The Team

Zak Kraft - Founder

I am not sure when my fascination with motivation began, however, I know I gave a speech when I was thirteen years old on the concept of “delayed gratification”.  It was about making the hard choices in the moment so that life would be more enjoyable in the long run.  In this case, it meant completing my homework immediately after school so that I would have the rest of the afternoon free.

In 2008, I combined my experience in entrepreneurship, direct sales, personal coaching, and standardized test prep and founded Education4Life, Inc. as well as its business coaching and training division, Growthtopia.

My experience enabled me to gain many skills which have translated into  helping others with planning and goal setting, strategy, and execution.

At a young age, I had the opportunity to develop sales, marketing, and strategy skills. I started in direct sales at 17 years old, opened my own summer sales office at 19 years old, and was in charge of the Southern Maine territory for a company starting at 21 years old.

I have been the Sales Manager of a direct sales office and helped lead over 200 sales representatives to record-breaking summer sales in excess of $775,000.

At the peak of my office in Southern Maine, I was managing 4 receptionists, 3 assistant managers, and over 70 sales representatives and selling $500,000 per year. I was developing and executing print and college campus advertising strategies as well as a weekly sales meeting and training system.

My mission with Growthtopia is to help others, specifically fellow entrepreneurs, become the best versions of themselves by "Growing People and Their Companies."

In my spare time, I enjoy golfing, watching the Boston sports teams win, and having the freedom to explore entrepreneurial opportunities that come my way. My entrepreneurial spirit has me convinced that I will be a serial entrepreneur.

Chris Henry, LCSW - Guest Presenter/Facilitator

Christopher Henry is Director of Player Development for the National Football League. His role is to ensure the successful transition of NFL players into and out of professional football by administering a continuum of programs and services designed to assist active and practice squad players to succeed in their lives off-the-field. The programs address an array of off-the-field issues including, but not limited to, degree completion, internships, counseling and financial education. He received his Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Southern California (USC) and is a licensed psychotherapist.

Prior to joining the NFL, Christopher Henry worked as a senior consultant with Spencer, Shenk, Capers & Associates, Inc., a behavioral consulting corporation established in 1978. Chris consulted around research-based models and provided leadership and communication training, executive coaching, candidate selection interviewing, and meeting facilitation. Working with publicly and privately held companies, his work focused on maximizing leadership capabilities to improve business performance.

After graduating from Skidmore College in 1991 with a BA in Political Science, he worked in Washington, D.C. for a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Chris was responsible for the Congressman’s legislative work on the Small Business Committee while maintaining oversight of several other issue areas. He was instrumental in developing a One-Stop Capital Shop in Queens, N.Y., which assists small business owners in developing and sustaining successful entrepreneurial ventures to spur economic growth in underserved communities.

In addition, Chris worked at the American Rehabilitation Association in Washington, D.C. where he constructed a team of rehabilitation executives, patients, family members and community activists to advocate on behalf of the association’s mission on the state and federal level. He also served as the sole intermediary between 30 member state associations and the national association.

Chris also spent a year at the Dow Jones Investor Network (DJIN) working with the West Coast Bureau Chief to track, research and analyze the earnings of technology, entertainment and gaming companies.