Our story

Nacho ordinary consultants

Jacy and Zack met in 2010, in an Entrepreneurship MBA program where they discovered they had complementary skill sets and work styles. In grad school, they co-founded their first company which they eventually sold to a competitor.

Over the years, Jacy and Zack have started and helped run various early-stage companies and small businesses. As founders and early hires, they have worked across nearly all functions, including finance, sales, product, operations, marketing, and customer support. They have a strong understanding of how these functions work together and both believe the most critical factor of a company’s success (or failure) is the strength of its customer experience and sales processes.

In 2024, Jacy and Zack decided to combine their strengths and launch Nacho—a boutique consulting firm that puts the customer at the center of business growth.

Jacy and Zack both love happy hours, helping others, and working on businesses of their own. Also, they’re married.

JACY CRUZ

Call Jacy in queso emergency

Jacy Cruz began her career in risk-averse industries but caught the entrepreneurship bug when she realized helping founders execute their ideas was a lot more exciting and worth taking some risks. She spent the past 12 years working with startups, accelerators, and investors, developing expertise in customer experience, marketing, finance, and operations.

Jacy is passionate about creating exceptional employee and customer experiences. She believes having happy team members leads to happy clients. She loves finding opportunities for automation and optimization, but will always prioritize experience over efficiency.

Jacy is happiest when working alongside talented, driven leaders who have a vision but recognize that they need support. She likes to say that if a vision includes an idea (A) and the end goal (Z), she’s excited by all the letters in between.

Jacy is a native Texan, who loves living in Austin and being near her family. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and earned an Entrepreneurship MBA from the University of Louisville.

Jacy enjoys spending time with friends, cheering on and learning about the newest trends from her nieces, rewatching comfort shows, and explaining why not all nachos are created equal.

ZACK PENNINGTON

A Zack of all trades

Zack is an entrepreneur and early-stage executive who has founded, run, and sold multiple businesses. He’s worked across a wide set of industries and business models, from agriculture to software, from consumer products to business services, from finance to entertainment. This diverse collection of experiences has given him insight into different paths to success. The one thread that ties it all together is Zack’s equal passion for people and creating things.

Zack’s mission is to help others turn their ideas into sustainable, impactful businesses through his unique blend of strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, judgment-free attitude, and a genuine desire to see others succeed.

In addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Zack has been a mentor and advisor for the past decade. He is driven by a deep commitment to community-building. He’s not only built successful businesses but also developed products and experiences that bring people together and leave a lasting impact.

Zack grew up in Cincinnati, OH. He graduated from the University of Louisville with a BA in Communications, a French Minor, and an Entrepreneurship MBA. He moved from Louisville, KY to Austin, TX in 2019 and has come to understand Texas’s obsession with barbecue.

In his free time, you can find Zack writing, performing, or consuming music, watching standup, playing card games, or escaping the Texas heat in a nearby lake or pool.

Reach out

Did we just become best friends?

If you’ve read this far and don’t think we’re cool enough to be your consultants, I don’t know what else to say. Hopefully, you’re eager to work with us. Let’s make it happen!