November 21, 2023 • 22 mins
What if the key to successful business expansion is not just about transactions but building authentic relationships within the community?
Our guest today, Matt Eickman, CEO of Abracadabra Wildlife and Pest Control, shares how he grows his business into different territories by being genuinely present and supportive in the community. He believes in the power of replicating success models and has utilized innovative strategies, such as launching a podcast to highlight local businesses, to foster growth.
Moving beyond business strategies, we also dive deep into the essence of entrepreneurship – authenticity and vulnerability. Matt Eickman shares his insights on the importance of staying true to oneself and creating a personal space in the business world.
His motivations behind starting a podcast and blog to inspire others on their business journey are a testament to his commitment towards fostering a community of authentic and passionate entrepreneurs.
This episode concludes with an enriching discussion on the profound impact of human connection and how it fuels our passions. Join us as we explore these fascinating insights with Matt Eickmann!
Be sure to take a look at his Thought Leader Blog.
Learn more at https://www.tonkatalk.com where we share more about our Lake Minnetonka community, including upcoming events and our take on local experiences.
Connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TonkaTalk/
If you have feedback, questions, or suggestions of a future guests creating community and connection, email natalie@tonkatalk.com
We appreciate your support in sharing Tonka Talk Community and Connection with someone you think could benefit from our content.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
I'm sure you've moved before moved into a new area,
moved into a new community.
You've either done it as anindividual with a family or
maybe as a business owner.
Some of you might remember MattEichmann, who's been on
TonkaTalk before.
Hello, matt.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
How's it going, natalie?
Thanks for having me OnTonkaTalk.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
we talk about the ways people create community and
connection and Matt does thatreally well, despite his shy
demeanor and his quiet voice.
Super shy, super shy, super shy.
Matt is the CEO of AbracadabraWildlife and Pest Control and he
hosts a new podcast that'sabout to launch and it's called
(00:41):
Homegrown Hustle.
Now the the Malidin there aboutmoving.
So Matt's business is in theLake Minnetonka area, which is
where TonkaTalk lives.
You expanded your business intoanother community and you're
kind of really getting thingsgoing there and I wanted to talk
(01:03):
about because around hereyou're dialed in Matt.
He's involved with the chambers, you do some different
networking groups and hiscompany also hosts Princess
Party Pals.
They did this this last summerwhere people got to come with
their kids and spend time withthese princesses, princesses.
I was not the princess, youwere not the princess, although
(01:24):
I think more people would comeif you were.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Alright, we'll think about that for next year.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
But he does a lot.
Point being around thecommunity.
But you've been in this areafor a while and lived here, but
now you're creating somethingnew or in a new area same
business.
How do you do that?
Because around here, like Isaid, you've been around for a
long time.
How you've lived in the area,worked in the area, how do you
(01:50):
do this in an entirely newcommunity?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
So that's a really big question.
So let me unpack it a littlebit.
So first of all, thanks for thekind words.
So it's like a little bit toomuch for me.
I appreciate your kindnessthere.
It just kind of comes naturallyfor us.
It's kind of how I was raisedto just care about people.
So community is really whatdrives a lot of my personal
(02:17):
direction.
But because I'm a businessowner I get to have a little bit
more impact and I think that'spretty cool.
So it's taken a while to reallygrow and get to the point where
we're at.
But a few years ago we reallyhad to sit back and look at our
strategy for growth as a companyand really create some vision
so that we can create direction.
And we were looking at justwhat gave us the best output
(02:43):
from a growth standpoint.
And when we moved into ourfirst location in Mound it
really kind of shorted up somerelationships that we had.
It established a level ofpermanence almost and really
just became a place that nowpeople are starting to identify
with being part of Mound.
So after kind of coming to thatepiphany we just realized if we
(03:09):
want to grow in othercommunities and expand being on
the west side of Lake Minnetonkahas some limitations, but what
we really care about is theconnection and really becoming
more than just a transactionalbusiness with the community.
We got to be there.
You have to actually be there.
You can't just want to be partof a community when you're
(03:33):
present, just like presence andproximity goes a long way.
So we set a direction wherewe're looking to expand into
additional submarkets to theTwin Cities.
Forest Lake is where we foundour second location and really
got lucky with kind of thetrajectory of the real estate
market and just how everythingwas going, but moved into a
(03:54):
great location very similar towhat we have going on over here
in Mound, and then I sat for alittle while because it was a
little further away than Ithought at first, so had to
learn through some of thosethings and really get somebody
to be out there.
