You Are The Niche. Don’t Niche Down, Niche Up with Matt Gottesman

MATT GOTTESMAN (00:00):
Look at two buckets. What are your skill sets and talents and the things that you like to do and execute on, like from a very like talent or a skill driven place? And what are the areas that you feel like you can do that in, that resonate with you in your interests, and then somehow marry those two together versus trying to do all the things for all the things.

JESSICA BURGIO (00:22):
What is keeping you from growing your business to the next level? I’m Jess Burgio, one of the hosts here for Fast Foundations, the podcast Between the three of us, my co-host Jim, RT, and I have grown several businesses scaling Beyond Seven Figures. And you know what? Not a single one of those businesses came with a blueprint for years. We poured time and resources into our businesses, from salons, tech companies, and product-based businesses navigating success and failures on our own. For all of us, though, it began to change in 2019 when we found a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and industry leaders to mentor us. That community was fast. Foundations just like the Mastermind. We’re bringing on experts and having discussions to give you tips to not only improve the foundational skillsets you need, but to also fast track your growth. We’ll dive into the core pillars of what will make your business succeed. Whether you have a brand new idea that you’re looking to turn into a business, or you’re already a successful entrepreneur looking to scale, this community is here to take you to the next level. Let’s dive in.

RT CUSTER (01:26):
Welcome back everyone to the Fast Foundation’s podcast today for our mentor session. We’re coming in hot. I got some sunburned. I’m ready to go. If you’re watching us on YouTube, you get to experience that. If you’re just listening to us, head over to YouTube. Let’s see our Smiling Faces again on the Fast Foundations podcast with Mentor Sessions, we bring in people who want to hear from learn from, and we go deep into a topic Right off the bat today we got Matt Gottesman, Matt, is it Mitch? Or Niche? The people want to know.

MATT GOTTESMAN (02:01):
Oof. I’m, I think it’s at about a 50 50 split. No, probably like a 60 40 split. I think most people say niche. You know, um, but it’s funny, I get so comfortable saying the niche, you know, like the podcast, the niche is you. And people go, don’t you mean niche? You know, <laugh> every single time. And even though you know, it’s like the age old, like no matter you, you just can’t get it. It’s like, and then I’ll say niche to somebody like, oh, a niche. And I’m like, you’ve gotta be kidding me, <laugh>. So you can’t, you just can’t win, you know? Yep. That’s okay.

RT CUSTER (02:32):
That’s why I ask, because I, you know, it’s like tomato, tomato, and when people say it’s like tomato, tomato, I’m like, no, it’s tomato. Like, who the hell says tomato? What’s wrong with you? So

MATT GOTTESMAN (02:43):
A hundred percent.

RT CUSTER (02:44):
That’s, I, I just, I love that conversation, but, but the reason we’re asking about that, and you know, I want to, to learn more about you and, and all the things that you teach about in the niche, I’m gonna say niche. That’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna pick one. So Matt, tell us more about you. What do you teach? What do you focus on and uh, what do you love to talk about?

MATT GOTTESMAN (03:05):
Absolutely. So I am definitely a huge blend between business and spirituality. I mean, I think we’re seeing this a lot more now, but for a long while people were very confused, <laugh>, hence than it is you, which I’ll get into here in a little bit. Um, I’ve been digital based my whole life, my whole career. I mean, I started off literally as a teenager in when the internet was still kind of trying to figure itself out. I think it’s still trying to figure itself out, but, um, it was, it was much different than, and so my whole career coming up was constantly digital related. And um, you know, I was a strategist for very, um, big brands figuring out how do you take everything you do in a physical world and do it all online and streamline it? And then it turned into audience building and then it turned into content creators.

(03:50):
You know, you had all this stuff constantly evolving the internet. Well, marketing has changed, content has changed, people have changed. And the old ways, in my opinion, from a business paradigm aren’t working. I felt that they weren’t working for quite some time. This is just my professional opinion. Um, but meaning that, um, what I found from very big brands a lot of times was they were afraid of messing up and they were afraid of, um, being imperfect in front of audiences. This is, now, this is going back, you know, 2013, 2012, 14, like Facebook, this, you know, Instagram’s starting to kind of do its thing and people were really scared. You know, brands are really scared. I’m like, you don’t understand if you are authentically you in front of an audience, it’s actually gonna become more about your character. And when it’s about your character and how you move and how you make people feel or feel seen or heard, that’s actually gonna skyrocket.

(04:46):
You know, your business even more. And some brands took to that very well, most did not because, you know, they come from a corporate corporatism, a corporate world where, you know, perfect and only the best actually gets out the door and all this stuff. So that’s a whole other trauma <laugh> of that. They’ll probably air cycle or however many hundred years that they’ve been operating that way. I get it. Um, and it’s different than, and, and when I try to explain like, no, you don’t understand, like you can literally mess up in front of the, the audience member and they love you more for it cuz you are human. Um, and uh, so I, you know, starting around 2014 and 15, I, I knew I wanted to build my own stuff online, my own brands, but I still wanted to keep consulting. I love digital and uh, but I also wanted to do it for myself.

