Stay Thirsty
A Serial Entrepreneur’s Tale of Success & Failure
By Mark Haertzen with Mike E. Brown,
ISBN 9781938462849 (eBook)
ISBN 9781938462856 (Audiobook)
About the authors:
Mark Haertzen
Mark Haertzen is a native of Lexington, Kentucky and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. During his 60-year entrepreneurial journey, Haertzen conceived more than fifty businesses, inventions, concepts, and charitable endeavors, some of which ended well and others that didn’t.
They include a drive-thru coffee shop, marketing service, real estate brokerage firm, residential subdivision, technology company, appliance manufacturer, line of cocktail mixes, board game, and a chain of self-storage facilities. Rocket Man, Inc. was his most significant venture and Stay Thirsty is his most recent endeavor.
When Haertzen isn’t writing or working on his next business venture, he enjoys playing poker, boating, and sitting on the beach. Mark lives with his wife, Debbie, in LaGrange, Kentucky. They have two grown sons and a granddaughter.
Mike E. Brown
Mike E. Brown, (a.k.a. Browny), a freelance writer in Louisville, KY, helped Mark write this book. Brown has won numerous awards, including more than 80 ADDY’s during his diverse career. As a contributor to Stay Thirsty, Mike brought his own passion for entrepreneurship to the project.
About the book:
The business section of any bookstore is full of biographies that celebrate celebrity billionaires and superstar CEOs. While such stories can be motivational, they tend to gloss over the gritty details and therefore are not all that relatable or useful to the everyday businessperson. Mark Haertzen’s memoir is different. Think of Mark as the serial entrepreneur next door — an ordinary guy who, by most standards, achieved extraordinary success — which is what makes his story so interesting, relevant, and practical.
Stay Thirsty chronicles Mark’s 60-year entrepreneurial journey, which began at the age of 6, with refreshing honesty and humility. His most significant venture, Rocket Man, serves as the primary case study for his thoughts and reflections. He covers the company’s 31-year lifecycle in vivid, sometimes painful detail — from a startup launched with a prototype he built in his garage to a global manufacturer and exporter of beverage dispensing equipment with sales in 65 countries.
Mark then recounts the company’s bold, strategic pivot to become a leading provider of walking vendors for the stadium foodservice industry, hawking beer and other drinks at 75 venues from Delaware to California— including appearances at the NCAA Final Four, World Series and multiple Super Bowls, and Kentucky Derbies.
Few memoirs give such a raw, unfiltered account of the risks and struggles involved in building businesses and the impact they have on one’s life and family. Mark describes not only his biggest wins, but also the gut-wrenching failures and insecurities he overcame to achieve them in a decades-long transformation from an impulsive and instinct-driven “born” entrepreneur into a logical, data-driven business leader. He also explores the important role mentors and partners played in his accomplishments, reinforcing his belief that entrepreneurship is a team sport. Full of instructive insights, Stay Thirsty is both a celebration of entrepreneurial ambition and a call to accept the risk, take the plunge, and write your own story.
Pre-Launch Book Review:
In the crowded landscape of business literature, it is rare to find a narrative that balances the cold metrics of scaling a company with the warm, often messy reality of a life lived in pursuit of a dream. Mark Haertzen’s memoir, "Stay Thirsty: A Serial Entrepreneur’s Tale of Success & Failure," manages this balance with remarkable transparency. It is an insightful plain-spoken account of what it takes to survive sixty years in the "entrepreneurial trenches."
The book’s strength lies in its chronological depth. Haertzen’s early ventures begin in Louisville, KY—charging tolls to fairgoers and selling cinnamon toothpicks—serve as the perfect "origin story" for a serial entrepreneur. These anecdotes illustrate a fundamental thesis: entrepreneurship is often a temperament before it is a career.
The narrative hits its stride when Haertzen takes the ultimate leap at age thirty-two, leaving the security of the banking industry to launch Rocket Man Inc. Readers are given a front-row seat to the evolution of a company that became a staple at iconic events like the Super Bowl and the Kentucky Derby. Haertzen’s description of managing walking vendors at high-stakes venues provides a fascinating look at the logistical "chaos" behind major entertainment spectacles.
What elevates “Stay Thirsty” above a standard corporate history is Haertzen’s willingness to turn the lens inward. He explores how a childhood shaped by his father’s frugality fueled a complex relationship with wealth and self-esteem.
By sharing his insecurities, Haertzen dismantles the myth of the "bulletproof" CEO. He shows that the drive to succeed is often rooted in personal history, and that overcoming internal obstacles is just as critical as overcoming market fluctuations. This "unfiltered" approach makes the author a relatable mentor rather than a distant figurehead.
Throughout the book, Haertzen distills his experiences into what he calls "Rocket Wisdom." These axioms act as pragmatic anchor points for the reader, focusing on: 1) Perseverance: The necessity of staying in the game when things look bleak; 2) Adaptability: Transitioning from an instinct-led "born" entrepreneur to a data-driven leader; and 3) The Utility of Failure: Reinterpreting losses as tuition for future success.
The book’s core argument is clear: Persistence is the primary currency of the entrepreneur. Haertzen provides ample evidence for this through the 31-year lifecycle of Rocket Man Inc., proving that longevity is the result of continuous evolution rather than a single "big break."
“Stay Thirsty” is an inspiring and instructive read that replaces corporate jargon with honest storytelling. Mark Haertzen doesn't just tell you how to build a business; he tells you how to survive the process of building one. It is a testament to the fact that while success is the goal, the "thirst"—the relentless drive to improve and adapt—is the true reward. Perfect read for aspiring entrepreneurs, business students, or anyone who enjoys an underdog story about the American Dream.
—Printed Word Reviews, Ted Olczak
Entrepreneur Haertzen details career choices and offers life lessons." — KIRKUS REVIEWS
READ FULL REVIEW
Recalling decades of gritty entrepreneurial efforts, the edifying memoir Stay Thirsty models embracing failure to attaining sucess through consistent hard work. —Willem Marx, FOREWORD REVIEWS
READ FULL REVIEW
"This book matters right now because it addresses directly what business owners are facing, from rising insurance costs to contract terms that change liability, along with disruptions like COVID that shut revenue down overnight." —Jamie Michele, Readers' Favorite 5-Star
Awards and Publicity:
