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Believing in yourself is easier said than done, but one man puts that very aspect at the heart of everything he does. Serial entrepreneur Matt Wien has built companies in the technology, music, and digital marketing industries. Currently, he is the VP of Holonis, Inc., a company working to shift the way people make money online. I sat down with Matt to try and work some of that wisdom out of him
Matt, can you tell me the story of your prior successes, challenges, and major responsibilities?
Since I was a kid I have always been into figuring out what’s next… rarely completely present in the moment, because my mind was already thinking about the future opportunities the present is creating. That lead to a disinterest in traditional education and a fascination with technology that lasted through college.
As soon as my formal education ended, I became passionate about learning, driven primarily by advancements in technology and the internet made information more accessible. That transformation in me, and the subsequent quest to become more present in the moment while absorbing as much knowledge as possible has been the fuel for my passion in technology.
Living through that evolution, I have accomplished things I am very proud of… conceived and built new divisions within successful companies, founded and sold an agency, consulted for dozens of amazing projects, etc… but each of these successes lacked something I couldn’t define.
In 2010, that “lack of something undefinable” had reached a boiling point within me and I realized that I didn’t want to continue pouring myself into building things that were created purely for profit and didn’t have the potential to create a larger impact on the world we live in.
That sentiment led me on a quest to discover what I wanted, beginning with a fairly abrupt exit from all of the projects I was involved in and culminating in an introduction to a man named Richard Hollis and the vision that would come to be known as Holonis.
Since that day, I have dedicated myself to the cause of empowering humanity through technology. By creating access to information, tools, knowledge and income – I believe Holonis has created a technology that can truly change the way we interact with each other, our personal data, and our limitless potential.
It must have felt amazing to work on something that will positively impact others. So, can you tell me about a time when you almost gave up, how you felt about that, and what you did instead of giving up?
I was born a stubborn kid. I think the fear of quitting and not getting what I want has been a force in my life that has driven a lot of the success I’ve seen. There have been MANY instances when I considered giving up, but realized that I would only be failing myself. I think that’s the biggest takeaway is that quitting anything is just giving up on your own ability to finish it. For some people that may work, but it’s never been something I’m comfortable with.
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