(05:33):
And, and I had done that with several accounts. And ultimately, uh, I wanted to have conversations about anything I wanted. I wanted talk about entrepreneurship, I wanted to talk about relationships, I wanted to talk about health. I wanted to talk about mental wellbeing. I wanted talk about all these things, spirituality. And that confused some people and they’re like, I don’t know what it is you do. I’m like, well, do you mean like for a living? Uh, or for my businesses, for content? Like, what do you, what do you more specifically want to know? And, and it was cool because that formed community, right? And they were like, oh wow, he’s answering our questions. I’m like, yeah, again, now it seems more obvious, but like, this is 2016, 2015. And people were like, he’s okay. He’s wants to have these conversations. And so what has really transpired, uh, I ended up growing other accounts of mine to, you know, six figure numbers.

(06:25):
Um, started again with my Matt Gottesman Instagram. Um, I have a podcast called The Hustle Sold Separately, which is really just to talk about more about the journey. Uh, and that got to 7 million downloads. And more recently, I, I created a, a sub stack. And this is where the niches you comes in. And what happened was, so I’m very big on a digital content ecosystem and actually how do you make an entire content ecosystem work for you? Drive up traffic and community, but then also for your whatever you might be offering, you know, to this world, whether it’s your talent, your gifts, your products, your services, all of it inclusive of each other. I create a sub about a year and a half ago, uh, called Permissionless, uh, which, you know, we don’t need permission to publish, uh, or enter into any market anymore. We can just bring our whole authentic self.

(07:15):
And um, one of the very first articles was The Niche is You. And it was still to this day, one of my, my most drafted articles because what I found, which is what you always find from just moving in the market and making things happen, you cannot strategize everything you have to move. And I found signals in the market of like, people are like, can you talk more about this? Because I’m constantly trying to fit in. I’m trying to fit in with this title or this credential or this like job or this, um, you know, I’m a marketer or I’m a, you know, I’m a brand builder or I’m a this and that. They’re like, but I’m so much more than that, I don’t wanna box myself in. And I was like, well that’s cuz the niche is you. And they’re like, yeah, that, what’s that?

(07:54):
You know? And I was like, well listen, I’m like in the big macro vision where more than one thing, and there’s a lot of things that we like to talk about now, yes, there are certain things we might want to deliver more specifically in certain areas, and that’s okay to niche down, you know, for, um, doing very specific things as a product or service or a talent that you wanna hone in more. That’s okay. But then the bigger picture is that who you are is who’s delivering that. And when you do that, that’s how the, the world receives you and <laugh> and when the world receives you, there’s less walls, there’s just more connection. And from that connection they’re like, oh, okay. Like I get this is who you are and I get where there are areas that you can help and thank you for connecting and helping.

(08:45):
And it, I think just breaks down a lot more barriers versus feeling like you have to be this, you know, I’m known as this particular thing. And yeah, you can get known as that. It, it happens. I mean, I get known as a systems guy. I get known as a brand guy, a digital guy, a spiritual guy. I’m like, whatever you want to call me, go to my Instagram <laugh>. You know? So, um, yeah. So the the niches, you was the niches you was born from that article, I created a solo podcast, which is now kind of like, it’s 10 to 12 minute, um, morning messages, uh, via audio and video. I started doing it about less than three months ago. And that thing is starting to just shoot up like <laugh> and I, I deliver it through my community texting app, through, you know, my online through social newsletters everywhere. And people are like, oh man, you know, like you’re like, how do you know what I’m thinking and feeling? I’m like, cuz I’m you. We’re all, we’re all similar, different paths, different souls, but we all feel and go through the same things. So that’s a very long run <laugh> winded run.

RT CUSTER (09:44):
I love it, man. And, and that’s no that, that’s, that’s exactly like the, the point of, of these mentor sessions. I just, I just learned a lot. I feel inspired and I feel validated because I feel like the niche might actually just be me. Cuz I have too many things according to most people. And that’s, you know, we, we have Tiffany here with us today, uh, because when Tiffany and I were, were talking about, you know, other awesome humans we could bring in to the fast foundations community, learn from and and grow. She brought up your name Tiffany. Do you remember how you found Matt or how you heard about Matt originally? I I’m sure that’s always interesting thing for him.

TIFFANY (10:25):
Yeah. Um, actually I found out about Matt Ru, one of our other members and one of my now friends, Regina Lawrence, she played your podcast maybe for like two seconds for me. And I was like, oh my God, his voice. And I was like, I’m just gonna keep listening to this for the rest of time. <laugh>. So yeah. And I, I’m a sucker for what now

RT CUSTER (10:46):
Matt. Now Matt’s, now Matt’s getting red like me look at this <laugh>, look at this. We got him

TIFFANY (10:49):
<laugh> And any podcast that I think I’m really into podcasts right now that are like short and I can get in on like a dog walk and like, I think it’s 20 minutes is like the perfect amount of time for me right now. And I don’t always have time for like an hour and a half, two hour podcast, even though I love them. And to bring in back to, you know, you talk about a lot of things. So that title, the Niche is you really resonated with me and I think is really appealing to a lot of entrepreneurs because typically, um, you just have a lot of interests and you don’t want to just talk about one thing till the end of time. You’d want to talk about lots of different things. So yeah, that’s how I found you <laugh>.

MATT GOTTESMAN (11:34):
No, yeah. You know, um, there’s a few communities, um, in online that, uh, of writers and content creators who they deliver content and talk about a variety of things. And what’s really interesting is they say like, go look at, you know, you can see this with certain athletes, you can see this with like br Bruce Lee, like he was a martial artist, you know, but then he also had other ventures. He had other things. Like, you see this more commonly, like polymaths in general, people were multiple interests or multifaceted people have been, it’s been around for a long time. I mean since like Leonardo da Vinci and even before that. Like, it’s just that I think now because we have tools and leverage to have conversations about multiple things, manage multiple things, I’m not saying burning out cuz that that can also come from it too.

