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*Formerly known as Solopreneur: The One-Person Business Podcast*
Welcome to The Aspiring Solopreneur, the weekly podcast that dives deep into the world of solopreneurship. Join us as we bring you insightful interviews with industry experts and successful solopreneurs who have mastered the art of running their own businesses.
Are you a solopreneur looking for guidance on how to attract clients? Or maybe you're searching for ways to stay motivated and overcome the challenges of working alone. Perhaps you're even struggling with the intricacies of taxes and financial management. No matter what obstacles you face, The Aspiring Solopreneur Podcast is here to provide you with the knowledge, inspiration, and practical advice you need.
In each episode, our hosts, Joe Rando and Carly Ries, sit down with a diverse range of guests, including seasoned solopreneurs, marketing gurus, financial experts, and productivity specialists. Together, they unpack the secrets to solo success, sharing their personal stories, strategies, and actionable tips.
Learn from those who have paved the way before you, as they reveal their tried-and-true methods for growing their company of one.
Subscribe now and join our community of solopreneurs who are committed to achieving their goals, mastering their craft, and creating a fulfilling and prosperous business on their own terms. Get ready to unlock the secrets to solo success and become the best version of yourself as a one-person business owner.
Want to learn from and grow with other solopreneurs? Join our movement for FREE at https://www.lifestarr.com/solosuite-intro-for-solopreneurs
Who doesn't love a good comeback story? Our guest, Matt Theriault, made 1,000,000, lost it all, and then rebuilt his wealth from scratch, emerging stronger and more resilient than ever. In this episode, he opens up about the challenges he faced as a solopreneur in the early days of building his real estate empire and reveals the mindset shifts that kept him going while things got tough. Whether you're looking to bounce back or take your business to the next level, this episode is packed with insights and strategies tailored just for you. We cover topics like where people should begin if they're looking for passive income streams, even if they don't have a lot of capital.
Carly Ries:Mindset shifts that are necessary for solopreneurs to build a successful business. How to balance growing your business while maintaining flexibility and independence, how to approach marketing and networking as a solopreneur, strategies for creating systems that allow for growth without losing control, as well as managing the ups and downs of cash flow and advice for solopreneurs dealing with inconsistent income. If you think that's a lot, we cover that and so much more, so be sure to tune in. You're listening to the aspiring solopreneur, the podcast for those just taking the bold step or even just thinking about taking that step into the world of solo entrepreneurship. My name is Carly Rees, and my co host Joe Rando and I are your guides to navigating this crazy but awesome journey as a company of 1.
Carly Ries:We take pride in being part of Lifestar, a digital hub dedicated to all aspects of solopreneurship that has empowered and educated countless solopreneurs looking to build a business that resonates with their life's ambitions. We help people work to live, not live to work. And if you're looking for a get rich quick scheme, this is not the show for you. So if you're eager to gain valuable insights from industry experts on running a business the right way the first time around, or want to learn from the missteps of solopreneurs who've paved the way before you, then stick around. We've got your back because flying solo in business doesn't mean you're alone.
Carly Ries:Okay. So, Matt, no pressure, but we were talking offline about you have, like, a larger than life personality a personality, at least on, in the interwebs. So, I'm very excited for today because I love the energy that you bring, in your YouTube videos and everything else, and I think it's something that our listeners will be so drawn to. But I'm also just so drawn to your story, and I think, you just have a a great one to tell that I think people will like. So you have built this great business, but you're you started as a solopreneur.
Carly Ries:And I wanna know, like, what challenges did you face when you began your real estate business, and how did you overcome them to be at the success success level you are today?
Matt Theriault:Sure. Well, actually, I haven't always been in real estate. When I got out of the marine corps, I spent the probably the next 15 years of my life in the music business. And I had a small little hip hop label, and it was a label all by myself. I had made my own little records, and I put them in the back of my car, and I'd drive from store to store to store.
