Matt Edwards

Take actions! Confront your fears. Do not hesitate.

 

Matt Edwards has been in direct sales for over 2 decades. His first introduction to work started with watching his father leave for the post office every day over an hour earlier then necessary just to make sure he could overcome any challenge and still be there ready to go early. Matt does not recall any “sick” days. This expectation of success continued with athletics. Matt enjoyed playing basketball through high school. In 1993 the Edwards moved to a farm in southern lowa. During this time, Matt had to undertake various chores including working with cattle, cleaning pastures, building fences, and many other items. In this arena nothing got accomplished that was not tackled yourself. A plan had to be made, followed through to completion, and followed up on. He graduated interstate 35 High School in 1997 and briefly attended lowa State University. It was in Ames that he began to find an edge in the sales field. He worked for various outfits performing telemarketing and eventually an in house sales position with Kirby. This was also his first introduction to canvassing. These positions really dialed in the fact that success was born out of determination and consistency. In 2001 Matt moved to San Diego with his girlfriend (now wife Jaci). They had no plan. it was just each other and decision to make it happen. After responding to a vague ad for a construction company needing help, Matt found his opportunity. From Canvasser to Vice president and every step along the way one item stayed true – Go get it done and things will work out. He now can boast youth basketball coach on his resume and enjoys the challenge of getting the group to work towards a common goal.

One of the experiences Matt most enjoys is witnessing a new person’s start on the path of success. “It is a reminder that what we are doing has a purpose, that these repeated efforts work.” When a new representative hits the field and earns and order everyone’s excuses are shown for what they are and are lost as noise. And for a period of time everyone experiences and re-experiences that success. The biggest challenges is getting a group of adults to just believe, to buy into the dream, to decide to go make something happen out of nothing except opportunity and to turn that into success.

Where did the idea for Genesis Home Improvements come from?

After working in the remodeling industry for several years we noticed several opportunities to improve the end user’s experience. Our customers were looking to improve their home, to improve their enjoyment of their home. We knew we could do it better.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

Days start with organization, meeting and discussing each department’s day, week, and month goals with an eye to the following season. These meetings allow our team to gather the questions that need answers and the items or ideas that need to be worked or reshaped. Then we find the appropriate department to tackle each task. The consistency of our actions is the number one reason for a productive and expected result. “it is not sexy but it is successful.”

How do you bring ideas to life?

This is a Team effort. When we have a good idea, we give it wings with a buy in and discussion. We can only make it fly with everyone’s partnership. When we all have an opportunity to discuss it, we are all bought in, we gave a stake in its result, and we will all work to do our part to make it work.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Customer engagement. These platforms; Facebook, twitter, etc., have major flaws, but the path towards engagement and communication will lend itself to more reasonable customer expectations and by extension, higher customer satisfaction.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I am determined. I make a plans and stick to them.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Take actions! Confront your fears. Do not hesitate.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

The Symptoms of being to sick to perform or work are largely mental. Make decisions to take advantage of the health you have and you will be up to the days or week challenges. Decide to focus on the health were missing and we will not be well. Show strength.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Create and follow a system. Do what works. Do not reinvent just to reinvent, this is a waste of energy and emotion.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Specialization. Our sales people spend their time learning how to sell an out selling. Our Marketing team does all of our prospecting. Our production crew builds. The people trained for each responsibility spend all of their time focusing on those task alone.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

We focused on expansion and not on the core business. Had to withdraw back to our original service area and spend countless hours and energies getting back to basic and re training our systems.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Pet food and supply app for delivery. This would be similar to uber eats, where the order is placed and it is delivered quickly within an hour or so. This is a hue market and people will pay for their pets and pay for the convenience of not leaving their house for this sole purpose.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Fire stick and modem. I have found that streaming is more active, it requires more effort to switch or find something new and often leads us to enjoy other activities and each other’s company more fully. This also greatly reduces the amount of advertising our children are subjected to.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Beacon 3d+, this service allows our sales and marketing staff to get accurate measurements for project without having to go on roofs, in attics, or up ladders. Safe and Quick!

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

David McCullough’s 1776. This book focuses on the start of the American Revolution. It shows how even and event of this magnitude was so close to failure, so tentative, and had near constant failures, and yet through almost perseverance alone wads able to sustain and eventually create the building blocks of the world’s most successful republic. Surely we can tackle a business.

What is your favorite quote?

There never was a horse that couldn’t be rode, nor a man that couldn’t be throwed.

Key Learnings:

• Simple is successful.
• Be consistent in your behaviors. Staying consistent will keep your team from losing focus.
• Go for it. Take that chance, The time is right when you make it right.
• Specialize. Your team should focus on the tasks they are most suited to excel with.
• Stay the course. Your determination will lead your team to the results everyone is working towards.

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