(12:24):
I’m just saying that like it’s now I feel like becoming more widely accepted of um, oh, this breathwork practitioner owns a, you know, such and such business. You know, like you could take a Regina who’s really, you know, she loves breathwork and uh, breathwork practitioner, but really, you know, was at one point a lawyer who then, um, you know, now has a digital agency, which I totally understand. I have a digital agency as well too, which I’m making some shifts on. And, and it’s funny because I think some people are so used to buckets like, well what do you mean you, you’re this and you’re that and you’re that and you’re that. And it’s like, well, yeah. In fact, sooner or later you could actually start to intertwine all of them. Cuz you could be like, well, these are my interests and this is a service I provide and I provide that service for other people within my interests. <laugh>,

(13:11):
You know, it’s like you can, you can start to piece together you, it’s life design and, um, I just, I feel like o obviously you don’t want to get overwhelmed and you don’t wanna get carried away and you don’t want to get burnt out from trying to do all the things. And so I, I tell a lot of people that look at two buckets, what are your skill sets and talents and the things that you like to do and execute on, like from a very like talent or a skill driven place? And what are the areas that you feel like you can do that in, that resonate with you in your interests, and then somehow marry those two together versus trying to do all the things for all the things. And so, cause that’s what otherwise I think people can get really burnt out. And I just noticed from some of these online communities, you’d start seeing yeah, some of these creators who are like, Hey, I used to be, um, working for SaaS, you know, software as a service company, I wanna talk about systems and philosophy, stoicism and, you know, operating one person businesses online.

(14:07):
And you’re like, awesome. You know, and then you have somebody else who’s like, I wanna talk about self-actualization, you know, and, um, marketing and, uh, you know, animal wildlife, <laugh>, you’re like amazing, you know, <laugh>. So it’s, it’s cool because I think in a world where people used to strive for validation of like, I’ve gotta get a million, millions and millions of followers, and this is what other people did to get those millions and millions of followers, which usually is not what they did to get millions and millions of followers, uh, being in digital, knowing how that all works. Um, and, and I think people just got so carried away with, well, what’s the trend versus, well, what’s the soul? And so for me it’s like when you come from operating from your soul, you’re gonna attract exactly who you need to attract. And even extra people after that who are like, I just like the way that they’re running. And I don’t know, I, I, I genuinely feel who they are and I like them, so I’m just gonna follow them. And think about how many people you probably follow. You’re like, I never would’ve been interested in that stuff normally before. But for some reason, the way they deliver it, I, I feel drawn to them. Right? So, Mitch, is you.

RT CUSTER (15:13):
Hey, it’s RT. Thanks so much for listening to the Fast Foundation’s podcast. I want to see you in the room. I don’t want you to just be hearing my and our voices. Let me tell you about the Fast Foundation’s Mastermind. It’s a six month long program and it’s our signature program. It’s how you join our community. Every time we talk about this amazing community of almost 400 people that have gone through our mastermind that we have here on the podcast that we hear from and our mentors, all that kind of stuff, all the guest speakers, the coaches, all the awesome things that we get to do. It all starts with the Mastermind. It’s a six month long program with two two day in-person events, one’s in Scottsdale, one’s in Denver. Yes, they’re in amazing, beautiful places. We have them in cool spots because that’s fun.

(16:02):
We also give you six months with a coach one-on-one. And the most important thing is once you go through that mastermind and you learn from all these amazing speakers that we bring in, learn from your coach, grow with me and Jim and the rest of our team, you get lifetime access to our community. Every single thing that we do is recorded and uploaded into a private platform off of Facebook, off of the social media’s all credit crap. And it’s saved you one place that you have, again, lifetime access to. So when you join the Fast Foundation’s Mastermind, which you can learn more about at fastfoundations.com and click on join the community to apply, when you join this mastermind, you are in our community for life. I really hope to see you in the room and I hope to talk to you soon.

TIFFANY (16:55):
Definitely. I feel like authenticity and being real comes really naturally to you. And I’m wondering when did that spark kind of happen? When did you first realize like, Hey, brands don’t need to be perfect, I don’t need to be perfect. Like, what made that switch in your mind for you?

MATT GOTTESMAN (17:14):
That’s a good question and, and I can tell you several instances as an entrepreneur, you’re gonna get rock sometimes to your core <laugh>. I mean, like when things don’t work out. Um, I would say entrepreneurship is like the fastest way to personal development and self-observation, self-awareness. Um, you know, I, I, starting in 2014 was really where, uh, I, I felt like I was at one of my lowest periods. There was two main times that, um, felt pretty low. That was one of my lowest, uh, I had done really well for, um, for several companies. And I was married at the time. And, um, and I was, I thought I was leading very well. I knew it wasn’t sustaining because I started kind of finding myself being burnt out. And eventually it all kind of imploded on me. Um, and, you know, uh, thankfully because I knew at my soul level it wasn’t working for me anymore, a lot of the ways I was working.

(18:12):
And you then start to get very real with yourself when everything gets pulled away from you, whether we asked for it or not, it’s a blessing. And when that happened, I had to really start to think about who am I, Tiffany. That’s actually what happened was was like, okay. And I actually, I went to a spiritual advisor and I talked about this on one of my, on one of these videos where I, I went and I said, I think I’m in trouble. And he is like, yeah, what’s going on? I’m like, my soul hurts <laugh>. And like at the, I mean, I can say it like more lighthearted now, but that time I was like, I think I’m in trouble, you know? And he is like, okay. And he’s like, all right, so maybe you’re not in alignment. And I said, how do I get there?

