Welcome back to the show, my fellow extraordinary Americans. For today’s guest, we have Matt Russell. Matt is a subject matter expert, coach, speaker, entrepreneur, and investor focused on overcoming barriers to implementing time savings for clients. He is the CEO and chairman of the Board for ProCents, where he and other experts help increase profitability. To increase buying power, their manufacturers and members work symbiotically to provide the industry with the most current and complete lighting solutions.

As founder of Arcore, he teaches other professionals and organizations how to enhance their business success. His experience includes over 25 years in sales, leadership, and development, 15 years in real estate and energy efficiency sales, and 20 years as an entrepreneur. Over the last decade, he has provided guidance to aid in efficiency decisions that have saved more than $1 billion. Some of Matt’s clients have included Disney. SeaWorld Orlando, BMW Universal, Porsche, Dollar General, FedEx UPS, the Library of Congress, and Home Depot. Matt is what I would call an extraordinary American, and I’m glad to have him on the show. Matt, are you there?

I’m here.

Matt, thank you so much for taking the time to do the podcast with me. I’m honored to have you on the show, and I know you are an entrepreneur. You’re an investor, and you’re a coach. Can you tell the audience more about you, your background, and how you got started?

Yeah, my background started with looking up to my dad. My dad was a licensed electrician, worked for General Motors for many years, and then looked to become his boss. And he sought to start his own electrical business. And I saw some of the trials and tribulations and his successes. But what I noticed in that entrepreneurial spirit was that others were focused. It’s hard to be an entrepreneur if you’re not focused on others because if you become self-centered, you lose sight of what you’re doing. But that’s how it started for me, and that’s what gave me that spark.

So, Matt, how? How long have you been in the industry?

So, I’ve been in the electrical or energy space for a little over 20 years now. It started. I was just working in a lighting showroom. Still, I was more drawn to the engineering side and the design aspect of it, not the decorative side, but how to make complex solutions more simplistic and then having a network of people, suppliers, and vendors I could reach out to and that just Help fuel that spark and help put me on this path that we’re on today.

So, Matt, that’s pretty interesting. Are you saying how your overall vision evolved from the beginning at the inception point when you decided to become an entrepreneur in the lighting business to where it is now? 

Well, it was a multi-year process. I’d love to say it happened, you know, ten years ago, 20 years ago, when it just happened. But it was a gradual grind of, you know, working through the process. My “why” statement was about who I was, what values I could bring to others, and how to leverage that. I was being something that truly brought me joy. 

So, over the years, I’ve always loved being a solutions provider and working for various companies. I was always somewhat encapsulated in their solution. I couldn’t do a full-blown solution, so I started my own company and did other things outside of that. Not to create more competition but to create more. I have a fluid or holistic approach and values for those reaching out to and entrusting me because I have. At my core, I strongly believe that if someone entrusts me with anything, I should always put my best foot forward. And that’s what sparked me and made me create both ProCents and our core.

That’s why it’s interesting that you talk about others being focused and, you know, being solutions-oriented. A lot of people, when I noticed, in business, think about what they would want, and then they go about creating a product or service. 

But, as you have, we realized over time that our clients often want something completely different from our conception of what they want. So, like this thing of being others focused on, it is a necessary key to its business, at least in my opinion.

Yeah. Well 2019, when I launched ProCents, it became its entity, registered with the state with its tax ID number. It started as a buying group, and then it made a slight pivot. And then, even earlier this year, we changed from being a buying group because I listened to those I was serving. 

And they said, hey, we like what you’re doing, but we’re having a hard time with the fee structures we had in place. But to be able to grow. I was like, are they criticizing me or the product? No, they’re criticizing in a way that allows me to expand outside because I was honestly creating a wall around what I was doing. But doing it as an event and creating a space where I’m looking to build bridges between silos allows me to reach more people and create more value for them throughout the environment I serve. 

Some people would have taken that and said, “Wo is me,” But you. I knew it was hard to hear. But I look at it now, and I go. This is probably one of the best decisions I’ve made, and there might be another iteration to come, but I don’t see it as a stumbling block. I see it as a stepping stone for improving and providing better solutions for those I’m of service to.

So it’s interesting. You say like when you were talking about stepping stones because many people, when they have setbacks, basically just give up or get negative thought patterns about them. From what I hear and from what you’re telling me, you look at the world differently, and that’s something that I want the audience to know: that you have to look at setbacks as opportunities for growth, and that’s something that I noticed in your Matt: that you look at different things, you look at the world differently, and I appreciate that about you.

Yeah, well, I think so.  The view was really. It was about four or five years of trials and tribulations as a youth. It started about 11 years ago—a little background. I’ve always lived in the town I live in, but my parents had to file for bankruptcy. My mom had cancer, and my dad had to fold up the shop. 

So, we moved a lot during about four and a half years. I was in several different schools when I was 11 years old—trying to become or figure out what type of man I wanted to be. There are many questions and things like that there, but I was, you know, living on my grandmother’s couch, staying with friends; you know, we always had a house. We always had clothes on. We always had people who loved us. 

But my dad showed me again that he was my hero … You can’t let life dictate your circumstances. You have to overcome your circumstances and keep moving forward because there are people who are dependent on you. And if you sit and just wallow in your self-pity, those that are reliant upon you, no matter what it is, whether you’ve got children or parents, that you’re Cheering for. You’re letting them down. Not to mention your friends or family or, you know, people you serve within a work community. I mean, you have to, you know, pick yourself up and go about that. 

And I think that allowed me to pivot and change my mindset. Now, I’m not going to sit here and blow smoke up anybody’s tail and say this has been the It’s rainbows and sunshine every single day. Today is one of those things that I constantly have to remind myself of. We’re all trying to face bigger problems daily, you know. 

