2006
A foundation in UI/UX
I began studying UI and UX in 2006, learning how design, usability, information structure, and technology work together to create experiences people can understand and use.
Zac Garner
Independent builder, business owner, and software inventor. I began studying UI/UX in 2006 and have spent approximately 20 years building businesses, websites, software, and digital products outside the traditional path.
My work has been shaped by real ownership—serving customers, making sales, hiring employees, managing daily operations, working with development teams, and learning how much research and understanding are required before making important decisions.
This is a living timeline of the experiences, businesses, lessons, and ideas that shaped what I'm building now.
1 / 12Design foundation
Around 2011(approx.)
Building my first website
One of my earliest websites was RentalDomains.com, a project centered on buying, selling, and renting domain names. It was an early step into building ideas for the internet instead of only thinking about them.
2013
Starting Souzza
Souzza began in 2013. It became the place where I learned business through direct responsibility rather than theory—working with customers, products, expenses, daily decisions, and the constant need to adapt.
2013
The first sale and first employee
Souzza also brought two major firsts: my first sale and my first employee. Those moments changed the responsibility from building an idea for myself into operating something that affected customers, employees, and other people every day.
A lasting lesson
Understanding how much I didn't know
One of the most important things I learned was how little I knew compared with the amount of knowledge available in the world. Real understanding often begins when you recognize what you do not know.
Research before commitment
Understanding before deciding
Before deciding whether to pursue an idea, industry, technology, or opportunity, I learned to research it deeply enough to understand what it truly requires. You often cannot know whether you want to do something until you understand the work, risks, limitations, and possibilities behind it.
Retail & operations
Learning through real operations
Running Souzza gave me direct experience with customers, employees, inventory, promotions, compliance, technology, daily operations, and the realities of keeping a business working when the responsibility ultimately belongs to you.
A major technical turning point
Building VIN.org with a development team
VIN.org became my first major experience hiring and working with a development team. It was one of the hardest things I had ever done on the technology side and taught me major lessons about communication, planning, specifications, quality control, technical decisions, and maintaining ownership of a product while other people help build it.
Product development
Turning problems into software
Over time, I began translating problems I encountered in business and everyday life into focused software, tools, and platforms designed to be practical, understandable, and useful.
Public software
Launching MasterTyper
MasterTyper brought together product design, multilingual typing tools, subscriptions, user progress, competition, search visibility, and the challenge of building a real consumer software product for the public.
A growing portfolio
Expanding across industries
My work now spans business operations, typing, vehicle information, gaming, search intelligence, skincare, investing, retail, charity, and consumer utilities. Each project is different, but the underlying goal remains the same: understand the problem and build something useful.
Now
Building for long-term value
I'm continuing to build independent businesses and products with an emphasis on usefulness, transparency, research, clear execution, and creating value that can last without relying on hype.
- 2006
A foundation in UI/UX
I began studying UI and UX in 2006, learning how design, usability, information structure, and technology work together to create experiences people can understand and use.
- Around 2011(approx.)
Building my first website
One of my earliest websites was RentalDomains.com, a project centered on buying, selling, and renting domain names. It was an early step into building ideas for the internet instead of only thinking about them.
- 2013
Starting Souzza
Souzza began in 2013. It became the place where I learned business through direct responsibility rather than theory—working with customers, products, expenses, daily decisions, and the constant need to adapt.
- 2013
The first sale and first employee
Souzza also brought two major firsts: my first sale and my first employee. Those moments changed the responsibility from building an idea for myself into operating something that affected customers, employees, and other people every day.
- A lasting lesson
Understanding how much I didn't know
One of the most important things I learned was how little I knew compared with the amount of knowledge available in the world. Real understanding often begins when you recognize what you do not know.
- Research before commitment
Understanding before deciding
Before deciding whether to pursue an idea, industry, technology, or opportunity, I learned to research it deeply enough to understand what it truly requires. You often cannot know whether you want to do something until you understand the work, risks, limitations, and possibilities behind it.
- Retail & operations
Learning through real operations
Running Souzza gave me direct experience with customers, employees, inventory, promotions, compliance, technology, daily operations, and the realities of keeping a business working when the responsibility ultimately belongs to you.
- A major technical turning point
Building VIN.org with a development team
VIN.org became my first major experience hiring and working with a development team. It was one of the hardest things I had ever done on the technology side and taught me major lessons about communication, planning, specifications, quality control, technical decisions, and maintaining ownership of a product while other people help build it.
- Product development
Turning problems into software
Over time, I began translating problems I encountered in business and everyday life into focused software, tools, and platforms designed to be practical, understandable, and useful.
- Public software
Launching MasterTyper
MasterTyper brought together product design, multilingual typing tools, subscriptions, user progress, competition, search visibility, and the challenge of building a real consumer software product for the public.
- A growing portfolio
Expanding across industries
My work now spans business operations, typing, vehicle information, gaming, search intelligence, skincare, investing, retail, charity, and consumer utilities. Each project is different, but the underlying goal remains the same: understand the problem and build something useful.
- Now
Building for long-term value
I'm continuing to build independent businesses and products with an emphasis on usefulness, transparency, research, clear execution, and creating value that can last without relying on hype.
Have a reason to reach out? Contact Zac.