(18:57):
And he is like, well, that’s the journey of your life and it’s going to start by really observing yourself and having a different kind of relationship. And it’s a very humbling one with a lot of humility. And the irony though is when you get to that place, I started asking a lot of really key figures in business and spirituality and in the community very, like questions from a very humility driven place that they actually were very kind to like, help me back up, you know? Um, and it showed me how we have to be very open naturally to just ask questions and, and be like, and, you know, and isn’t that entrepreneurship though, too, isn’t that like, isn’t that life isn’t that relationships like, hey, here’s what I’m dealing with and I’m willing to work on it. I just need help. Imagine if we all spoke that way all the time to each other versus trying to guess what the other, going through or wearing a mask about, like what we’re really feeling compared to, you know, what we might need.

(19:59):
Right. You know, or what we’re saying out loud, I should say. So that is really where it started to teach me that. The second, the, the, the other areas I think really came from my interaction with my father who, who passed in 2019, and he was like a best friend and mentor because really when I thought I was crazy at some of the ideas and things I wanted to do, he was always very like, it’s brilliant. I’m like, all right, I’m gonna take your word for it if you, if you fake it, because he’s just, he, he, he was very visionary esque in a lot of things. And it’s lonely as an entrepreneur when, um, either you’re early to something or only, or in any, not even as an entrepreneur in anything. If you’re, if you can see a vision for yourself, I mean, we’re all different souls.

(20:40):
We’re all going different paths. Everybody you talk to for the most part is gonna be like, what, you know, you know, because maybe it doesn’t resonate with them or maybe they can’t envision it, or just we’re all on different paths than niches. You, um, <laugh>. So, um, interacting with my father was really helpful, um, in changing the perspective, uh, a lot. And as right before he passed in 2019, that, um, was a very, it was that next kind of, okay, um, I’m turning 40 and, you know, I have to change my approach again. And, um, I realized that we’re always gonna be changing our approach. We have to, that’s life and we have to get very uncomf or very comfortable with discomfort or very comfortable with, um, uncertainty and change. And, um, so it just made me really rethink my approach to myself, um, and how I value time and, um, energy and like, what do I, like, how would I really wanna run my life, like really run it?

(21:58):
And so that took me to a whole new level of accountability. Um, and self-reliance. I’m not saying hyper independence, which a lot of people do <laugh>, but, um, we do have to make ourselves very accountable, honest, directional clear and lean in and, uh, responsible for ourselves so others can support and trust us, and we then have the capabilities to support and trust them right back. So I think those are two, you know, one was kind of having a lot of things pulled away from me. And then the, the second being that, you know, watching my father, um, I mean, he worked all the way till the end. Uh, he, he was an entrepreneur and an attorney, but he, he liked his work, but watching him work all the way to the end and seeing his health deteriorate the way it did at the very end when he would, when for the most part healthy his whole life, it scared the shit out of me <laugh>.

(22:56):
So I was like, okay, uh, that’s gonna spark, you know, a lot more humility. And so Tiffany, to to, to kind of finalize on that, that was the, that’s what made me, I basically, it was very simple. Here are the areas that I don’t think that I understand as well as I do. I’m gonna go find those people and, um, basically jump right in and do it. And I did it with my health. I did it with nutrition, I did it with finances, I did it with mentorship and, and, um, other areas. I literally would, I went to my train, my first, I have now two trainers, um, and I went to my first trainer and I remember saying like, Hey, um, you know, I, I’m, I wanna make, you know, uh, my health, my lifestyle, um, you know, and this trainer was like, great, you know, what are your 90 day goals?

(23:40):
I’m like, I don’t think you’re listening to me. I said, I don’t actually care how long I go, five years, 10 years, 15, 20 years, let it ride <laugh>. And the trainer was like, God, I love you as a, you know, as, as an avatar, right? As a, as a person to market to. I’m like, I’m here for the long haul. You know what? I don’t know. I’m not gonna pretend that I do, nor do I have the time. I have the time to invest in me, and I have the time to learn from you. So like, teach me, show me, help me make it a habit. And I haven’t stopped, and it’s been three years. And so I started doing that in all these areas. And I think that we can all learn to just like find people that we can trust in. They love what they do, allow them to help you receive, especially if you’re an entrepreneur. It’s hard. Someone doesn receive when you’re doing things all the time. Receive, learn to receive, learn to invest, and learn to receive. But you know, you, you, we need help. We cannot do it alone. So

TIFFANY (24:37):
Absolutely, I think that we can all agree that entrepreneurship is really lonely, like you said, and that we can’t do it alone. And having coaches in every aspect of our lives is super helpful. And those people can also help you get uncomfortable. Like you said, like it’s easy to be comfortable, and it’s also really hard, at least for me to make myself uncomfortable. But if someone’s like, no, you’re going to, it’s like, okay, <laugh>.

MATT GOTTESMAN (25:05):
Right.

TIFFANY (25:06):
I just wanted to talk a little bit about like, how do you find support? Um, you know, you’re obviously reaching out and like hiring people, but as an entrepreneur, how are you kind of making sure that you aren’t alone and that you’re getting the support you need?