Matt Theriault:That was a while ago when they had music stores, and, I put the records on consignment. I I was in Southern California, so I start in Los Angeles. I drive up to all the way hit all the music stores between Los Angeles and San Francisco, then all the way through the, the Inland Empire and all the way down to San Diego and all the way back up. And that was, like, a week long route. And once I got back, it was time to go back again to see what it actually sold, collect my funds, and do that around and around and around.
Matt Theriault:So I did that for several years and as just a a one man operation. And then I got a, an offer from EMI. I had made enough noise with just what I've been doing by myself that they gave me this massive, distribution global distribution deal. And, again, I mean, I was a solopreneur for probably a year into that and then had a few employees, but they're really just my buddies, and we're just working together. And, you know, so I made my millions before I was 30.
Matt Theriault:And then, this thing called the digital download came along and turned the whole industry upside down. People stopped going to music stores. They started downloading it and everything. And and, you know, in hindsight, it's crystal clear what happened. But at the time it was happening, I mean, we we didn't have the Internet as we know of it right now in the in the way social media is and the way that news proliferates so quickly.
Matt Theriault:But, I mean, within 6 months, I was out of business, and the money stopped rolling in. And and the, and the wife left, and she left me with all of her debt. And then so I had to file bankruptcy, and that was in 2001. And I found myself at the age of 34 having to start life completely from scratch and went out into the the job world and found out that I didn't have the credentials to qualify to even interview for stuff. So I looked into selling insurance, and I was selling cars.
Matt Theriault:I went through a number of multilevel marketing type things to really try and find my place, ended up bagging groceries. And was just like, oh my god. How did I end up here? And I really missed my money because I really missed my lifestyle. And the of all the people, the most unlikely mentor was, the grocery store manager who was also 34 years old.
Matt Theriault:So we were the same age, but he was managing the store, and I was pushing the carts. And he had said, you know, Matt, let me tell you something about money. And I was like, okay. Because I was all ears at that point in my life because he certainly had a whole lot more than me. He says, you know, real estate, it's it's the final frontier where the average person has a legitimate shot at creating real wealth.
Matt Theriault:Let me show you what I've done. And so he'd been there 18 years. So he was 34. He started working there. He's 36 in high school.
Matt Theriault:And he was going to, retire in the next 2 years. He'd be able to pull 70% of his full salary as his pension. But he says, look what I've done along the way. I've picked up a couple apartment buildings, and they produce enough cash flow where that's going to exceed what I get from my pension. And I was like, wow.
Matt Theriault:And, so that night I grabbed a bottle of wine after work and went home and did everything on on Google about real estate and found out that I had a an estranged aunt. I hadn't seen her probably 15, 16 years. She was the number one real estate agent about, just 2 cities over. And so at that point, I was the the wine was gone, and I was loaded with liquid courage. So I fired off an email to her, and in the morning she had responded.
Matt Theriault:And we had lunch that day, and within 24 hours I was in real estate agent school. And so that's how I got into real estate. It was really kind of an accent, a very whimsical spontaneous thing.
Joe Rando:What year was this?
Matt Theriault:That would have been 2,002, 2003. Okay.
Joe Rando:So you had you had some runway before the crash. Okay.
Matt Theriault:Yeah. Yeah. I did. And it's funny. I the the crash didn't affect me at all.
Matt Theriault:I can tell you about that if you want. But, you know, for about 3 or 4 years, I was an agent, and then I had 2 clients that were just, you know, amazing. If if any agent would be hearing the story, like, yes. That's the type of client I want. I mean, they would just they'd fax in their offers.
Matt Theriault:They'd fax in their listings. You know, we used to use fax machines. That's so Sean is back a little bit. But it was just great. I just processed paperwork and made these big fat commissions.
Matt Theriault:I was living in, I was working in, Palos Verdes, California. And, you know, the the smallest house there is a $1,000,000, so you didn't have to sell that many to do really well for yourself. Right. And then this one day, there was one Saturday, it was the pivotal moment. And I had a meeting with them.
Matt Theriault:It was, like, 10:30 in the morning on a Saturday, and I showed up in my suit and tie. I had all their documents laid out on the table ready to to go ahead and facilitate the next transaction or whatever it was that we're meeting on. And they showed up 20 minutes late. They were in jeans and a T shirt. They signed all their paperwork and took off for the weekend, and I was left to work.
