Matthew Hoppe is a dynamic and results-driven marketing executive with extensive experience driving brand growth and leading digital transformation across diverse industries, including e-commerce, retail, action sports, hospitality, and prop-tech.
Currently, Matthew serves as Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Commercial Sales at LQA Group’s One Home Solution, where he plays a key leadership role in driving the company’s ambitious growth strategy to revolutionize the home maintenance market through innovative, technology-driven solutions.
Matthew’s career spans marketing roles with globally recognized, product-focused brands such as Nike, Bauer Hockey, Cannondale, Schwinn, and Backcountry.
Matthew holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of New Hampshire, where he was a four-year Academic All-American and a member of the Men’s Ice Hockey Team.
Matt lives in Park City, Utah where his passion for the outdoors keeps him busy whenever he’s away from the office.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I have 2 children — so my day has to start early usually around 5 AM. I’m an early riser and find I’m most productive when my day kicks off with a morning workout. Depending on the season I’ll either get up and ride my mountain bike or head out for an early AM ski tour. Finding that space to go and move my body is paramount to setting the tone for day.
Once I get home I shift pretty quickly into tactical mode. Our household is hectic in the AM. My wife is a teacher so she’s out the door pretty early and we are working to get the kids get off to school, packing lunches etc (all the typical stuff).
I’m incredibly lucky as our office is close by, so my commute is really easy. In the summer I’ll ride my bike just to squeeze in a bit of additional outdoor time.
Working at a start-up means no two days are the same. So I’ll come in with a plan of what the business needs for the day and depending on how things are going I might immediately be putting out a few fires or when it all goes right we’ll get right into whatever project we’re managing at the moment. It’s never a dull moment scaling a business and it’s certainly taught me a lot about time management and where to focus energy daily.
I usually leave the office around 6 PM. I like to be home to spend some time with the kids and I enjoy making dinner (I just got a new pizza oven and it’s been a win for everyone in the house). I tend to run out of steam around 9 PM — so once the house is quiet I try to read for 30 mins before calling it a day.
I find the days when I accomplish moving my body, putting in a solid day of moving the business forward, and connecting with my family are by far the most rewarding. Whenever that mixture gets out of balance (one way or the other) I tend to get real antsy as that cadence provides the right space for personal and professional expression.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I was an English major in college and fell into a career in marketing. I really, like most English majors, wanted to write for a living. So a novelist or for a bit I was thinking about being a journalist. However, as an intern at Nike, I was sitting in a meeting and everyone started talking about “the story” of the product and how we were going to craft that message. I had a real “ah-ha” moment in that room. I literally thought — ‘wait every company is telling stories. I think I’ve found my path’. From there, it was a real hands-on experience getting exposure to marketing principles and tactics. I am forever grateful to my first mentor Ed Saunders. Without him, I wouldn’t have made a career as a marketer. He gave me a real-life crash course on how to be a valuable marketing resource.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m really into the expansion of micro-brands. Having worked for some really large brands in my career, they carry a lot of value and weight in the market. However, I’ve come to appreciate how a challenger brand or a new entrant into the category can bring innovation to a stagnant marketplace in an incredibly reduced timeframe. As a consumer, seeing that innovation (and benefiting from it) has really changed the way I look at my own purchase habits. Do I want to see out the things I know and have a history with or do I want to take a flyer on what feels like the new thing? The transformation of consumer connection through digital has paved the way for brands to blossom with small challenger brands and I’m here for it.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I’m all over my kids about outcomes — and they will hate me for sharing this here — but I repeat the well-used phrase “How you do anything is how you do everything”.
I’m a firm believer — throughout the day you are going to big great opportunities and small ones. How you engage and focus in on nailing each of those with the same consistency will lead to productivity.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Chill the F out and try to enjoy some of what is happening around you.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
Phish is the greatest rock band ever.
(I will happily engage in this conversation with anyone at any time)
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Move your body. It’s the ultimate gift to give yourself each day. Start small if you have to — but stack those days and before you know you’ll be running that marathon, riding that 100-mile ride or just making it around the neighborhood. But don’t sit still.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I go for a bike ride — alone. I really enjoy getting into the rhythms of cycling and find the meditative state it puts me into creates the space for my brain to process. My wife will confirm — I’m a better husband, Dad, and Leader when I have completed a solo bike ride or ski session.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Find a mentor (or mentors) and engage with them. Ask them questions. Engage in the process of understanding how they got successful and then put those ideas into practice.
I received a solid piece of advice once ‘No one is going to manage your career but you’. So if you have a goal to move up or be a director or make CMO (whatever your goal is). Go and talk to people who have made it to that point. Then and this is the hardest part — you have to take that advice, put your head down, and DO THE WORK. It’s one thing to state you want something or seek out the strategies to get there — but
it has to come with the expectation that you are going to earn it.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Wait — you get leaders to admit they are wrong (in writing) — that’s impressive!
Kidding
As marketers, we fail all the time. I’ve been certain about a campaign tagline or about a business choice and made wild passionate claims in meetings about the success potential — only to see those fall woefully short. But it’s like getting tabbed to take the shot at the end of a game. You want that ball and you want the opportunity to bring in that victory — it’s why we all do what we do as leaders — we believe in ourselves and have honed key learnings and real-life scars from those failures into a pretty good radar for where success is waiting for the business.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Metchup
Ketchup and Mustard in a side-by-side bottle (for camping or picnics) with a refillable insert — so you never have to be without.
Easily extendable to PB&J / or other inserts (mayo, ranch & buffalo sauce), etc. etc.
(This idea is patent pending in my head.)
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Teams — it’s our main internal communication tool and so much of our day is spent in this space.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
I bought a new Detroit Lions Hoodie when I was home seeing my mom earlier this year. It’s been a L O N G time coming to be able to wear that proudly in public — but this is hopefully our year!
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
I’m pretty lucky that reading comes easily to me — I try to read 2-3 books a week — so honing in on a favorite is tough. Right now, I’m reading a great book by Adam Higgenbotham about the Discovery Shuttle disaster. I knew a bit about space travel but the details he’s providing on a page-by-page basis craft an incredible picture of just how talented everyone (from the astronauts to the engineers) at NASA is. 10 minutes into this book and you quickly get a sense of just how absurd it is we can send humans into space and get them back safe.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
My kids are really into Star Wars and Marvel. As a sci-fi nerd, it’s been great to watch all the historical and new releases with them. Nothing is better than watching your kids (Spoiler Alert) learn the truth about Darth Vader for the first time.
Key learnings:
- It is rare to have the time to self-reflect (life is never dull and always hectic).
- It was fun to look back on my career progression and think about the struggles and the times of success. It was also helpful to level set that I’ve learned a thing or two about how to progress through a career in business and marketing when none of it was on my radar or career plan.
- Hopefully something I’ve shared resonates and helps someone in their day or life in even the smallest way.