MATT GOTTESMAN (25:22):
You know, there’s several ways. Um, one, I have a brilliant mentor is like 72, 73, we go on these hikes. I mean, he’s, he’s amazingly in shape, um, and teaches me everything from ancient philosophy, um, to, um, history, ancient history, more recent, you know, politics over the last 50, 60 years to strategy finance. Finance is kind of his background. Um, so he is teaching me all these things and I just ask so many questions. And, um, I, he’s a wealth of knowledge. So, you know, you can imagine a three hour hike, you know, when we do him five, six miles, I’m like, let’s do it, you know, and I’ll ask every question. I’m like, what do you think about this? Or where we’re heading with that? And all these things. And especially somebody who’s, um, very calm and matter of fact, not like this, you know, extreme either way or anything like that.

(26:16):
Very, you could just tell the wisdom of somebody who’s like, seen it all, done it all, and is using a lot of like, experience and matter of fact behavior to be like, well, you know. Um, and so that’s been very helpful. I also, um, you know, we, there’s several of us that put together like a men’s group, um, here in Scottsdale, Arizona. Um, and, uh, two, it’s, it’s broken down into two parts. One is into, um, uh, where we do like certain activities that help us ground us more into, you know, who we are. Takes like a moment out to be like, all right, hey, like, let’s, let’s, let’s recalibrate. But as a group, um, and then sometimes it’s also like, maybe just, all right, this ver this particular one might be like, all right, we’ve got a particular subject. Each person goes around the room, we’re gonna actually talk about it.

(27:06):
Like, you’re gonna say like, how you’re experiencing that. And then we kind of also all share. Um, that’s been very helpful. And then, um, you know, we, uh, a friend of mine and I, we created an online community for entrepreneurs globally and creators. Um, and that’s been very interesting, um, driving a lot of people into there, um, and doing these weekly calls. And we actually broke it down into several areas, um, for, uh, you know, the creators and entrepreneurs. Um, and, uh, you know, while two of the calls are more around like the business side of things with the actual like, here’s exactly how to do it and let’s all do it together online, you’re gonna do this for your business versus, you know, theory and like, all right, now, you know, go back later on and, you know, we make everybody do it. There’s two of the, two of the four sessions are actually around the nervous system and creativity and honing your highest productivity with what works for you and understanding your, um, your, uh, the best times of the day for your best output and sleep and nutrition, and how all that’s affecting your, you know, your mindset with how you’re creating.

(28:14):
But it’s very specific to like helping in the area of your life that you’re trying to figure out business and life at the same time. Like, you know, how do you optimize your day so you’re able to kind of do the things that matter the most, right? So that’s been very helpful as well too. And then there’s some really great communities that I join here in, in the community, whether it’s, um, for spiritual or for breath work, um, you know, hiking, um, finding, uh, just different, different ways to, um, you know, kind of get out of the lonely isolated remote. I like being remote. I’ve been like way my whole life, uh, career. But, um, we have to make a life as well. And so going to these different groups has been very helpful. We’re creating the groups. It’s kind of how I kept my sanity. <laugh>, basically

TIFFANY (29:08):
<laugh>. Awesome. Um, quick question. Are you introverted or extroverted?

MATT GOTTESMAN (29:15):
You know, I’m a social introvert is what I guess they’re calling us now. So, <laugh> with, basically what that means is, like, when I was in my twenties, um, I, so I, I traveled to about 30 countries in 120 cities, and I wa and I, I did all the things. I went to all the different, you know, and even here in the states, I would go to, you know, all the different networking events and, and everything. And, um, 2014 really shifted me. It really, it, I mean, it really changed me. Um, and I became a little isolated cuz I was like, okay, everything was stripped away. I need to refine. I think I need to refine my process a little bit. I like people, I really do, but I also am an energy person. And I also realize like we can, if you’re a giver, you can over give.

(30:07):
Um, I learned a little bit about human design and learning what my human design was makes a lot more sense now since I can literally feel everybody’s energy everywhere I go. Um, and I just realized how to, you know, pace myself. I like time alone or with friends and family or loved ones. Um, I like having a private life where the world doesn’t need to know about, especially since, uh, publicly I’m of service and I do a lot online with content and talk about a lot of things. And I like going to the right, um, events for me, the right energetic events for me. Um, and, uh, you know, and, and being around, um, and meeting more individuals that you can potentially run with or, you know, or, or learn from, um, in doses <laugh>. So, so I think that that’s where I really, I, I changed.

(30:57):
So I went, I went from like extrovert to completely isolated to like, all right, now it’s time. About four or five years ago. I was like, all right, you know what, um, a best friend of mine, she was like, listen, you’re gonna have to like, you know, you’re gonna have to, you’re gonna have to reemerge and start really, um, she’s like, you’re not really, you weren’t really born to be behind the screen, you know? Um, and you’re gonna have to kind of really get yourself, uh, just out there doing and being in, you know, and I like it. She’s very spiritual. She said like, meet, meet God, be out there meeting God, um, so your life can, um, you know, develop the way it’s really supposed to versus just kind of, you know, being so pulled back. So, yeah, that’s a longer answer to your short question.

RT CUSTER (31:42):
this. Awesome. I mean, I, I think the, the question at and is what, what is your, uh, your human design and, and what is your Enneagram if, you know, I think that’s, this is just like fascinating. I feel like it’s, the more you know about yourself and how you’re inter interacting with other people, the more valuable those tools are to, to optimize those interactions. So I feel like you’re in that work. So, um, what, what, what is that for you? What, what do you show up as?

