interview, Zach Yadegari explains how he transformed a frustrating fitness problem into Cal AI, an AI-powered calorie tracking app that reached an estimated $24 million in annual revenue. He shares the lessons learned from launching products as a teenage entrepreneur, building a viral consumer application, leveraging influencer marketing, and scaling a startup in the highly competitive health and fitness industry. The conversation also explores product-market fit, user acquisition strategies, and the mindset required to build successful technology companies at a young age.

Zach Yadegari

Zach Yadegari

Founder & CEO

Cal AI

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Founder Stats

  • SaaS, Marketing
  • Started 2020
  • $1M+/mo
  • 50+ team
  • USA

About Zach Yadegari

Zach Yadegari is the founder and CEO of Cal AI, a fast-growing fitness application that uses artificial intelligence to estimate calories and nutritional information from food photos. The idea originated from his own struggles with traditional calorie-tracking methods, inspiring him to create a faster and more user-friendly alternative. Before launching Cal AI, Zach founded TotallyScience.co, a popular unblocked games platform that attracted millions of users during the COVID-19 pandemic. His entrepreneurial journey highlights the importance of solving real-world problems, embracing innovation, and using modern marketing strategies to scale technology products rapidly.

Interview

August 26, 2025

This is interview 2 of 2 with Zach Yadegari.

Zach Yadegari has been featured on CEO Insider 2 times. Explore the full collection.

1. What is your north star in entrepreneurship?2. What’s the biggest money misconception you hear?3. Active vs. passive income—how do you think about it?4. What are the five stages new earners go through?5. I feel stuck selling because I lack experience. What should I do?6. Isn’t free work just being used?7. How do I actually get customers as a solo pro?8. Any simple sales flow I can follow?9. How do I balance a job and a new business?10. I’m inconsistent. What cadence should I aim for?11. My pipeline swings up and down. Why?12. What does effective outreach look like?13. I’m starting from zero. First concrete steps?14. How do I get pricing power early on?15. What mental traps hold builders back?16. What emotion derails people the most?17. If I hate manifesting, what should I focus on?
Q

What is your north star in entrepreneurship?

Question 1 of 17
Zach Yadegari

I see entrepreneurship as the best path for personal growth. My goal is simple: be useful. That means learning skills so I can serve someone else.

0
Q

What’s the biggest money misconception you hear?

Question 2 of 17
Zach Yadegari

People think making money comes from investing. Investing is the last thing you do, not the first. Build high active income first.

0
Q

Active vs. passive income—how do you think about it?

Question 3 of 17
Zach Yadegari

I remove that false binary and ask, money per unit of time? Nothing is truly passive. Trade time for more value per unit, then keep trading up.

0
Q

What are the five stages new earners go through?

Question 4 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Uninformed optimism, informed pessimism, valley of despair, informed optimism, and achievement. Most people quit at stage three.

0
Q

I feel stuck selling because I lack experience. What should I do?

Question 5 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Run a 10 by 10: give 10 people 10 hours for free. Ask for feedback and strong testimonials—one glowing review can be worth more than early cash.

0
Q

Isn’t free work just being used?

Question 6 of 17
Zach Yadegari

The block is often entitlement. You can set terms: real-time feedback and reviews. Those first reviews will make you more than a small check with no proof.

0
Q

How do I actually get customers as a solo pro?

Question 7 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Start with the core four: warm outreach, cold outreach, paid ads, and posting content. Everything else layers on top.

0
Q

Any simple sales flow I can follow?

Question 8 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Use the early C-L-O of my closer idea: Clarify why they responded, Label the problem in their words, Overview past attempts.

0
Q

How do I balance a job and a new business?

Question 9 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Your 9-to-5 isn’t the problem—your 5-to-9 is. Use 5–9 a.m. and 5–9 p.m. for a full extra workday. Quit only after off-hours income beats your salary for months.

0
Q

I’m inconsistent. What cadence should I aim for?

Question 10 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Try the Rule of 100 daily: 100 reach-outs, or 100 minutes creating or posting, or $100 in ads. Do one—or all three—every day.

0
Q

My pipeline swings up and down. Why?

Question 11 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Volatility is a symptom of insufficient volume. If one sale takes 700 efforts, do 700 a day and you’ll average a sale a day.

0
Q

What does effective outreach look like?

Question 12 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Send personal videos or texts that use their name and context. Consistency is the currency of credibility. Add risk reversal with a free-first offer.

0
Q

I’m starting from zero. First concrete steps?

Question 13 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Form an LLC, open a bank account, connect a payment processor, then ask a stranger to pay you for a result. Next, ping contacts for intros.

0
Q

How do I get pricing power early on?

Question 14 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Create artificial demand by doing great free work until your time is fully booked. Then charge, raising prices until no shows you the ceiling.

0
Q

What mental traps hold builders back?

Question 15 of 17
Zach Yadegari

We want benefits from multiple paths without trade-offs. Beware the fallacy of the perfect pick. Make explicit sacrifices to create space.

0
Q

What emotion derails people the most?

Question 16 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Fear. People know what to do; the question is why they aren’t doing it.

0
Q

If I hate manifesting, what should I focus on?

Question 17 of 17
Zach Yadegari

Be objective and do what’s observable: let people know what you have, sell it, charge less than it costs you to deliver, then repeat.

0

Table Of Questions

1What is your north star in entrepreneurship?
2What’s the biggest money misconception you hear?
3Active vs. passive income—how do you think about it?
4What are the five stages new earners go through?
5I feel stuck selling because I lack experience. What should I do?
6Isn’t free work just being used?
7How do I actually get customers as a solo pro?
8Any simple sales flow I can follow?
9How do I balance a job and a new business?
10I’m inconsistent. What cadence should I aim for?
11My pipeline swings up and down. Why?
12What does effective outreach look like?
13I’m starting from zero. First concrete steps?
14How do I get pricing power early on?
15What mental traps hold builders back?
16What emotion derails people the most?
17If I hate manifesting, what should I focus on?

Video Interviews with Zach Yadegari

Alex Hormozi: The #1 Myth That’s Keeping You Broke (And What to Do About It)

Alex Hormozi: The #1 Myth That’s Keeping You Broke (And What to Do About It)

Alex Hormozi: The #1 Myth That’s Keeping You Broke (And What to Do About It)

The Dark Truth Behind Alex Hormozi's $100M Money Models Book Launch

The Dark Truth Behind Alex Hormozi's $100M Money Models Book Launch

Alex Hormozi: 'This is the fastest way to get rich in today's economy.'

Alex Hormozi: 'This is the fastest way to get rich in today's economy.'

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