Matt Theriault:I was left there to hold their house open and process all their paperwork. I was like, you know what? If real estate is where all the money's at, I think I'm just sitting on the wrong side of the desk. Mhmm. Because I started to compare commissions to what profits were.
Matt Theriault:And so I had made a decision almost immediately to never represent another person in a transaction again only to act on my own behalf. And so I made a huge investment in a real estate investing education. And, you know, that was kinda the rest was history. I just did what they told me to do. And, again, a one man operation for most of for a good 4 or 5 years.
Matt Theriault:I ran across this little book. I don't know if you guys have ever heard of it. It's called Rich Dad Poor Dad.
Carly Ries:Oh, yeah. That small thing?
Matt Theriault:Yeah. That small little thing? But, it introduced me to 2 things that, rightly, I hadn't ever been taught before. 1 was a a new definition of wealth. Right?
Matt Theriault:So you needed to have rather than having a bunch of money in the bank, which is what my definition of wealth was when I was in the music business. And, but that definition of wealth was just to have enough passive income each month to cover your monthly expenses. And that was totally different, a way of thinking about it. And then and then the whole concept of passive income would be the second thing.
Joe Rando:You know? That that that blew me away too. That that whole redefinition of what it means to be wealthy was was completely life changing for me.
Matt Theriault:Yep. Absolutely. You know? And and we speak English, and I can take the word passive, and I take the word income. I can put them together and kinda figure out what it means.
Matt Theriault:But to be taught it as an actual intention was, like, that was mind blowing. And so within three and a half years, I was able to suppress my expenses down lowest I could, and then got my passive income to to exceed that, and I was free. Now I didn't have my money back, but I had experienced both definitions of wealth. And I gotta tell you, the second one was actually the better one. You know?
Joe Rando:You have to drive around all week Mhmm. You know, pitching pitching your your album.
Matt Theriault:I retired for about 30 days. And, you know, it when you do that, I think I was 39 or 40 years old when I did that. And, you know, you can only watch so many movies. You can only go to the gym so many times. You can only hit so many golf balls, and then you can only go to so many happy hours before that get that daily routine gets kinda old.
Matt Theriault:And then what you also discover is that you're doing it alone all the time, because everyone everyone that you know your age has to work, you know. And, so then we kind of corrected course and went deeper into the real estate, and then we started teaching it as well.
Carly Ries:Yeah. So, Pat, let me ask you this. Because, you were talking about passive income, and I think that's very appealing to so many solopreneurs. But you also talked about a big investment, and you, like, put in this big investment and then kinda start to grow from there. What do you rec where do you recommend people start with passive income that don't have the capital for that big investment?
Matt Theriault:I mean, the Internet has made so many different options available to people. So with that book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, you know, it was very much, you know, the difference between the way the rich and the poor think. But it was pretty real estate centric. Right? And I kind of take what I learned in that book, and then what my grocery store manager told me, like, this is the final frontier where the average person has a legitimate shot at creating real wealth.
Matt Theriault:And at that point in my life, I was feeling far below average. So I was like, who am I to aspire above that? So there's the real estate aspect of it. I think that's, even if you just did, like, one house every other year on the side, while you did your full time something else, you're gonna be miles ahead of everybody else that follows this traditional path of investing in the stock market max out your 401 k. If you do the math, it's it's no comparison.
Matt Theriault:But there's an when I kind of reached that, I went to another, this seminar. It was about creating passive income, and I was looking like, okay, now I need to diversify. I got a good thing going with the real estate. Let me go and diversify. And it introduced, the whole thing turned out to be about membership websites.
Matt Theriault:So you have a little website and, you know, and they said, wealthy people are wealthy because they figure out how to do one thing really good, and then they create multiple streams of income from that knowledge. And so the next logical progression for most people is to go out and be some sort of consultant or educator or trainer. And so kind of taking those two ideas, and so taking your knowledge and putting it behind the paywall, I think that's that's a a form of passive income that I think also anybody can do, because everybody is good at something. Right? And there's somebody that is not a far as far along as you are, and they'll pay you for that information.