MATT GOTTESMAN (32:09):
Yeah, no, I, i forget the hu uh, the Ingram. I’ve gotta find it. I think it was like an eight and something. Uh, but I, I, I’m not, I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna butcher that. Um, I’m a six three projector and, um, projectors are, I actually have a great book that I’m reading about this right now. Projectors are only about 20% of the world. Um, and they’re, um, we’re best paired. So the six three is, six is the sage wisdom and the three is an adventure. Makes perfect sense. <laugh> it <laugh>, it made a social introvert, it makes perfect sense. Um, but as a projector, what I’ve learned is, um, it’s ironic that we’re supposed to do the least amount of work and I have hustled my whole life. So it’s been a very eye-opening, um, as backwards, like I’m having to rethink. And it makes so much sense because, um, the last three years I became very systems focused, systems for schedule, systems for business systems, for scaling systems, for digital.

(33:09):
I even created an agency around systems. And um, it makes so much sense just now learning about being a projector because we’re, we basically optimize everybody else and we’re a guide for everybody else. And it’s a different, we’re not meant to do anybody else’s work, nor are we really meant to do too much work, which is very interesting for a person who’s very driven and wants to like, create, we don’t convince anybody of our value. But, um, we are fortunate enough that it’s usually the ones who have picked up on our value the most are the ones you actually want to be around the most. Usually. Sometimes people can pick up on your value and actually try to take it, which I learned earlier on in my business life. A lot of these things now make so much sense. People who recognize your value, you’re gonna mean one or two buckets usually.

(34:01):
Either they’re going to extract every bit they can, or they’re going to raise you every bit. They can, um, know the difference. It’s been interesting learning as a projector too. Um, we can pretty much go into any environment and I can actually feel pretty much anybody’s energy, um, which is why I can actually have very intimate one-on-one conversations with literally anybody not make, they’ll never feel judged. They’ll, they’ll always feel like they can open up about anything. Um, and that, you know, uh, they’ll even feel even more calm, like a sense of like understanding more about who they are. And it’s okay. And if they get really upset, it’s only cuz usually, um, they might be experiencing more of who they are through me and they don’t necessarily like themselves. It’s happened in business a few times, <laugh>, so I’ve watched. So it’s interesting that you bring it up, like from a business standpoint, learning a lot about how do you optimize.

(34:52):
Um, I work amazingly well with manifest manifesting generators and generators and some of their best, um, come from working with me. And I’ve noticed that they’ve been business partners and friends because, um, they, generators especially can do things they can do so much, so fast. They’re an endless supply of energy. Um, and I’m all about optimization. So I can actually look at all the 50 million things they do and go, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, cut up 47, these three right here. And then they put all that energy on those three, and it’s skyrockets because they are, I can help ’em refine. Like, this stuff’s a waste, don’t do that. Um, and then they can speed me up a little bit as a, you know, as like, as guiding the processor strategist, like how to execute even faster. But, um, because I already know the, the, the, the few things that need to get done to just do those things.

(35:48):
So we have a really, it’s a really great kind of energy flow. So learning about how those work together has actually been very interesting. Um, and then that can lead into, well what kind of, you know, clients or customers do you want or what kind of, you know, or knowing that in partnership and relationship, you know, that’s kind of cool. Like where do you, what do you, and how do we, you know, how do you support that other person knowing what they are? For me, I need a lot of rest. Um, so like eight hours of sleep is like, I’m non-negotiable. I’m getting that eight hours of sleep. And there’s some people who are like, I’ll take three. And they’re like, they just keep going <laugh>, you know, it’s just not me. So I’ve also had designed a lot of like lifestyle choices. Oh, okay. So a lot of rejuvenation, a lot of active recovery.

(36:36):
So I trained four to five days a week. I do ice baths and infrared saunas and, you know, um, and I have to get eight hours of sleep. I actually have to be really about my nutrition. It’s actually been kind of cool because it’s <laugh>, it’s forced me more into my health and spirituality of faith more than ever, which allows me to like, oh, I can optimize, I can do le I can do more and less time over here because I’m putting myself and my energy and my health first in God. So it’s kind of funny how, I guess that solves a lot of things for a lot of us when we’re like, we slow down, but go for the things that are healthiest for us. It speeds everything else up and in the fractions of the time. So that’s some of what I’ve been learning about being a six three projector.

TIFFANY (37:20):
I love that. I was laughing because literally maybe like an hour or two ago, RT was like, I’m a projector and that means I need to work less. And it was like, you just said what he said, <laugh>. No, I think I’m fascinated by human design and don’t know as much about it and think it’s really interesting, like, anytime you can work with your natural strength, I think, you know, path at least resistance. Um, I wanna just change topics just a little bit. There was an podcast episode that I listened to recently of yours, um, I think it was called Making Room for Discovery. And you come across to me at least as someone who is like really creative and grounded and like, because you’re taking care of yourself, you’re refreshed and can be creative. But in that podcast episode you talked about elective credits, kind of like in your own life. And I’m wondering like, what are your elective credits right now? Like what are you doing to learn or just for fun in your own personal life?

MATT GOTTESMAN (38:21):
It’s a good question because I remember years ago when I was asked that I didn’t have any, and that was scary. <laugh>, that was really scary to me. Um, cause that, that’s how I realized I was, I was working too much, you know? Um, and then now I, I just went into like full discovery mode over the last three, four years. So, um, because of nutrition, I really got into cooking and not just like cooking at home, but like, I might watch master classes on, you know, cooking or I, I like, might go to like cooking classes here and that, like I, I have a couple times I’ve gone and a few friends were like, I’ll go. I’m like, you’re right. You know what, but as well, um, and then, um, I also got really into, I got really into like hiking and then going to like different trails in and around the valley or up in Sedona.

