The Faith Behind Rise48 Equity - Zach Haptonstall's Journey
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Episode Description
On this episode of the On The Rise Podcast's Faith Driven Leaders series, host Nick Stromwall sits down with Zach, founder and CEO of Rise 48 Equity, for the story behind the company. Zach shares how he walked away from a $200K job in 2018 with no roadmap, lost his identity, and was drawn back to his faith through adversity and his now-wife Grace. He opens up about his daily prayer of gratitude and surrender, the "warrior" mindset that shapes how he leads, the company's five core values, and why he believes suffering is beautiful. He also talks candidly about facing public criticism and what God is teaching him right now. A raw, faith-centered look at building through hardship.
Summary
He left security with no roadmap.
After a journalism degree and a burnout-inducing healthcare marketing career, Zach quit his $200K job in early 2018 with about $300K he'd saved following the Dave Ramsey plan. He went from knowing exactly how to succeed to waking up not knowing what to do — and felt like a loser.
Identity shouldn't be tied to a job.
Introducing himself as a "real estate investor" who owned no real estate crushed his confidence, but it taught him his identity was wrongly anchored to an occupation. The adversity of dwindling savings and cold-call rejection ultimately drove him closer to God.
A daily prayer of gratitude and surrender.
Every morning Zach starts with gratitude — for his health, his wife, his two boys — then surrenders his burdens: "Lord, it's in your hands." Grounding himself in faith and family makes him feel like he's "playing with house money," free to perform because he has nothing to lose.
Faith as a "warrior," not a saint.
Zach describes himself as rough around the edges — not the ideal Christian or a natural evangelist — with a one-on-one relationship with God. He feels molded into "God's warrior," shaped through adversity to carry pressure others can't for a larger purpose.
Five core values define who belongs.
Rise 48's values — team before me, hungry for growth, relentless attack mode, not afraid to fail, and results over politics — were written to clarify not just what the company does, but who it won't hire or keep. Standards, Zach argues, deteriorate as companies grow unless values are explicit.
Suffering is beautiful.
Zach reframes hardship as the point, not the obstacle. He tells his team that "trust fund babies" with no challenges are miserable; going through adversity together and overcoming it is the most fulfilling, beautiful part of the journey.
Fear no man.
When a real estate tabloid published a damaging article and anonymous trolls hurled accusations, Zach learned to lean on his faith — "why do I care what these people think? What matters is what God thinks." Over time criticism became fuel: "thanks for the fuel, I was getting complacent."
Built with Grace, and money is just a scoreboard.
His wife Grace brought him back to church and laid the foundation of the company's marketing before stepping back to raise their boys. Zach is blunt that becoming a young multimillionaire didn't fulfill him — money is a scoreboard, and grace and humility matter more.
Resources
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-haptonstall/
Website: www.Rise48equity.com