So since we first opened thatabout a year ago we've also
(04:16):
added a third location inNortheast Minneapolis and it
really just kind of replicatingthat model of finding a
neighborhood community where wecan be present in it and be
present and then the next stepwould be networking, finding the
connections and the peoplewithin that sub-community and
just establishing authenticrelationships with them, Not
(04:37):
about a transaction, but reallyabout trying to understand the
community, Because each one,although we're all in Minnesota,
we're all in the Midwest,they're different and that's how
it works.
Um yeah, we've kind of justtaken a, really it's a big step
to.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
When you talk about expanding your business, and
what I'm hearing you say is it'sthat showing up not just show
up and open your business, butwhat's already going on in that
community.
You've done this thought leaderblog through Abra Kedabra on
your website, where you havefeatured and highlighted
different people in thecommunity and what they're doing
(05:17):
and what they're up to.
Is that something that you'redoing also at the different
locations?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, so that's a great question.
So we've been doing the thoughtleadership in kind of a blog
form for about two years now andwe've interviewed almost a
hundred small business owners orlocal thought leaders in their
different areas and we wanted tokind of replicate a similar
(05:45):
type of growth and depth ofunderstanding for the local
business market.
But we didn't want to haveredundancies in our business.
So we actually took that samekind of thread and we're
launching a podcast in Decemberwhere it's really focused on
local business and obviouslyit's not going to be specific to
the forest area.
(06:05):
But that's where it's starting,because when we have
conversations I just want to beable to take that and try to
help people shine with it alittle bit.
So how much of a unicorn theyare sometimes running a business
is very, very difficult andsometimes talking about it and
then hearing yourself and seeingyourself talk about it, it goes
(06:28):
a long way for how people feelabout themselves and in their
business and I think it'sempowering and it's really
inspirational for me.
I love business, I love seeingpeople grow their business and
I'm passionate about helpingpeople kind of work through
those things, because I've comea long way and I still have a
long way to go.
But when you have a communityof business owners with similar
(06:51):
experiences now you got support,now you have more ideas, now
you have like experiences, allthose things when you haven't
done it, all that uncertaintymakes decisions very difficult
and that doesn't move the needlefor a business.
So just a little bit ofselfishness for me, because I
(07:12):
love learning from otherbusiness owners, but also I like
how it makes people feel andit's cool to kind of snowball
that idea and see what type ofcommunity we can create around
being a business owner.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, and it's really nice.
What I like about your ThoughtLeader blog and going into doing
Homegrown Hustle the podcastthat's going to come out is the
way that you showcase and shareabout these business owners.
You get to know more who theyare.
It's not just about thebusiness, because, just like
with Abracadabra, it's wildlifeand pest control.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Very exciting stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, exactly Super sexy.
There's only so much you cantalk about that, but you've
managed to take that and reallymake it part of a community and
build that community.
So when you go into these otherspaces and you replicate those
actions of the Thought Leaderblog and now with the podcast,
it gives people, I think, thisinsight to maybe businesses
(08:12):
they're familiar with or not,but where they really get to
know the business owner or thepeople working there and that
really, in my mind andexperience, strengthens that
relationship between a businessand their customers.
Tell me more about HomegrownHustle, the podcast, which I
can't wait to live them to.
What kind of topics are yougoing to tackle?
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So really the structure around it has a pretty
similar workflow for us to howwe're doing the Thought Leaders,
where we have so much timeallocated to really do this.
We put it out to essentiallyany small business owner that
would want to sign up for it andthen, if they go through the
steps and carve the time out intheir day, we'll talk about
(08:56):
pretty much anything business.
I know the things I love totalk about, but that interview
we really talk about the storyis behind the people similar to
the Thought Leader.
In business, as we're growing,we try to create all these what
our business is supposed to looklike and how we're supposed to
look, because this is ourbusiness, and we start to create
(09:17):
all these layers of what it'ssupposed to look like.
No-transcript.
When we see other businessowners, we don't realize that
they have stuff that's not goingright too, and then, like we
just see like the grass thegrass is greener type of
scenario.
So seeing that other people arehumans and talking about
(09:38):
failures, shortcoming, successesand strategy around that and
then how it impacts, like theirlife, because there's more to,
there's so much more to lifethan working.
I love working, but like I can'tdo it all the time.
So just being able to helpshare that human side and let
(10:00):
people kind of let their guarddown a little bit and realize
how much of a bad ass they are,because business owners are
incredible people.
I mean, in this country, likewe kind of owe it to our country
to be successful, to createmore opportunity for people, and
that's like I believewholeheartedly in that and I
just, yeah, the interestingthing, natalie, is people kind
(10:23):
of when I first started thethought leadership, they like
thought I was working some typeof angle, like almost like I was
a marketing company orsomething right.
I'm just trying to create sometype of conversation and
dialogue that people can likereference for learning materials
and also learn about theircommunity, because it is local
business oriented.
And it took a while for peopleto realize that I don't have an
(10:47):
angle.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
It's not a scam.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
No, like I look like a very scammy guy.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
I'm not, it's just like Well, I'll have to paint
the picture If you're listeningto this on the podcast and not
watching the video.
Matt, what are you in your 30s,early 30s?
Yeah Right, but he's got verylong dreadlocks.
Very handsome man, but doesn'tfit your stereotypical.
I own a business With threelocations.
(11:15):
I'm coming in to do this and, ifyou're familiar with the Lake
Minnetonica community orwherever you live, if there's a
section of your community whereit's a bit more high end the
homes on the lake, it's a higherend, the services that people
provide to shopping and thenMatt shows up.
(11:37):
But you've done an amazing jobof really bridging that gap and
I think that it's important tohave more of that.
Just different types of peoplein business and in my mind I
always look at you and go.
I love the fact that yourepresent business owners who
(11:57):
are in my mind because I'm in my50s, you're so young, you know,
in your early 30s, but goingout, making decisions, expanding
their businesses, working withother people, building community
, making connections, it shows,I think, other people who are
younger and thinking of maybestarting their own business that
they can do it too, and itdoesn't need to be done wearing
(12:19):
a tie or a jacket.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
I mean I like to look nice and wear nice stuff but,
like you said, I have dreadlocksdown in my belt.
I'm a white guy.
It's not like the most normalthing, especially in the Lake
Minnetonica area, and the coolthing about this area and just
community in general is likepeople want to learn about you
and it's just this level ofMinnesota nice.
(12:45):
It's really authentic and kindof taking control.
It took a while when I wasyoung and really getting into
business to like feel like Ibelonged in those business.
Like it was reallyuncomfortable.
Like I kind of love beinguncomfortable because I know
that's the space where there'sroom for growth and change and
(13:07):
improvement.
But it doesn't make it easy towalk into a group of 45 business
people.
You're 22 years old, you gotKredlocks looking like Sideshow
Bob from the Simpsons.
It was like that.
It took a lot for me to learnand realize that these are just
people too and if I actuallywant to make change I can't sit
(13:29):
around and let somebody give mepermission for that.
You got to go like you got todo stuff in business and I'm
just okay with failure, likebecause the biggest failure I
have typically isn't going to bethat big of a failure in
business, like it's just alearning opportunity.
So trying exactly failing likeget to move the needle in a
(13:51):
different direction to learnmore so yeah, it's how it's how
we learn.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
It's how we learn.
We learn through struggles,through failure, through getting
up and trying again and takingthat point of view as business
as you do it and what.
I think that with your podcastthat's coming up and the Thought
Leader blog, it helps kind ofdisarm people and invites them
to share maybe a little bit ofvulnerability and truth when
(14:20):
oftentimes I think, especiallyin business, it's you this
feeling or thought that maybeyou need to constantly maintain
this level of professionalismand perfection.
Not that, not that, but forprofessionalism looks different
to different people and that'swhy I get such a kick out of it.
Like you said, the dreadlocksand everything.
(14:40):
But Matt goes to some of thenicest chamber events the
luncheons.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Why is that a chamber of loves family there?
Speaker 1 (14:48):
That's right, and I think that's such a great
example of how.
It's not about how you look tofit in.
It's about carving out thatspace to fit in.
If there's not an existingspace for you as an individual
or a business owner, my point ofview is then carve it out, find
out what's needed in thecommunity, and that's something
(15:10):
that I think you've done and howyou've been able to expand your
business with homegrown hustlewith the podcast.
What do you hope to achievewith that?
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Just want to help somebody, like it helps somebody
, that's kind of it Becauseyou'll be able to.
Like I said, I don't reallyhave an angle.
I just hope that somebody getsvalue from it Because I know
having resources and a place togo.
Not everyone can go into thosenetworking meetings and interact
(15:42):
with people and create thoselearning opportunities.
Like some people.