Matt Theriault:You know, whether that's, you know, a a $50 a month, a $100 a month, or, you know, $50,000 a year, there is a value for that in the marketplace. So I think that's a really good place for most people to start is, like, what do I know? Right? And and what can I share, and what would people wanna pay me for?
Carly Ries:I do wanna hear about how you weathered the storm during the recession because I think a big question that solopreneurs have is just, like, when you're on your own, the ebbs and flows of not having that, salaried paycheck. But as you were saying, passive income is nice to support your daily cost. But how did you weather that storm, and what advice would you have for people to deal with the ebbs and flows?
Matt Theriault:You know, I've been thinking about that a lot over the last couple years, really, of why 2,008 wasn't so devastating to me. And I think we were just for one reason we were living in different times to where I didn't know it was a bad thing. I didn't really have a point of reference. I was like, Okay, the market just changed, so we changed our strategy. And I did very, very well during that part.
Matt Theriault:I mean, I had a little speed bump like everybody else where it slowed down. But by 2009, mid 2009, I was in full steam ahead making more money than I've ever made. And so I think by not having access to information all day long, every second of the day, I think is it could be really beneficial. So I've been on it since the last election was at 2020. I've been on a news diet ever since.
Matt Theriault:Like, I can't go through that again. And so I just don't pay attention. I just find that I'm I have no idea what's going on right now, and I I just feel so much more at peace. So I think that's one thing. But let me can I
Joe Rando:ask you a can I ask you a question on that before so, you know, you say you didn't really notice it, but, like, so many people in 2008 wound up with vacant homes? No. I mean, I'm assuming you're doing residential. Are you doing homes and and and apartment buildings?
Matt Theriault:Well, here's the distinction with, I think with that. The people who lost really big were the fix and flippers. And they were the ones that had, you know, you could buy a house, pay full retail this month, and sell it for 20% more 3 months later, 4 months later. Right? So you didn't have to even be good at finding deals.
Matt Theriault:Like, the market would just, like, rescue you from
Joe Rando:your your
Matt Theriault:your income.
Joe Rando:Riding the curve, I call it. Totally.
Matt Theriault:And what did you call it?
Joe Rando:Riding the curve, riding the wave. Mhmm. You know? And it
Matt Theriault:was a big wave. So if you were in it, then it was carrying you really far. And I think where people really got hurt was, well, if I did 1 this month and I made such and such, what if I did 2? What if I did 3? What if I did 4?
Matt Theriault:And then money was so easy to come by. The banks were just throwing it at people. So those that had 4, 5, 6 flicks and flips going on at the same time, which is a lot of people, that's who got really hurt when all of a sudden those houses weren't worth more than they're worth less than what they paid for them. Right. And then the builders, of course, they overbuilt, and then they couldn't sell them to to do that.
Matt Theriault:So, yeah, the the market was flooded with inventory. But if you bought right and and you weren't over leveraged, you know, your income properties that I had, and I had in mine were in middle America. They're Danville, Illinois and Memphis.
Joe Rando:Oh, okay. Interesting. Yeah. So you weren't in California.
Matt Theriault:Yeah. I mean, I didn't well, it's really tough to cash flow in California. So after reading Rich Dad Poor Dad, like California was kinda like a no go zone because you couldn't cash flow. It was all speculation. And so in those middle America areas, the market crash didn't really hit as hard.
Matt Theriault:Right? The prices didn't fall as much.
Joe Rando:Right, right.
Matt Theriault:Yep. The job loss was minimal. So the tenant stayed. So I didn't really have a big, there wasn't a big impact for me during that period.
Joe Rando:Now how did you make that passive income since it was, you know, 1,000, 1500 miles from where you lived? How did you make it make make that passive as opposed to you being there fixing the toilets?
Matt Theriault:Right. Yeah. No. And I've never fixed a toilet, by the way. In fact, I've been if you put a I you put a wrench in my hand, that'd be very dangerous, mostly to myself.
