Matt Matros

Founder

National Cleaning Collective (NCC)

NCC is micro private equity providing capital and support to owner/operators in the commercial cleaning & janitorial industry.

Founder and General Partner

BrandRock

BrandRock helps consumer brand founders and executives sleep better at night by making sure their business has the insurance coverage that they think they have. We read the fine print.

Co-Founder

McKinsey & Company

External advisor to client service teams and clients in consumer-based businesses with an emphasis on innovation.

Senior Advisor

Qurate Retail Group

'Acqui-hired' by CEO to build new digital businesses for global leader in vCommerce. And according to my final review, I "achieved what many thought was impossible."

SVP and Founder, Qurate Digital Ventures

Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.

Consulting for Keurig Dr Pepper on LIMITLESS and other innovation as part of exiting LIMITLESS in January 2020.

Consulting Entrepreneur

LIMITLESS® (acquired by Keurig Dr Pepper)

I started LIMITLESS® in March 2016 and sold the business to Keurig Dr Pepper (NASDAQ: KDP) in January 2020. I work with KDP on a consultative basis on LIMITLESS and other innovation. 

The LIMITLESS signature product - Lightly Caffeinated Sparkling Water - is helping people all over the country to #ditchdietsoda once and for all. Each can has zero calories, zero sugar, zero artificial flavors and 35mg of clean caffeine.

Available nationwide at Walmart and other fine retailers.

Protein Bar and Kitchen (acquired by L Catterton)

Founder and Board Director of healthy-food quick serve chain. I sold the business to private equity firm L Catterton in winter 2013. Protein Bar & Kitchen® (PBK) focuses on helping people everywhere live the healthy lifestyle they want to live through a balanced menu of blended drinks, wholesome quinoa bowls, salads, raw juices, and our signature Protein Bar-ritos.

Founder & Board Director

Shopflix

I dreamt up Shopflix as a "modern day QVC." Ultimately 'aqui-hired' by QVC parent company, Qurate Retail Group.

Kraft Foods

Sr. Associate Brand Manager

L'Oreal USA

Marketing Intern

Multi-preneur with 2 8-figure exits and an ‘acqui-hire’ | I post daily lessons & learnings that are your shortcuts.

Founder with two 8-figure exits plus an ‘acqui-hire’. My lessons & learnings are your shortcut.

Currently building unsexy B2B businesses in commercial cleaning and insurance. 

My inspirations are Scott Galloway and Fareed Zakaria and The Economist. I’d like to be the “Rick Rubin for entrepreneurs.”

These opinions are purely my own and not of any of the companies I am affiliated with.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Founder and General Partner at National Cleaning Collective (NCC)!

I’m un-stealthing my second new venture - NCC.

We are micro private equity for owners/operators of commercial cleaning and janitorial businesses.

We provide capital and support to businesses who might not otherwise have access to either.

Over the past several months, I’ve completed our first three investments / acquisitions, buoyed by the platform investment of TCP America in Sarasota, FL.

TCP is led by a phenomenal owner/operator. Alejandro Florez is a first-generation immigrant who came to America from Colombia when he was 10 years old.

He embodies growth-mindset and I’m proud to work with him on this first investment, which was a mix of growth equity and debt.

NCCs long-term vision is to do our part to solve income inequality and the immigration crisis in America by using business ownership as a conduit to citizenship and prosperity for folks who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

If you know a growth-minded owner/operator of a cleaning business that just needs a little help to get to a private equity exit, please send them my way.

And if you’re looking to invest in boring commercial cleaning businesses, reach out as I’m working on other platform investments across the country.

Learn more at NCC.vc.

Now let’s clean up!

I was recently offered a board seat.  
 
The CEO couldn't believe my reaction.  
  
"You know all this stuff better than anyone else could”, I responded.  
 
"Why do you even need a board?"  
  
I meant it. 
  
Small businesses don't need boards because small businesses don't need governance - they are usually wholly owned.   
  
And decision-making should not be outsourced.  
  
"Why feel the need to validate your decisions with someone else's opinion?", I asked.  
  
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey.   
  
It often feels like you're on your own.  
 