That's really really hard forthem but they still have a
business and they need to learnsomehow, and having a resource
that isn't direct humaninteraction, maybe that's the
best way for them to learn andimprove.
I'm like a compulsive networker,like to a fault at times where
I overcommit to things, andthat's something I really had to
regulate as I was growing waslike how do I spend my time?
(16:06):
Who do I take advice from?
Where do I go to learn?
How do I take that and actuallymove the needle in my business?
So really back to your originalquestion.
I just I wanted to help people,hopefully inspire people that
are kind of on that edge ormaybe working through something
difficult.
(16:26):
I'm a resource.
This stuff kind of gets meexcited, so I hope somebody
reaches out to me with some typeof business question.
I'm not an expert, but asounding board is such an
important thing that a lot ofpeople don't have, especially as
a business owner or a parent orany Like.
(16:50):
Life is hard, so havingsomebody to talk to or talk
about it and maybe even ventabout it like that's important.
But business is like people havethis business face that they
have.
Yeah, you can't be vulnerable.
Well, it's like people can feelthat I've found that people,
(17:11):
when they find authenticity,they like gravitate towards it
because they know what to expect.
I mean, that's how my parentsraised me.
I don't know anything elseother than authentic, and I try
to be as polite and nice aspossible to everybody.
But not everybody likes me, andat least I know they don't like
me because of who I am, notbecause of somebody else
(17:32):
pretending to be.
I'm sorry to all those peopleIf anyone out there doesn't like
me, but just like being real issuch a I mean, it's not a
rarity, but like it's nice tofind.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Yeah, and I think when someone, when they can look
and go, okay, well, here's thisguy and he's grown his business
and he's done it.
Done it while being himself,while making mistakes and while
growing from that and, along theway, giving a platform and a
voice to other business owners,and that's one of the things
that I think you might agree.
(18:07):
Business owners are oftensometimes really good at what
they do, really good at the workitself, but not always the best
about marketing or getting theword out about that.
Not everybody likes to talk tothem, talk about themselves.
Not everybody is like me.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
I mean, everybody has their things that they're good
at, right, and then there'sthings that you're not as good
at and there's things thatyou're just terrible at, and a
lot of people myself includedfor quite a while like I would
focus on those things where Iwas coming short.
And in my business, what Irealized is that being perfect
didn't actually move the needle.
It actually kept me in like astagnant place with a lot of
(18:48):
frustration, where, when Idoubled and tripled down on the
stuff that I was really good at,now my output was umpteen times
more than what we would havehad had I spent the same amount
of time, yeah, fixing something.
So knowing, like being humbleenough to know, like you're not
the best, that's what's harderfor a business owner, because
(19:09):
business owners are controlfreaks a lot of times.
They own it all, they'repassionate, it's theirs, they
built it from the ground up.
So letting somebody else havecontrol takes a lot of trust and
that's really hard.
I've gone through that and evenwith my family like my two of
my brothers work with me liketrust is there.
Obviously they're my family,but it's like your baby almost.
(19:31):
So I don't know.
Growing a business is such atransformational thing to go
through because, like thebusiness owner, owners like they
have to reinvent and reimaginethemselves so many times as the
business grows, and when theystop doing that, the business
stops or dies.
(19:51):
One of the two so like that.
That's why I think everyoneshould be a business owner
somehow, or at least like tryWell, that's worse try to be in
control of things around you andlike being in control of your
future, and then it fails and goback to whatever job you're
doing anyway.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Yeah, but that's where the growing happens.
That's where the fun starts, Ithink, is when, in those
challenging moments exactly,it's scary.
And if it's not scary it's notbig enough.
If it were simple, everybodywould be doing it kind of thing.
But there's a lot of growththat can occur and I'm glad that
you're talking about it andcontinuing to do.
(20:31):
Now, go ahead with this podcastand continue with the Thought
Leader series.
I'll share in the show noteswhere you can find the Thought
Leader series and as soon as thepodcast is up, we'll share a
link to that as well and keeptalking about it.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
I have to get you and Kelly and the rest of the Olsen
Global team over there.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Yes, you're right, we'll have to get over there and
get on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yeah, yours is a lot nicer in here than mine.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
But this is not where we started.
I started at my couch.
I mean, this is awesome.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
You ladies are like super inspiring to just see
everything you do, because it'snot easy to do this stuff plus
all the other stuff you gotgoing on.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
This is the fun stuff , but, just like you said, the
stuff getting involved in thecommunity and a passion of mine
is sharing people's stories andwhat they're doing and, for the
same reason, I'm fascinated byhow people connect, what drives
them to do what they're doing,how they ended up becoming so
passionate about a specificthing, and that's what TonkaTalk
is all about how people createcommunity and connection.
