David Maurer

Introduction and the Barn Door Wall

Taryell Simmons: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to another episode of Rise Urban Nation. We have a special guest in the building today. Before we got on, he told me an incredible story about the wall behind him. I thought he had wood panels or vinyl, but tell the people about how you built this beautiful wall.

David Maurer: Thank you. That was the first thing you noticed when we jumped on. I found a door in the alley that came off an 1800s barn. My neighbor said it was an old door going into the garbage. It was huge, so I grabbed it and made this entire feature wall out of it.

Taryell Simmons: He made a whole feature wall out of a barn door. That is the brilliance and genius we are dealing with today, taking something from the alley and making it look like a million-dollar home. We are talking to David Maurer from Green Zero Energy, representing the next generation of mobile renewable energy and zero waste. For the people who do not know, who is David Maurer?

David Maurer: I am an entrepreneur, husband, and father. I have an eleven-year-old son, an eight-year-old daughter, and a four-year-old daughter. We live and run our business out of Dayton, Ohio. I started as an entrepreneur about eleven years ago with a company in Los Angeles, and now I am in Ohio.

Embracing Weakness and Overcoming a Stutter

Taryell Simmons: What is beautiful about your story is that despite having a stutter, which many would see as a roadblock, you moved forward and built successful businesses and great relationships. Talk about that journey and what it means to overcome the odds.

David Maurer: Society pushes this agenda where parents look at their children and ask what talents they have and what they excel at, and push them in that direction. If I had only pursued what I excelled at, such as singing, songwriting, and mixing where I do not stutter, I would have missed what I was actually meant to do. Sometimes your weakness reveals who you really are and shows you your purpose. I initially wanted to avoid podcasts, board meetings, and phone calls because of my stutter, but facing that obstacle repeatedly taught me resilience.

David Maurer: When I was in Los Angeles building rockets, we were expanding from seven rockets a year up to one hundred before the pandemic hit. During an early pitch for a major contract, I walked into a meeting with a high-profile client. Because of my stutter, it took me a minute and a half just to say my name. I felt like I had completely failed. But the client stopped me and said that I had kept him on the edge of his seat for thirty minutes because he knew whatever I was saying was important. He awarded us the contract because I was authentic and could not hide behind rehearsed fluency. That taught me that what felt like a handicap actually moved me to the front.

Lessons in Entrepreneurship and Leveraging Local Resources

Taryell Simmons: Hearing how you turned challenges into opportunities is inspiring. What is one of the difficult situations you faced as an entrepreneur, and what did you learn from it?

David Maurer: One major lesson is learning how to leverage excitement. As a visionary, I work backwards from the end goal, but early on I made the common mistake of focusing on the wrong things first, such as designing logos and printing business cards before establishing the foundation. I had to redo everything.

David Maurer: What new entrepreneurs must know is that there are incredible local resources available. Look up local accelerators, incubators, and Small Business Development Centers in your city. Municipalities set aside funding and grants to stimulate local economies that you do not have to pay back. These programs connect you with universities, mentors, and networks that give you years of a head start.

Taryell Simmons: For anyone listening who wants to connect with local resources, check out https://americasbdc.org to find regional incubators, grants, and funding programs.

Business Partnerships and Never Ignoring Problems

David Maurer: Another critical lesson is choosing business partners carefully. In the excitement of starting a business, you share ideas with people, but you only discover who someone truly is when money and legal responsibilities are involved. I once partnered with someone who expected to only contribute ideas while leaving all the execution to me. A business partnership is like a marriage; you inherit each other's habits and liabilities. Put legal agreements and clear roles in place early.

David Maurer: An eighty-year-old multimillionaire mentor once shared a rule with me that I will never forget: never ignore the thing you do not want to look at. He had lost everything and fallen millions into debt earlier in his career because he ignored a glaring problem. Facing uncomfortable truths immediately prevents them from destroying your business later.

Problem-Solving Mindset and Innovation

Taryell Simmons: You have founded eight companies. How do you generate business ideas and develop solutions?

David Maurer: I often receive solutions to complex problems in my sleep. I wake up, write them down, and implement them. Growing up in a tough neighborhood raised by a single mother, we had very little, so I had to learn resourcefulness early. Once, when a pipe burst in our crawl space, my mother told me to fix it. I crawled under the house with a headlamp and rigged a temporary fix using whatever materials I could find before getting proper parts. That necessity shaped my mindset: I do not just brainstorm; I actively build, test, and solve real problems.

The Value of Reputation: Opening a Business with No Money

David Maurer: I am currently writing a book titled It Starts With You, focusing on how to start a business with no money by leveraging your reputation. Many people believe funding is the only prerequisite to launching, but your personal credibility carries immense monetary value.

David Maurer: For example, if you need a warehouse, a truck, and a forklift, that equipment could easily cost thousands of dollars each month. If you have built a stellar reputation for integrity and work ethic, an associate might introduce you to a facility owner willing to let you use spare space and equipment until you generate revenue. That trust directly substitutes for upfront capital. How you carry yourself, your manners, and your dedication create tangible opportunities.

Top Five Entrepreneurs to Meet

Taryell Simmons: If you could meet any entrepreneur, living or dead, who would be in your top five?

David Maurer: My number one is Shaquille O'Neal because of his transition from athletics into a diverse business empire. Second is Daymond John of FUBU and Shark Tank; when we spoke via video, he encouraged me that my track record in aerospace proves I can overcome any pitching obstacle. Third is Glyn Gonzalez, CEO of Jet It, who has broken barriers in private aviation leasing. Fourth is Elon Musk for his innovative engineering vision. Fifth is Jeff Bezos, specifically for his insight that creating new growth often requires retiring older ventures at their peak.

First Jobs and the Work Ethic of Hard Labor

Taryell Simmons: Many young people expect instant success. What was your very first job, and what did it teach you?

David Maurer: Right out of high school, I worked in heavy concrete construction, pouring foundations for silos and walls. We worked grueling hours starting at four in the morning, lifting eighty-pound concrete forms out of trenches. That intensive labor taught me the value of being the hardest worker on the job. Later in my career as a supervisor and manager, it shaped my leadership style to lead by example on the front lines rather than managing from behind a desk.

Networking in Aviation and Renewable Energy

David Maurer: In specialized industries like aerospace and renewable energy, success depends heavily on networking and genuine enthusiasm. You cannot simply view it as a nine-to-five; you must immerse yourself, study the technical manuals, and build meaningful relationships across the field.

David Maurer: There is currently an immense workforce shortage in aviation for pilots and certified mechanics. We need greater diversity and representation in both aviation and clean energy so our communities are actively participating in leadership, innovation, and policy decisions.

Green Zero Energy and Future Projects

David Maurer: At Green Zero Energy, we developed a zero-emission mobile generator that runs on virtually any fuel, from hydrogen and liquid fuels to wood and biomass waste. Our models scale from five-kilowatt portable units to five-megawatt industrial systems capable of powering five thousand homes.

David Maurer: We just secured initial investment and are launching a public equity crowdfunding campaign on WeFunder in mid-February, allowing anyone to invest starting at one hundred dollars. We are also building our working prototype for an April reveal event in Dayton, Ohio. You can learn more at https://greenzeroenergy.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Taryell Simmons: Thank you, David, for sharing your wisdom and inspiring our audience. Check out the links in the show notes, support Green Zero Energy, and we will see everyone next time on Rise Urban Nation!