Hello, my name is Drake Zion, I am the founder and operator of The Zion Woodshop LLC, custom woodworking creations. my passion for woodworking started back in my freshman year of high school when I tried out shop class, sense I have always enjoyed working with my hands, and finding new ways to challenge myself, I figured it would be something new to get into. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I didn’t realize how much I would fall in love with the trade and learning all I could about it. Covid-19 came to the US that following spring with little warning, I finished my classes online that year, and started a hybrid schedule while in my sophomore year. This was also around the time when I asked my shop instructor to be my first mentor, which he was more than happy to do so. By early winter of 2020, I started getting ideas of exploring business and entrepreneurship from influences on TikTok, after making a lazy susan for my mom’s birthday, and getting my first order requests after words.
From there I went off to the races to get my first ever business cards and set up social media pages to post my projects on. then things proceeded as normal and continued onto my junior year, where I was offered the opportunity to be the teaching assistant for the lower level shop classes in exchange for community service hours I needed to graduate, which I stayed in this role during most of my junior year and all of my senior year. Also during my Junior year, I had a major set back due to the loss of my father in fall of 2021. Due to my father being the main source of income for my family and my main pillar of support, we hit quite a wall trying to recover, but thanks to all the support and help I got at my school it made a big difference. As I progressed my mentor took notice of my drastic improvements I made over the year(s), and he brought an opportunity to my attention that he believed would be beneficial in helping me get out of the rut I was in. He told me about the annual craft fair my school held at the beginning of December every year. He informed me that I should enter be a vendor at the event and the school would take care of the entrances fee, after some deliberation for a few days, I was finally convinced to do it. Over the years the back room attached to the shop had been filled with unfinished products that students abandoned over the years, so he made me a deal, for any of the projects I finish, I can sell at the craft fair and keep the full profit for myself, sense I would be doing him a favor to clear out the space for him.
After accepting his offer, I would stay after school with him several days out of the week in the shop at school to work on completing all the projects over the next two weeks, just in time for the event. The craft fair itself was nothing new to me sense I grew up going to many over the years with my family, but being a vendor was just something else entirely. throughout the day my family and my instructor came in and helped me out which made things easier. By the end of it I ended up with several orders, nearly sold out, and $1,200+ in my pocket to start building up my own shop. Entering my senior year I had been studying anything and everything I could to keep growing and getting more opportunities. Which came sooner than I would have imagined when I started the Northland CAPS program, in the business management strand, where I gain and refined soft skillsets, started building a network, and having an internship with a marketing company. All of which boosted me beyond any goals I had set for that time period. Which leads us to the current day me, I am a freshman at the University of Missouri Kansas City. My business is fully licensed and every day I am getting one step closer to achieving my goals and dreams as I find the best ways to continue to help bring others up around me.