(21:35):
So I'm so glad you shared, matt, I'm happy to have you back on
here again.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
And I'm sure we'll-.
Yeah, I appreciate it and allthe kind words.
You're so nice.
I always appreciate our timetogether, yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Good to have you here , and I know we'll have Matt
back again talking aboutdifferent things because again,
he's pretty dialed in thecommunity that I live and work
with, so I can't just help butrun into him.
Thank you, matt and everybodyelse.
I will talk to you later.
I'm sure you've moved before moved into a new area,
moved into a new community.
You've either done it as anindividual with a family or
maybe as a business owner.
Some of you might remember MattEichmann, who's been on
TonkaTalk before.
Hello, matt.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
How's it going, natalie?
Thanks for having me OnTonkaTalk.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
we talk about the ways people create community and
connection and Matt does thatreally well, despite his shy
demeanor and his quiet voice.
Super shy, super shy, super shy.
Matt is the CEO of AbracadabraWildlife and Pest Control and he
hosts a new podcast that'sabout to launch and it's called
(00:41):
Homegrown Hustle.
Now the the Malidin there aboutmoving.
So Matt's business is in theLake Minnetonka area, which is
where TonkaTalk lives.
You expanded your business intoanother community and you're
kind of really getting thingsgoing there and I wanted to talk
(01:03):
about because around hereyou're dialed in Matt.
He's involved with the chambers, you do some different
networking groups and hiscompany also hosts Princess
Party Pals.
They did this this last summerwhere people got to come with
their kids and spend time withthese princesses, princesses.
I was not the princess, youwere not the princess, although
(01:24):
I think more people would comeif you were.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Alright, we'll think about that for next year.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
But he does a lot.
Point being around thecommunity.
But you've been in this areafor a while and lived here, but
now you're creating somethingnew or in a new area same
business.
How do you do that?
Because around here, like Isaid, you've been around for a
long time.
How you've lived in the area,worked in the area, how do you
(01:50):
do this in an entirely newcommunity?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
So that's a really big question.
So let me unpack it a littlebit.
So first of all, thanks for thekind words.
So it's like a little bit toomuch for me.
I appreciate your kindnessthere.
It just kind of comes naturallyfor us.
It's kind of how I was raisedto just care about people.
So community is really whatdrives a lot of my personal
(02:17):
direction.
But because I'm a businessowner I get to have a little bit
more impact and I think that'spretty cool.
So it's taken a while to reallygrow and get to the point where
we're at.
But a few years ago we reallyhad to sit back and look at our
strategy for growth as a companyand really create some vision
so that we can create direction.
And we were looking at justwhat gave us the best output
(02:43):
from a growth standpoint.
And when we moved into ourfirst location in Mound it
really kind of shorted up somerelationships that we had.
It established a level ofpermanence almost and really
just became a place that nowpeople are starting to identify
with being part of Mound.
So after kind of coming to thatepiphany we just realized if we
(03:09):
want to grow in othercommunities and expand being on
the west side of Lake Minnetonkahas some limitations, but what
we really care about is theconnection and really becoming
more than just a transactionalbusiness with the community.
We got to be there.
You have to actually be there.
You can't just want to be partof a community when you're
(03:33):
present, just like presence andproximity goes a long way.
So we set a direction wherewe're looking to expand into
additional submarkets to theTwin Cities.
Forest Lake is where we foundour second location and really
got lucky with kind of thetrajectory of the real estate
market and just how everythingwas going, but moved into a
(03:54):
great location very similar towhat we have going on over here
in Mound, and then I sat for alittle while because it was a
little further away than Ithought at first, so had to
learn through some of thosethings and really get somebody
to be out there.
So since we first opened thatabout a year ago we've also
(04:16):
added a third location inNortheast Minneapolis and it
really just kind of replicatingthat model of finding a
neighborhood community where wecan be present in it and be
present and then the next stepwould be networking, finding the
connections and the peoplewithin that sub-community and
just establishing authenticrelationships with them, Not
(04:37):
about a transaction, but reallyabout trying to understand the
community, Because each one,although we're all in Minnesota,
we're all in the Midwest,they're different and that's how
it works.
Um yeah, we've kind of justtaken a, really it's a big step
to.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
When you talk about expanding your business, and
what I'm hearing you say is it'sthat showing up not just show
up and open your business, butwhat's already going on in that
community.