But you're not - you have the instinct that got you there in the first place.  
  
Sometimes all we need to feel is empowered.  
  
And a reminded that we've gotten the business to where it is today. 
  
Founders don't need stuffy people in suits telling us what to do. 
 
They just needed people like them that they trust for unbiased feedback.  
 
📷 What has two thumbs and thinks boards aren't necessary for SMBs? 👍👍 THIS GUY!  
 
#ceo #founder #startup #entrepreneurship

I’m grateful my son is 3 and not 13.

Right now, an entire generation of youth is troubled.

This is a hard time to be a parent in America.

Depression, anxiety, and suicide at rates never seen before.

The only silver lining is that it’s giving awareness to millennials like me who are now parents.

And to do this right as our kids age.

Some crazy stats:

🔸 Gallup estimates teens spend 5 hrs a day on socials.
🔸 And another 5+ hrs on other screens like TV.
🔸 That is 10 hours on screens A DAY!

I grew up fat and played a lot of Nintendo.

But never that much in a day.

(Well maybe one day when I was romping on Tecmo Super Bowl lol)

But with this new awareness, I’m hopeful that by the time my son gets of social media age, it will be more common for adolescents to not have social media at all.

And G-d willing our Congress becomes less divisive and even bans use of social media before a certain age, like many countries.

One can hope, right?

I'm a believer in mean regression, so I am thinking the pendulum will swing back towards the good guys. 

#parenthood #mentalhealth #socialmedia

📷 My little guy has crazy ups, huh?

I had a scary thought recently about this platform I am having a hard time shaking.

I fear LinkedIn is to Entrepreneur depression as Instagram is to teenage depression.

Founders I've spoken to are experiencing:
🔸 worthlessness
🔸 self-doubt
🔸 shame
🔸 fear

Just like the advent of photo-sharing based social media (like Instagram) was the leading signal foreboding depression and suicide rates among teen girls.

Both crises stem from the highlight reel comparison doom loop:
🔹 Successful acquisitions
🔹 Million dollar exits
🔹 Endless leads
🔹 Closed deals

It's not always like that, you and I know it.

I’ll admit, I don’t know what I can do about this.

I enjoy creating my post each day.

And generally receive positive feedback that the content I’ve created.

Especially about keeping it real about business ownership.

But is there something more we can do? Yes/no?

📷 Coming out of the darkness.... 

#mentalhealth #instagram #depression #businessowner #founder #entrepreneur

This is Brittney. 

She's a great founder with a great product and is currently fundraising. 

Like me, Brittney lost her dad when she was young. My father was a small business owner (dry cleaners), which is likely where my entrepreneurship was modeled. 

Brittney and her family started a cookie company in homage to their father. 

Below, are awesome founders with awesome products who are currently fundraising at the "friends and family" or angel investor stage. 

After the 0-to-1 stage, this is typically the toughest part for founders - getting capital to prove product/market fit. 

Please support these founders - and if interested in learning more about investing, DM me for intros. 

Brittney Cook
Something Sweet Dough - Ridiculously good frz cookie dough
https://lnkd.in/esFUpGf6

Jennifer Boville
Farm Girl - BFY cereal that's actually delish
https://lnkd.in/e5FcMncD 

Jose Manuel Perrone
Create With Cura - A match-maker for brands seeking mfgs
https://lnkd.in/eJXyPJH6

Jeff Sigal
Protocol Foods - Food safety for small mfgs
https://lnkd.in/eYdjg4qx

Jeremy Issakharian
Seven Teas - Incredible bottled tea
https://www.seventeas.com/

Lisa Eberly Mastela, MPH, RD
Bumpin Blends - ready to blend smoothies
https://bumpinblends.com/

Douglas Yu
Diamond Brew - the best instant coffee I've ever tasted. 

Anyone else raising early-stage funds? Tag them and their business here. 

#cpg #ceo #founder #entrepreneur #fundraise

LinkedIn is filled with "top 10 success" lists.