Matt Theriault:But the is it's relationships really, and I and I don't wanna, like, just kinda use that as this big general statement. But, you know, there's property managers out there and that manage properties for a living, And I had to rely on them because I was, you know, 6, 7 states away. And so I just became really good at managing property managers. And that's how I was able to make it happen.
Joe Rando:Yeah. Makes sense. Yeah.
Carly Ries:The other thing I wanted to ask, and this is when I was like, I don't know which question to ask first. What role did did your mental state have on all of this? You were saying you were like, at the time when I was 34, I felt like I was below average. And you had that feeling. Did did just a shifted mindset help with things as well, or what role did that play in your success?
Matt Theriault:I think having been at the grocery store for about 6 months and, you know, feeling really lousy and really depressed, I'm like, how did I end up here? And I'm bad in groceries and, you know, I was is in the town that I had I went to high school, and then my high school sweetheart comes through the checkout line. And I was sitting there going paper or plastic. I mean, that'll really beat you down mentally. And so once I went through kind of 6 months of that, I was, I think I was only ready to go up from there.
Matt Theriault:So I think if I would have made the transition straight from the music business where I had a big bank account over to real estate to where I didn't have a big bank account, that might have been really tough. But I went down so far and so low and had a real attitude adjustment imposed upon me that, you know, it was like, okay. Here we go. 34 is not that old. Even though I I just turned 55, and I think how ridiculous it was when I was 34 years old, and I thought I was, like, past my prime.
Carly Ries:You know?
Matt Theriault:And I remember being depressed about that. But, I was like, wow. If if I guess, mentally, that what the real shift was, what happens if I don't do anything? What happens if I just stay the course and do what I'm doing right now? Where will I be in 5 years?
Matt Theriault:And the thought of that terrified me. So that was enough to get me into action and say, hey. I know 5 years is gonna pass whether I get to work or not. So where do I wanna be when that 5 years does pass?
Carly Ries:Yeah. It's a great point. Well, so I also wanted to circle back. You were saying that after your 30 days of retirement and there are only so many happy hours and everything, you decided to just kind of expand and go from there. So what advice do you have for solopreneurs who want to scale their business without losing control of the current operations that are working?
Matt Theriault:Mhmm. I think because I've had a big business, and we our business was as big as it's ever been just before COVID, and it was very much a live event business. And, you know, that was probably the worst time ever in history to have a live event business when they shut the world down. But
Joe Rando:Help me understand. What was the live event business? The the the education?
Matt Theriault:Yeah. The education aspect.
Joe Rando:Oh, so you were doing that live. Okay. Yep.
Matt Theriault:And we're doing it every single week. It was very capital intensive. The margins are very, very small. I know people think that the, like, the guru that comes to town, they're making all this money because they're selling this stuff for 30, 40, $50,000 a package. It's like, no.
Matt Theriault:The the margin is super small because you're jumping from market to market, and you're you're the just the man amount of money has to be spent to get people actually in the audience. And then you got 14, 15 people on the team, so you got plane tickets every single week. You got hotels. The margin is really small. And so that kinda leading me to this point that when COVID caused us to reset everything, it was like, okay.
Matt Theriault:Let's just keep it really, really small, and let's see how we can scale this. And I think just, again, with the Internet and everything that's available and so many different services out there available, I think it's really easy for a solopreneur just to kinda delegate stuff. I mean, if you look at somebody like, there was a story about Kylie Jenner, you know, the the youngest billionaire ever. And, essentially, she just came up with ideas and outsourced everything. You know?
Matt Theriault:And she sat at the top and called the shots. But it used to be, like, the idea was the or excuse me. The execution was the real value in building a business. But now you can outsource the execution. Now the real value is in coming up with the right idea.
Matt Theriault:So I think
Joe Rando:And the branding, I think.
Matt Theriault:Totally. The branding helps, for sure. But, I mean, there's a bunch of, you know, ecommerce entrepreneurs that are making millions that you've never heard of. So you can outsource and outsource and delegate a lot of the execution, and I think that makes it easier for solopreneurs than ever.