You've done this thought leaderblog through Abra Kedabra on
your website, where you havefeatured and highlighted
different people in thecommunity and what they're doing
(05:17):
and what they're up to.
Is that something that you'redoing also at the different
locations?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, so that's a great question.
So we've been doing the thoughtleadership in kind of a blog
form for about two years now andwe've interviewed almost a
hundred small business owners orlocal thought leaders in their
different areas and we wanted tokind of replicate a similar
(05:45):
type of growth and depth ofunderstanding for the local
business market.
But we didn't want to haveredundancies in our business.
So we actually took that samekind of thread and we're
launching a podcast in Decemberwhere it's really focused on
local business and obviouslyit's not going to be specific to
the forest area.
(06:05):
But that's where it's starting,because when we have
conversations I just want to beable to take that and try to
help people shine with it alittle bit.
So how much of a unicorn theyare sometimes running a business
is very, very difficult andsometimes talking about it and
then hearing yourself and seeingyourself talk about it, it goes
(06:28):
a long way for how people feelabout themselves and in their
business and I think it'sempowering and it's really
inspirational for me.
I love business, I love seeingpeople grow their business and
I'm passionate about helpingpeople kind of work through
those things, because I've comea long way and I still have a
long way to go.
But when you have a communityof business owners with similar
(06:51):
experiences now you got support,now you have more ideas, now
you have like experiences, allthose things when you haven't
done it, all that uncertaintymakes decisions very difficult
and that doesn't move the needlefor a business.
So just a little bit ofselfishness for me, because I
(07:12):
love learning from otherbusiness owners, but also I like
how it makes people feel andit's cool to kind of snowball
that idea and see what type ofcommunity we can create around
being a business owner.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, and it's really nice.
What I like about your ThoughtLeader blog and going into doing
Homegrown Hustle the podcastthat's going to come out is the
way that you showcase and shareabout these business owners.
You get to know more who theyare.
It's not just about thebusiness, because, just like
with Abracadabra, it's wildlifeand pest control.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Very exciting stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, exactly Super sexy.
There's only so much you cantalk about that, but you've
managed to take that and reallymake it part of a community and
build that community.
So when you go into these otherspaces and you replicate those
actions of the Thought Leaderblog and now with the podcast,
it gives people, I think, thisinsight to maybe businesses
(08:12):
they're familiar with or not,but where they really get to
know the business owner or thepeople working there and that
really, in my mind andexperience, strengthens that
relationship between a businessand their customers.
Tell me more about HomegrownHustle, the podcast, which I
can't wait to live them to.
What kind of topics are yougoing to tackle?
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So really the structure around it has a pretty
similar workflow for us to howwe're doing the Thought Leaders,
where we have so much timeallocated to really do this.
We put it out to essentiallyany small business owner that
would want to sign up for it andthen, if they go through the
steps and carve the time out intheir day, we'll talk about
(08:56):
pretty much anything business.
I know the things I love totalk about, but that interview
we really talk about the storyis behind the people similar to
the Thought Leader.
In business, as we're growing,we try to create all these what
our business is supposed to looklike and how we're supposed to
look, because this is ourbusiness, and we start to create
(09:17):
all these layers of what it'ssupposed to look like.
No-transcript.
When we see other businessowners, we don't realize that
they have stuff that's not goingright too, and then, like we
just see like the grass thegrass is greener type of
scenario.
So seeing that other people arehumans and talking about
(09:38):
failures, shortcoming, successesand strategy around that and
then how it impacts, like theirlife, because there's more to,
there's so much more to lifethan working.
I love working, but like I can'tdo it all the time.
So just being able to helpshare that human side and let
(10:00):
people kind of let their guarddown a little bit and realize
how much of a bad ass they are,because business owners are
incredible people.
I mean, in this country, likewe kind of owe it to our country
to be successful, to createmore opportunity for people, and
that's like I believewholeheartedly in that and I
just, yeah, the interestingthing, natalie, is people kind
(10:23):
of when I first started thethought leadership, they like
thought I was working some typeof angle, like almost like I was
a marketing company orsomething right.
I'm just trying to create sometype of conversation and
dialogue that people can likereference for learning materials
and also learn about theircommunity, because it is local
business oriented.
And it took a while for peopleto realize that I don't have an
(10:47):
angle.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
It's not a scam.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
No, like I look like a very scammy guy.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
I'm not, it's just like Well, I'll have to paint
the picture If you're listeningto this on the podcast and not
watching the video.