But here are my top 10 insecurities as a founder, business owner, and human:

1. Alcoholism
2. Fiscal Anxiety
3. Social Anxiety
4. Body image issues
5. Clinical Depression 
6. Imposter Syndrome
7. Overeating Disorder 
8. Abandonment Issues 
9. Mommy/Daddy Issues 
10. Comparison syndrome

But other than that, things are great lol 

When ask which is the worst - I always answer “yes.” lol

Stop believing everyone has a perfect life online.

We're all struggling in our own way.

PS: How are you growing this week? 

📸 who doesn’t like balloons? Fortunately I’m not also allergic to latex lol 

#mentalhealth #founder #ceo #entrepreneurship

How I became a entrepreneur. 
 
It all started with my dad. 
 
He left the US Navy and set up shop in California. 
 
As an innovator and sales person he had so many hustles: 
 
🔺Construction 
🔺Dry cleaning 
🔺Solar panels 
🔺Watches 
🔺Land 
 
He worked hard in every single one of them. 
 
Was this thirst for work and innovation innate? 
 
Was I born with it? 
 
Or did he simply model habits for me as I was around him? 
 
The answer to both is yes. 
 
You are who you're surrounded by. 
 
But that doesn't mean your parents need to be entrepreneurs for you to become one. 
 
Building a business while also focusing on a family is a considerable task. 
 
When I started my first three companies, I didn't have children... 
 
and it was hard enough. 
 
So if you're trying to nurture a biz and a child at the same time, 
 
Stop and think about how remarkable you are. 
 
📷 My dad and I a few months before he died (I was 11, he was 48).  
 
 
#parenthood #ceo #founder #entrepreneur

I didn't follow any hiring "advice" when I opened Protein Bar. 
 
I put a Craigslist ad out on an Easter Sunday at 11pm.... 
 
And woke up the next morning to 200 resumes! 
 
I hired 14 awesome people. 
 
-> Acting students 
-> Dancing students 
-> Creative students 
 
Many said I was crazy not to hire folks with foodservice experience. 
 
But I wanted folks that were performative. 
 
After all, we were putting on a show for our guests. 
 
There was a lot of theatre in what we were doing behind the counter. 
 
I wanted our team to radiate that. 
 
So no better place than students who are learning how to do just that being on stage. 
 
My strategy worked. 
 
First team members told stories every day of how we at Protein Bar were “changing the way people eat in the go.” 
 
This hiring philosophy continued for my entire tenure at Protein Bar.  
 
And even to this day, I interview for creativity and performance experience. 
 
After all - isn’t everything just storytelling? 
 
📷 Me on opening day May 18, 2009 with some of the aforementioned creatives!  
 
#founder #ceo #entrepreneur #qsr #creatives #students

This is Jenny McCarthy. 

I’m glad I kept an open mind before meeting her. 

Back in February, I was invited to participate with Jenny and her leadership team as they planned out 2024. 

Jenny and two friends started Formless Beauty a few years ago, born out of her vigilance towards the ingredients she puts in or on her body. 

My focus was to help them with the brand’s positioning and overall messaging to the consumer. 

Going into the several day work session, I had only cursory knowledge of her and her place in pop culture. 

I left the trip impressed by her:
🔹vigilance for clean ingredients
🔹talents as a leader of others
🔹sheer work-ethic 

I’m glad I didn’t judge a book by its cover. 

I view business as the best force for social change possible, so when folks who believe in something actually take action versus just talk, those efforts should be recognized. 

📸 Jenny and I after we nailed the Formless Beauty positioning statement. There was no whiteboards so I used the hotel meeting room windows. Naturally. 

#jennymccarthy #playboy #mtv #beauty #cpg

My #1 rule when buying a business.

(not just having a clean P&L)

Focusing on what the Seller wants.

That's it.

Not what the:
🔸 Buyer wants
🔸 Banker wants
🔸 Spouse wants
🔸 Employees want

Just the seller, here's why:

1️⃣  You understand their desires
2️⃣  It can give you negotiating leverage
3️⃣  You mitigate short and long term risks

Always start a negotiation by trying to fully understand the motivations of the seller.

Deliver what he or she wants.

If you can't, there is nothing you can do to buy their biz.

