Meet Our Member: John Magill
The meet our member series introduces some of our members at The View. This time we meet John Magill from Zaprite.
Can you tell us about your work, what you do, and how you came to be?
I’m the Founder and CEO of a bitcoin payments company based in Austin, Texas. I started Zaprite based on a need that I personally had. Back in 2019 I was living in Canada, working as a freelance UI/UX designer and getting paid in bitcoin. I needed a proper invoicing platform to take bitcoin payments but none existed, so I built one. I moved from Whistler to Austin in 2021 to launch the startup and continue to build the business.
Today, Zaprite has grown significantly and is much more than an invoicing platform. We offer a full suite of merchant tools such as Billing, Payment Links, POS, Checkouts and an API/Webhook service—everything a business needs to start accepting bitcoin payments from their customers.
What has your co-working experience been like?
I’m very much a social person and prefer to work in a professional environment that fosters interaction. I’ve recently moved back to Ireland after living abroad for 14 years and the first thing I did was Google ‘co-working spaces.’ The View is an amazing space and I’ve met some great locals and entrepreneurs during my time here. It's nice to be able to grab a coffee and catch up in the social spaces. The location is unbeatable.
What keeps you well?
Mountain biking and skiing are my main activities, though it happens less than I'd like these days. I do try to at least get a walk in as often as I can. My focus has definitely shifted to healthier eating nowadays too.
Education is also a key driver in keeping me sane in this increasingly crazy world. Modern society can sometimes feel like a hopeless rat race. But it's good to keep things in perspective. Continuing to educate myself helps me to stay focused and driven.
And… getting off social media! I deleted my social media accounts years ago and it was probably one of the best health and wellness decisions I ever made.
What's the best career advice you've received?
Being a first-time founder I was completely blind starting out. I thought I had to keep my cards close to my chest and "protect" my startup. Some of the best advice I got was to embrace the community and lean on other people. Don't see asking for help as a weakness. I had a strong community of like-minded entrepreneurs around me in Austin to keep me focused and my startup benefited greatly from that..
If I could give any advice myself it would be to get out and get involved. We live in an increasingly isolated and online world but nothing can replace in-person interactions. Community is the lifeblood of creativity and progress.
What's your favourite book/series/film and why?
The Bitcoin Standard, by Saifedean Ammous is a must-read. We're living through unprecedented times right now, where every nation state and central bank is financially broke. Money itself has been broken for decades. This book was a real eye-opener for me throughout my bitcoin journey. You have to recognize a problem before you can understand the solution. This book helped me frame a problem I didn't know existed.
What does the future of work look like for you?
After years of travelling, I'm looking forward to putting down roots here in Ireland again. While I still do travel a lot for work, I need a flexible base to work from and The View ticks all the right boxes.
I'm extremely excited about what's happening in the bitcoin space. We are still very early and every day presents new challenges and opportunities. But it’s very easy to stay motivated when you’re doing something you’re passionate about. Fix the money, fix the world!
For more information on John & Zaprite visit Zaprite.