Episode 20: Jessica Zouaoui, Oakwell Beer Spa

Jessica Zouaoui started out with a one dream: quit her corporate job, travel the world, and open a small business when she returned. Then she met Damien. Nine months later they were married — and their individual dreams had become one joint plan.They quit their jobs and bought one-way tickets to travel the world with the goal of finding a business idea worth bringing back to the United States. Over 14 months and 25 countries, they visited hedgehog cafes in Japan, went Mario Kart racing through the streets of Tokyo, and soaked in wine spas in France — until a rainy day in Zakopane, Poland changed everything.A beer spa. It checked every box: novel, scalable, hospitable, and achievable without outside investors. They spent the back half of their trip visiting onsens in Japan and jjimjilbangs in South Korea, refining their concept and writing a full business plan from hostel common rooms in Australia. Then they flew directly to Denver — a city neither of them had ever visited — and started knocking on doors.In this episode, Jessica talks about how she and Damien evaluated business ideas on the road, how they secured funding through an unexpected city program, and what it actually took to get a landlord to rent to a beer spa.🔗 Read the article + subscribe to the weekly newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com🍺 Learn more about Oakwell Beer Spa: https://oakwell.com/