At least not to me.

So far so good employing this with National Cleaning Collective (NCC) as we have three companies in our portfolio with two LOIs out. 

📷 Me and the awesome team at TCP America led by Alejandro Florez - our first platform building services business in Sarasota County, FL. 

#negotiation #smallbusiness #acquisition #founder #entrepreneur

Want help in your career? Try finding your calling.

To me, a 'calling' is an equation. 𝗫 + 𝗬 = 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴.

X = A tangible thing that you're passionate about.
Y = Your Flow State.

Flow state is the adrenaline you feel when you're doing your best work. 

Here's what I mean:

It's not enough to say "I'm passionate about food!"

Well, does that mean you should be a chef?
A restaurant owner? 
A CPG founder?

You need to add the activity that gets you in the zone.

What if you are hyper-meticulous?
A pastry chef is perhaps your calling
Like throwing entertaining? 
Be a maitre'd. 

For me, it was quite simple:
My tangible item is commerce.
The literal exchange of currency for goods, services, or risk.

Getting in the zone - that's when I am controlling my own destiny.

So X + Y = Entrepreneur.

You cannot solely have the X or Y factor, you need them both. 

A recipe, of sorts :)

How did you discover your calling?

#founder #entrepreneur #career #calling

The best business lesson I can give you today:

Practice self-awareness and ask for help.

Here's what I mean:

Last Friday, I felt like I got kicked in the face.

🔸 I had a fire drill that required a lot of TLC
🔸 I completely missed an important meeting
🔸 I received an upsetting out-of-the-blue phone call 

A few years ago, I would've had a 7-day meltdown lol

But as I've aged and worked with therapists and coaches I:

🔸 Am able to cope much better
🔸 Can pause and take a deep breath
🔸 Can recognize what is going on in my mind and body
🔸 I can sit and feel the feelings head to toe and calm myself

It has been all about recognizing that these situations whether good, bad or terrible are manageable.

And that they will pass.

“Whatever doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.”

Cliche but also, true.

Actively acknowledging all of these help me stay composed and focused.

I was just having a bad day.

And that’s ok. 

Cuz tomorrow is a new day. 

PS: A Google search I recommend is "ontology", the metaphysical act of being. Read about it then try to practice it. 

📷 How I imagined I was getting kicked in the face lol 

#mentalhealth #ontology #therapy #founder #entrepreneur

There are three key ingredients for the recipe that makes up being a great founder.

→ Resilience: 
They don’t back down in every small mishap.

→ Innovation: 
They detect a need that is never seen before, or invent a new way of approaching things.

→ Confidence: 
They believe in what they do, no matter what any outsider says.

Every great founder has at least 2, but the best have all 3.

Be resilient enough to stay in the game.
Innovate enough to get through hurdles.
Confidence to keep going regardless of the odds.

Am I missing anything?

📷 Me in 2012, after creating a bomb recipe for the Hi-5 shake (pictured)

#founder #ceo #entrepreneurship

My answer to this question shocked the host. 

"How did you sustain motivation after the sale?"

My answer: "I don't know that I did. I lost my mojo."

Anastasia Koroleva went deep into my demons and struggles in the years after I sold Protein Bar & Kitchen to L Catterton. 

Some topics we discuss that are relevant to all founders: 

- Loss of identity
- Finding a purpose
- Regret and recovery
- Taking control of change
- Addiction, alcoholism and psychedelics

For all the folks who ask "can I pick your brain?" - just give this a listen on the treadmill and save the zoom. 

Which begs the question - have you found your purpose? 

#mentalhealth #exit #entrepreneur #founder

When building a business plan, startup founders think they can:

-> Compete in many categories like Amazon
-> Afford great content like Netflix 
-> Hire better than Google

But instead they should understand that:

-> Your gross margins won't beat PepsiCo
-> Your food costs won’t be lower than Chipotle
-> You won’t have more efficient marketing than P&G

It's a fools errand to read those 10Ks and think you can do better.

Build your pro forma assuming you will do worse, cuz you will.

And if you still like the business then, game on!

