We just got back from our annual summer trip back home... And I'm crafting some more detailed posts about what we specifically did, but we had a great trip. But imma be honest... I spent a lot of time scrolling videos on my phone... Especially towards the end of our trip when I had more free time. That's me in the picture above, in my long sleeve shirt with my Casio calculator watch and my chocolate milk, scrolling to my heart's content... Man, I love stock photos... Obviously that's not me...
YouTube, Ticky-tok (which I don't really use), and Facebook video/Instagram Reels can really be a time-suck. (Or a welcome distraction, depending on your perspective.) The algorithms feed me a healthy diet of dogs doing funny shit, Texas hold'em poker hands, SB Mowing yard cleanups, and Matt Rife standup comedy videos. But because they know me better than I know me, the algo dished up a video by "Cast Iron Chris" showing a cast iron pan restoration. That's all it took for me to take a hard right turn and go deep down the rabbit hole of cast iron restorations.
Hours. I consumed literally hours of videos on the subject. I feel like an expert. I would certainly pass Cast Iron 101 if you put the final exam in front of me. But let's be honest, I'm not an expert yet. But what I lack in expertise I make up with blind ambition and extreme Google-fu skills. This gave me an idea for a little side hustle...
I write about it more in detail here but TLDR, I came up with the idea for Zeeswax after a frustrating Amazon shopping session. Zeeswax is a compound for maintaining and seasoning cast iron and carbon steel cookware. I'm really excited about this little project and I've already had people reach out to me to help with their cast iron problems and projects. I registered a domain and Instagram handle, I'm working on packaging designs, and I really can't wait to show you more. It takes a lot to bring a product to market like this and I'm not even off the ground yet! In the meantime, feel free to reach out with your Cast Iron Conundrums and check out Zeeswax.com.