(39:07):
Um, and so I actually ended up with like a more active lifestyle than ever before, which, um, I hadn’t really had since like my twenties just from working out with friends, you know, in all those years. So, but this is different cuz now it’s very lifestyle based. And then, um, when I’m not doing those, uh, uh, what that actually also led into from being so active movement wanted me to do even more movement. So recently I started, uh, um, trying and I’m so far sticking with it, Krav Maga, which is, uh, like Israeli martial arts, uh, like Jason Bourne, right? All the Bourne movies, um, like where, you know, you do <laugh> wow. Things like you like flip ’em over with their pinky <laugh>, stuff like that. Um, but it’s just, it’s great. Um, in <laugh> in thinking of like, you know, um, tactical training, um, with my mentor and, and a couple other folks, uh, we um, also started doing like tactical training.

(39:58):
Um, things I’d never thought I’d get into, but it’s so good for like the minds and, and thinking about, you know, um, and strategy and breath work, uh, which cuz you also, there’s like pistol training in that as well. Um, so, which is interesting cuz there’s a lot of, a lot of, um, older friends are like, I never would’ve seen any of this, never would’ve seen any of this coming. And the others were like, I knew it, you know, and I’m like, interesting how you’re viewed right. In different circles. Um, and then when I’m not doing that <laugh>, uh, I got,

(40:25):
gotta keep them on your toes.

(40:27):
Right? Exactly. And, you know, I think, and life is just such discovery cuz I love art. And so, um, I turned my, I did this piece and like other pieces in the heart house, I turned my garage into, um, a mini studio.

(40:39):
Um, so I’ll do like mixed medium art just as a way to like, uh, you know, express and, and create and, um, you know, some more there. So I’ll, I’ll work on that every now and then. I love reading. Um, so I have like different times of the day that I, I do, uh, reading and just various books that are some personal development, um, some in creativity, um, some in history. And, um, I, uh, and I used to be really, I mean I’m still very much in music, uh, but I used to like play different instruments, so I was like, think about going back to piano. Um, so I, it’s funny, like you, you think about how to do things completely. Again, the niches, you <laugh> you think about how to do things that are completely different than maybe you would normally do, right? I mean, see how it, see how we we’re all, we’re all our own niche, right?

(41:28):
Um, so yeah, so tho those are, those have been some of the things. Um, or I’ll with, I’ve been doing a lot more with content creation and, um, Natalie, like going back into like, doing stuff with, uh, mixing sound and music on you guys can’t see it. Like the setup that I have here looks like a spaceship, um, here at my house, <laugh> and then occasionally traveling, although that’s, that’s really changed and travel’s been very helpful for me in general because I like going places and not doing the touristy things per se, but immersing in with the culture and, um, the people from that particular location. Um, so I can see how they, um, how they celebrate life or how they are living, you know, what are they doing within, um, food and music and culture and family and lifestyle and um, and history and architecture and all these things. So, um, I like to go to those places, ask a lot of questions, and then shut up and listen <laugh>. So that’s, that’s also pretty hot on the list.

TIFFANY (42:30):
<laugh>. That’s awesome. You know, one of my favorite things, um, first of all, thank you for chatting with us. This has just been so wonderful. Um, and I know that we appreciate it and I know our members will also appreciate it. Um, but you’re a writer and something that I love about writers is that they typically do read a lot and you mentioned that you read. And so the last question I wanted to ask today is what is a book you read this past year that shifted your perspective?

MATT GOTTESMAN (43:00):
This one right here, the Almanac of Naval Raba. K this is, if you don’t have It, get it. Um, Naval, some know, some don’t, you know, he was on Rogan a few times. He found he co-founded, um, angellist.co sold it. And uh, they call him an angel philosopher angel, more so for like, as an investor. I think he’s in like over 200 companies and, uh, philosopher, he’s very, uh, everything’s about simplicity and scaling back the complexity of the way the mind can kind of make everything so difficult and complex. And, uh, it says The Almanac of Naval, A Guide to Wealth and Happiness. And you read the book because he, it’s also very applicable to the time that we’re living in. And he, he was like saying that, you know, we, we’ve never had more access to create exactly like the life that we want.

(43:56):
Yes, it definitely takes discipline, but like knowing that we have tools at our access like we’ve never had before. And he talks a lot about like how the internet gave us that kind of leverage, right? Which I mean, you know, especially for, um, for this mastermind community. I mean, the internet is the internet. I mean, this is how we have all grown our businesses and done a lot of things, um, and founder audiences worldwide and he talks about that as like leverage. Like, hey, guess what? Gatekeepers are gone. The old system is done. And you know, you’re gonna see a lot more one to four person businesses this like coming, you know, next 15, 20 years with people working remote, doing whatever they want, wherever they want, however they want, so long as they set it up and do it. And, um, but then he talks about happiness.

(44:44):
Um, and that, that too is work and it’s the best work you will ever do. And, um, that, you know, and you, you want to do it. You meaning you want to like figure out who you are and what you like and what makes sense and say no to things that don’t matter. And, um, which will lead me to one other book recommendation will give. Um, and just really, um, understand the things that are the most important to you that don’t have to be important, that that might be important to society. They don’t have to be to you that because of this new world that we live in. Um, and he’s also a bit of an antis, status quo value. He’s not about, like, he has this beautiful way of being like, Switzerland neutral. I’m not gonna tell you what to think, but I am gonna make you think and in making you think you’re gonna come to your own conclusions about the world in which we live in and what’s going on.