Matt, what are you in your 30s,early 30s?
Yeah Right, but he's got verylong dreadlocks.
Very handsome man, but doesn'tfit your stereotypical.
I own a business With threelocations.
(11:15):
I'm coming in to do this and, ifyou're familiar with the Lake
Minnetonica community orwherever you live, if there's a
section of your community whereit's a bit more high end the
homes on the lake, it's a higherend, the services that people
provide to shopping and thenMatt shows up.
(11:37):
But you've done an amazing jobof really bridging that gap and
I think that it's important tohave more of that.
Just different types of peoplein business and in my mind I
always look at you and go.
I love the fact that yourepresent business owners who
(11:57):
are in my mind because I'm in my50s, you're so young, you know,
in your early 30s, but goingout, making decisions, expanding
their businesses, working withother people, building community
, making connections, it shows,I think, other people who are
younger and thinking of maybestarting their own business that
they can do it too, and itdoesn't need to be done wearing
(12:19):
a tie or a jacket.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
I mean I like to look nice and wear nice stuff but,
like you said, I have dreadlocksdown in my belt.
I'm a white guy.
It's not like the most normalthing, especially in the Lake
Minnetonica area, and the coolthing about this area and just
community in general is likepeople want to learn about you
and it's just this level ofMinnesota nice.
(12:45):
It's really authentic and kindof taking control.
It took a while when I wasyoung and really getting into
business to like feel like Ibelonged in those business.
Like it was reallyuncomfortable.
Like I kind of love beinguncomfortable because I know
that's the space where there'sroom for growth and change and
(13:07):
improvement.
But it doesn't make it easy towalk into a group of 45 business
people.
You're 22 years old, you gotKredlocks looking like Sideshow
Bob from the Simpsons.
It was like that.
It took a lot for me to learnand realize that these are just
people too and if I actuallywant to make change I can't sit
(13:29):
around and let somebody give mepermission for that.
You got to go like you got todo stuff in business and I'm
just okay with failure, likebecause the biggest failure I
have typically isn't going to bethat big of a failure in
business, like it's just alearning opportunity.
So trying exactly failing likeget to move the needle in a
(13:51):
different direction to learnmore so yeah, it's how it's how
we learn.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
It's how we learn.
We learn through struggles,through failure, through getting
up and trying again and takingthat point of view as business
as you do it and what.
I think that with your podcastthat's coming up and the Thought
Leader blog, it helps kind ofdisarm people and invites them
to share maybe a little bit ofvulnerability and truth when
(14:20):
oftentimes I think, especiallyin business, it's you this
feeling or thought that maybeyou need to constantly maintain
this level of professionalismand perfection.
Not that, not that, but forprofessionalism looks different
to different people and that'swhy I get such a kick out of it.
Like you said, the dreadlocksand everything.
(14:40):
But Matt goes to some of thenicest chamber events the
luncheons.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Why is that a chamber of loves family there?
Speaker 1 (14:48):
That's right, and I think that's such a great
example of how.
It's not about how you look tofit in.
It's about carving out thatspace to fit in.
If there's not an existingspace for you as an individual
or a business owner, my point ofview is then carve it out, find
out what's needed in thecommunity, and that's something
(15:10):
that I think you've done and howyou've been able to expand your
business with homegrown hustlewith the podcast.
What do you hope to achievewith that?
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Just want to help somebody, like it helps somebody
, that's kind of it Becauseyou'll be able to.
Like I said, I don't reallyhave an angle.
I just hope that somebody getsvalue from it Because I know
having resources and a place togo.
Not everyone can go into thosenetworking meetings and interact
(15:42):
with people and create thoselearning opportunities.
Like some people.
That's really really hard forthem but they still have a
business and they need to learnsomehow, and having a resource
that isn't direct humaninteraction, maybe that's the
best way for them to learn andimprove.
I'm like a compulsive networker,like to a fault at times where
I overcommit to things, andthat's something I really had to
regulate as I was growing waslike how do I spend my time?
(16:06):
Who do I take advice from?
Where do I go to learn?
How do I take that and actuallymove the needle in my business?
So really back to your originalquestion.
I just I wanted to help people,hopefully inspire people that
are kind of on that edge ormaybe working through something
difficult.
(16:26):
I'm a resource.
This stuff kind of gets meexcited, so I hope somebody
reaches out to me with some typeof business question.