📷 The smile on my face when I recently told a founder "Assume you are not Amazon" was similar to this smile from when I was in Vietnam a few years ago

#amazon #netflix #google #startup #founder #entrepreneur

Within 10 minutes of speaking to a founder I knew his biz was struggling. Then I said:  
 
"If you're not famous for something, your famous for nothing."  
 
Which tbh, I don't know if that's original Matt Matros thinking or if I had heard it before.  
 
But I def say it to founders a lot.  
 
And it's almost exclusively in reference to what they as a business are trying to be.  
 
See, when you try to be something for everyone, you end up being nothing to nobody!  
 
And everyone in the org needs to exude what the business is trying to be.  
 
Then it will be easy for customers to understand.  
 
Then, if they love and need it, you'll be famous for it.  
 
Wait, was that another original Matt Matros line?!?!  

What’s your biz/brand famous for? 

If you can’t articulate it in 1/10th of a second, you need to work on it. 
 
#founder #entrepreneur #marketing #ceo 
 
📷 Me trying to be famous when accepting a Chicago Chamber of Commerce award

I love America but we do some dumb $hit. 

I've traveled all over the world and still can't figure out why we do these things here that (most of) the rest of the world does not. 

- Customary units vs the metric system
- 12 hour clock vs 24 hour clock
- Fahrenheit vs Celsius

We just have to make things difficult, don't we! 

Any good explanation for these?!

(Note - it's a light-hearted Saturday so I chose to avoid the really dumb $hit like gerrymandering or no common sense gun laws)

#smh 

📷 Me in Vietnam a few years ago wearing a dumb hat.

Sunday Mental Health Check-In

I'm taking a page out of my esteemed colleague Mark A. Samuel, whom each Saturday does a check in with his community around fitness. 

Societally, it's ok to humble brag about our fitness goals and achievements. 

But there is still a stigma associated with addressing our own mental health, however we choose to do it. 

Sunday should be a day of rest, so let's see how this check in goes as a reminder for all of us to take a break - for our mind's sake. 

So, which one are you hitting today? 

1. 💤 (Sleep)
2. 🙏 (Prayer)
3. 👨‍👩‍👧  (Family)
4. 🌲 (Nature)
5. 📒 (Writing)
6. 📕 (Reading)
7. 👩‍⚕️ (Therapy)
8. 🤣 (Laughter)
9. ☀ (Sunshine)
10. 🏃🏽(Movement)
11. 🧘🏽(Meditation)
12. 💊 (Medication)
13. 👬 (Relationships)
14. Write in!

Me: I'm taking a day trip to Tampa to meet with a commercial cleaning owner/operator. 7am flight, 3pm return. I use flights as a way to meditate - I cover my eyes before take off and enjoy the lack of control of anything on the ground for the next several hours. 

Someone you know need support? 

Or someone who always prioritizes mental health? 

Tag them here. 

Let's get as many people committed to a weekly check-in around mental health as possible. 

#exercise #health #wellness #mentalhealth 

This question made me pause to think. 

I wanted my answer to be perfect. 

After all, this young man is at an impressionable age. 

Who am I dictate with my words the choices he may take? 

While I didn't exactly answer his question (he asked for one word), I tried to sum up in a single pithy way. 

'Blaze your own trail.' 

As someone who only knows life with a smart phone, this young man is susceptable comparison doom loops that are constantly in his face. 

How would you have answered this question? (with one word or a few lol)

#genz #entrepreneurship #advice

What do your next investors have in common with your best customers?

(Probably not what you think)

Last month I was on with a founder who was having trouble raising money. 

His business was break-even but growing and seemed to have operations finally figured out. 

His fundraising efforts had fallen flat because most folks didnt think his business could scale or that it is too operationally complex.  

But he had one particular thing that was attractive as I listened:

He sells an expensive product to a lot of people. 

I told him his customers are likely the best people to truly understand what he does. 

He just needed to shoot his shot. 

Two weeks later he had reported that he had several meetings set up and even closed an investor on a single email. 

📸 Lines out the door at my second Protein Bar location. I spy at least two folks in line who became investors. 

#fundraising #startup #founder #entrepreneur #customers

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