Carly Ries:Well, so speaking of branding, do you and, like, you were talking about getting people in the seats. What marketing advice would you give solopreneurs that helped you grow your business, when you were in their shoes?
Matt Theriault:Well, in hindsight, I mean, I don't know if I can give advice, but in hindsight, what got us to where we are was I started my podcast in 2009 when I had to explain to every single person that I told what I did. I had to explain to them what a podcast was. Right? They didn't know, and I was like and I so I just say, oh, it's like an on demand radio show. And they'd be like, oh, okay.
Matt Theriault:Well, who listens to that? And I was like, well, people do. Right? So getting in that early, I think, had a a significant impact. I wish I would have known the value of it then because I didn't take it that seriously.
Matt Theriault:But, you know, that just created such a following when we would do our live events, especially for the 1st 4 or 5 years. We did no advertising at all. We just say, hey, we're gonna be in we're gonna be in Tampa this weekend. Come out and see us. And people would just show up, and they would show up like fans.
Matt Theriault:Like, it was like a weird thing because if they would have seen me when I was recording my podcast then, I'm in my underwear in my closet where all the clothes were so it wouldn't echo, Right? And just a little laptop and a small little microphone. And that's what the podcast was at that time. And, you know, when you come out into the real world and meet the people that are listening, you had no idea who was listening and the impact that you were having. But I think what really I noticed was and I heard this over and over and over again.
Matt Theriault:Some people say, oh, my gosh. You're you're the same in person as you are on the podcast. So I think as you're building a brand, the authenticity and just being yourself, even if you don't like who you are, there are other people out there just like you that will like you. So like not trying to please everybody and just being yourself and and not being afraid to to voice an opinion and and have a voice, and I think that's really important to to building a brand. And if you look at the people that are really big, whether the I mean, I guess some people, it's it's difficult to tell whether they're faking it or not unless you met them in real person.
Matt Theriault:But they're just very consistent with who they are, and those seem to be the ones that get the most traction from their brand.
Joe Rando:Yeah. I mean, certainly, I would not be I would be very surprised to see Joe Rogan not be like Joe Rogan in in real life. It just he I'm not saying I love everything about the guy, but he comes off as authentic for sure.
Matt Theriault:Mhmm. So that's,
Joe Rando:you know, I think that's a really great piece of advice to just, you know, be you.
Matt Theriault:And I'm a big fan of Gary Vee, and and I think he's absolutely right that if you don't have a brand, you don't have anything in in the way that the the world is moving. And so I think, building your brand, like, picking one platform and just getting good at that one platform before ever going to the next one, I think, is is a really good way to start. So whether that is a podcast, and, you know, we ventured off in in YouTube and that took off really well, but I've never been good on Instagram ever. And, you know, in fact, I've been shut down.
Joe Rando:Generation, man.
Matt Theriault:Yeah. And then I just started posting. I was starting, when I got into the YouTube shorts because our our YouTube channel is so much stronger. And so I would just automatically post the YouTube channel. The shorts would automatically get fed over to a TikTok feed that we added, my TikTok channel.
Matt Theriault:And all of a sudden, I have 40,000 people over there. And but I have nobody on Instagram. So I don't I don't know why one works and why one doesn't. But, I think
Carly Ries:Nobody does.
Matt Theriault:Yeah. Just pick 1 and get good at it.
Carly Ries:Yeah. Well, but we're talking about diversifying our marketing and everything, but what advice would you have for solopreneurs who want to diversify their income streams, but are kind of afraid to take that leap?
Matt Theriault:Yeah. I think diversification is is really good. I mean and there's also two schools of thought on it. Right? It it represents some security and some comfort.
Matt Theriault:But it also can for an entrepreneur minded person, it could that shiny object syndrome could get in the way to where you're not very good at any of those incomes. Right? And I think in hindsight, I would go really, really deep with 1 and get that up and running to the point where it's boring. You know, Warren Buffett says, the best investing is boring investing. And