(45:45):
Do you wanna live out of fear or do you wanna live out of Creation Pick? And I think that’s kind of the summary for, for that book. And then the other book is Essentialism, the Discipline Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeon. Essentialism is a game changer. Any what? Look, you don’t even have to be an entrepreneur to read this book. It’s gonna change your whole perspective and you’re gonna get rid of 90% of the things that you thought were important, that are unimportant. That’s the whole base of the book. It’s not less in terms of having less, it’s less in terms of better and that 90% of things are unimportant. We are, um, we are burnt out, we are overwhelmed. We’re, um, saying yes to too many things that don’t even make any sense and we’re missing the boat in life versus the 10% that really, really, really matter.

(46:38):
How do you hone in on what that really is? Life, work, play, family, and give that all of your energy and attention and focus and discipline. Now you have a life. And ironically, when you shrink your focus down to the things that are most important, that will expand tenfold to the world that you are operating out of chaos. And he uses so many good examples in that book that you’re like, oh my God, this makes so much sense. In fact, he has a follow-up book, which I haven’t read yet, which is called Effortless <laugh>. And so, um, it, it takes expand on, you know, kind of having more from doing less but, or doing the right things really, really, really well and enjoying those things really, really well. And again, if you couple that with Naval and talk about the internet and staying very dialed in and focused on these areas that you really want to do and, you know, and expand on, um, you’re less overwhelmed by all the inputs and more focused in on the things that make the most sense using technology to expand it, uh, you know, in automation, hopefully, uh, use that to expand it like faster than you ever could before, uh, globally. Right.

TIFFANY (47:51):
Awesome. Thank you. I actually haven’t heard of either of those, that’s [inaudible] to check them out

RT CUSTER (47:55):
that oh my gosh. Shoot,

MATT GOTTESMAN (47:56):
I want a full book report when you’re done.

RT CUSTER (47:57):
Yeah, just like new information <laugh>. That’s awesome. Thank you Matt. This is, this has been just so amazing.

MATT GOTTESMAN (48:04):
quick Reads, you’ll, you’ll be done with these, these books like literally in a week and, and they’ll, they’ll be a game changer. Like you, you’re, you’re never gonna look at life and business ever the same again after you read them, you’ll, you’re gonna be like, no, no, no, no. In fact, you’re almost gonna be disturbed by the things that you see that you’re distracted by and it’s gonna be alarming at first cause you’ll be like, what have I been saying yes to? So it’ll be a game changer.

RT CUSTER (48:29):
Well, thank you so much Matt. Thank you for, for being a mentor. I mean, I’m, I’m sitting here as a projector like Tiffany said, like, you know, uh, just, I mean, it was an hour and a half ago that i, I on a Zoom call with, with our mastermind group, I was like, oh yeah, I’m a projector and like all of the group like, what? Cuz like, I don’t operate like one, just like you talked about, you know, I have a million different things. There’s always something to do. Uh, the, the niche is you. I, that’s, that’s really, when I think about that for me, I just relate so much to you and everything that you just talked about and I’m sure everyone that’s listening did as well. So thank you for, for going deep, for sharing all of your things, making it okay to do all these things and, and just making it okay to, to like focus on the systems behind figuring out how to do all those things in an optimal way. I think that’s why people look up to you. That’s why people follow you. So we do now, we usually look at you as a mentor. We look up to you. We thank you so much for this time that you spent with us. This is awesome. Before we sign off, how and what’s the easiest way for people to find you connect with you? What do you prefer if somebody wants to reach out to you, how does somebody find Matt?

MATT GOTTESMAN (49:48):
Yeah, um, at Matt Gottesman, m a t t g o t t s m a n on Instagram and all the socials, uh, mattgottesman.com, that’s a great way to, uh, I write there weekly, mattgottesman.com, I answer any, any, uh, email that comes through there. And, um, the niches you on all major platforms, apple, Spotify, and, uh, but Instagram people dm me all the time, all kinds of topics or all kinds of like questions. I sparked a few today that apparently, uh, I think we’re good <laugh>, but, um, you know, boy relationships are a really big one these days. Um, but Uh, they, anybody can reach out to me, any of those, but Instagram’s a great way to get ahold of me too.

RT CUSTER (50:26):
Sweet. Thank you so much. Thanks for spending this time with us, Thanks Tiffany for joining us today. This was super fun. Um, excellent questions. We’re gonna keep the conversation going, but if you want more from Matt, just do what he said, reach out to him, talk to him. And, um, and same from us. What else do you want from us? Hit us up in the comments here on YouTube. Um, definitely, you know, review us, tell us what you want else, who else you want us to interview as a mentor on Fast Foundations, we want to hear from you. This is the Fast Foundations podcast and we’ll see you next time.

JESSICA BURGIO (51:09):
Thank you so much for tuning in. For more free business tips like this, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on Instagram at Fast.Foundations. What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? We wanna know, tag us on Instagram, share this episode with a friend, and leave us a five star rating and review so we can reach more incredible entrepreneurs. Like you. We’re so glad to have you as part of our community. Go to our website fastfoundations.com for details on our next in-person event. This podcast Is sponsored by Carter and Custer Agency at carterandcuster.com