I'm not an expert, but asounding board is such an
important thing that a lot ofpeople don't have, especially as
a business owner or a parent orany Like.
(16:50):
Life is hard, so havingsomebody to talk to or talk
about it and maybe even ventabout it like that's important.
But business is like people havethis business face that they
have.
Yeah, you can't be vulnerable.
Well, it's like people can feelthat I've found that people,
(17:11):
when they find authenticity,they like gravitate towards it
because they know what to expect.
I mean, that's how my parentsraised me.
I don't know anything elseother than authentic, and I try
to be as polite and nice aspossible to everybody.
But not everybody likes me, andat least I know they don't like
me because of who I am, notbecause of somebody else
(17:32):
pretending to be.
I'm sorry to all those peopleIf anyone out there doesn't like
me, but just like being real issuch a I mean, it's not a
rarity, but like it's nice tofind.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Yeah, and I think when someone, when they can look
and go, okay, well, here's thisguy and he's grown his business
and he's done it.
Done it while being himself,while making mistakes and while
growing from that and, along theway, giving a platform and a
voice to other business owners,and that's one of the things
that I think you might agree.
(18:07):
Business owners are oftensometimes really good at what
they do, really good at the workitself, but not always the best
about marketing or getting theword out about that.
Not everybody likes to talk tothem, talk about themselves.
Not everybody is like me.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
I mean, everybody has their things that they're good
at, right, and then there'sthings that you're not as good
at and there's things thatyou're just terrible at, and a
lot of people myself includedfor quite a while like I would
focus on those things where Iwas coming short.
And in my business, what Irealized is that being perfect
didn't actually move the needle.
It actually kept me in like astagnant place with a lot of
(18:48):
frustration, where, when Idoubled and tripled down on the
stuff that I was really good at,now my output was umpteen times
more than what we would havehad had I spent the same amount
of time, yeah, fixing something.
So knowing, like being humbleenough to know, like you're not
the best, that's what's harderfor a business owner, because
(19:09):
business owners are controlfreaks a lot of times.
They own it all, they'repassionate, it's theirs, they
built it from the ground up.
So letting somebody else havecontrol takes a lot of trust and
that's really hard.
I've gone through that and evenwith my family like my two of
my brothers work with me liketrust is there.
Obviously they're my family,but it's like your baby almost.
(19:31):
So I don't know.
Growing a business is such atransformational thing to go
through because, like thebusiness owner, owners like they
have to reinvent and reimaginethemselves so many times as the
business grows, and when theystop doing that, the business
stops or dies.
(19:51):
One of the two so like that.
That's why I think everyoneshould be a business owner
somehow, or at least like tryWell, that's worse try to be in
control of things around you andlike being in control of your
future, and then it fails and goback to whatever job you're
doing anyway.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Yeah, but that's where the growing happens.
That's where the fun starts, Ithink, is when, in those
challenging moments exactly,it's scary.
And if it's not scary it's notbig enough.
If it were simple, everybodywould be doing it kind of thing.
But there's a lot of growththat can occur and I'm glad that
you're talking about it andcontinuing to do.
(20:31):
Now, go ahead with this podcastand continue with the Thought
Leader series.
I'll share in the show noteswhere you can find the Thought
Leader series and as soon as thepodcast is up, we'll share a
link to that as well and keeptalking about it.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
I have to get you and Kelly and the rest of the Olsen
Global team over there.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Yes, you're right, we'll have to get over there and
get on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yeah, yours is a lot nicer in here than mine.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
But this is not where we started.
I started at my couch.
I mean, this is awesome.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
You ladies are like super inspiring to just see
everything you do, because it'snot easy to do this stuff plus
all the other stuff you gotgoing on.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
This is the fun stuff , but, just like you said, the
stuff getting involved in thecommunity and a passion of mine
is sharing people's stories andwhat they're doing and, for the
same reason, I'm fascinated byhow people connect, what drives
them to do what they're doing,how they ended up becoming so
passionate about a specificthing, and that's what TonkaTalk
is all about how people createcommunity and connection.
(21:35):
So I'm so glad you shared, matt, I'm happy to have you back on
here again.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
And I'm sure we'll-.
Yeah, I appreciate it and allthe kind words.
You're so nice.
I always appreciate our timetogether, yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Good to have you here , and I know we'll have Matt
back again talking aboutdifferent things because again,
he's pretty dialed in thecommunity that I live and work
with, so I can't just help butrun into him.
Thank you, matt and everybodyelse.
I will talk to you later.
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