Suppose you can be positive and try to put your best foot forward, even though you may not Feel it. You can inspire others and be better for others, and that’s what we’re all trying to do. You know, we’re all trying to leave a legacy, but, you know, I want to leave a legacy of kindness and outpouring of other people that help other people ascend the mountain to the level that they want to achieve. Now, I may go with them on the entire journey. 

We may depart at certain levels of that journey, but at least I get to say I was on a Cliff Note. They were either one of them or a part of my journey, which is great because no ultra-successful person has ever done anything alone. They’ve always had a team around them that helps, guides, and inspires them, and I’m looking at that in my journey.

Matt, I thought that was so profound. I love it, you know. And one of the things that you mentioned Was that you? It would be best if you never let life dictate your circumstances, yet most of us in this world end up letting life dictate our circumstances. We give excuses like we’re unsuccessful because of this or that, but your life and example show that you can. You can succeed no matter what if you have the right guidance or if you have the right will strength of will. You know, and Yeah. 

And so, Matt, one question I had was, what was the biggest lesson you learned during your career as an entrepreneur and investor, and what can you tell the audience from there? From that.

That “no” is not the end. I always joke around about going back to high school. And you know. Being a man, you know, liking young women out, you know, ask girls that were way out of my league. But I apply that to business. And often, you hear no, and if you read sales training or anything out there that talks about the rule of seven, you have to make seven phone calls to the same person before they start buying in. But a lot of people hear it no one time, and they stop. 

No is not the beginning, and it’s certainly not the end. It’s just the gateway to the journey. If you persevere through it, not every opportunity will Bear fruit. Still, every opportunity you take will provide a realization of what you could do better for the next time because life is always full of circumstances. Everyone I deal with has a different circumstance. And a different solution that they need. There’s not a cookie-cutter solution. If I said everything was the same, I could say no and just call the one client everything out there, but it’s not that way.

So I look at no being the Journey is alright. I will go down this path until someone just says, hey, back off. You know, a little too overbearing. But I will pursue that path to figure out what the niche is. Why am I missing this customer’s niche? That is a shortcoming for me, and why am I not able to, you know, fulfill their needs, or why are they not wanting to do business with me? Because not everyone’s going to be a client of mine, but everyone’s going to be—and inherently a teacher. Unwilling, unwillingly, or unknowingly could be a teacher for me, and I could learn how to get better at each circumstance. But it’s hard, you know. I’m a man, and my love language is words of affirmation. 

So I love hearing people praise me, my family friend. But in sales, and you know, being others focused and having a product or goods that you’re promoting, a lot of times you hear no, and that completely goes against being words of affirmation because that’s saying no, and a lot of people may internalize that saying you’re not good enough for me. You don’t have the right solution for me, and so on. Fort,h and I look at it, go alright, well. They said no. Why did they say no? And one of the things I’ve learned long ago is that if someone says no, I completely respect your opinion. 

Can you tell me what I may have missed in this opportunity to, you know, earn your business? When you ask that question, you may earn the respect, not for that deal, but you may earn the respect, or they might give you one—referral. Hey, you’re not right for me. But here’s someone who can’t help you. We respect what you’re doing and your approach to it because people want to go with people who work with people who are motivated, constantly moving forward, and not getting stuck in the mud.

Matt, it’s awesome that you’re mentioning. So, one of the things that I want to ask you about is, like, the way you go about knowing, right? Many people feel rejected when they say or hear the word no, and their ego gets hurt, right? 

And as we know, everybody has an ego, whether some. Some of it’s just a spectrum, right? Some are humbler than others, but when they hear the word no, then their ego gets hurt. They feel like it’s theirs. Esteem is wounded, so how do you manage that in your case? If you hear multiple nodes in one go or something like that,

Well, if I Hear multiple “nos” in one go, luckily, I’ve got a group of people I can call upon and say, Hey, this is what’s going on, and they might help provide insights. 

I have a hard time and sometimes self-reflect on why things happen, but luckily, I have a, I think. That core nucleus of people that can help you know the spotlight and do it in a way that’s not shaming or putting someone down but saying, hey, did you look at it this way? There’s a gentleman I worked with many years ago, and he talked about wanting to start his own company called Recalibrate, and he may have. I haven’t looked it up. But he said the trajectory is not if you can just move something by 1 degree. A week but a year or ten years has a monumental change for people.

 And I think that has resonated for all those years in how I approach things because if I can just tweak what I’m doing by One degree or 1 degree, it will allow me to get better. I have it written in my notebook. The first page says I can only get better by 1 percent daily. 

So, if you look at that over the year, I want to get 3.65% better. That’s not a lot. But over a year or ten years, that may be.

Compound interest? Yeah. They have a compounding effect. I read this book…

Compounding interest, yeah.

I think it was by Darren Hardy; the compounding effect just revolutionized how I thought about things. But when you combine that with your mindset of going about when people say no, you become an unstoppable force. Right. Because you just keep going and going, you have a way of dealing with rejection, like you’re going to succeed in whatever you do. 

So, I admire that. And that’s why I was asking about how You handle the rejection with things like self-esteem and all of that stuff, and for most people, that would be the case.

Yeah. The people that are going to listen to this, you know? I would always say to make sure you have a core nucleus, whether it be family or friends, that you can go to and trust as advisors, bounce ideas off of them, and let them know your successes and your wins. 

And I’ve said it in the I can’t remember who inspired this in me, but they said I’ll talk and do an autopsy of your successes and faith. Years later, most people look at their failures but do not know why they succeeded. But I’m constantly looking at both, and I guarantee I have more failures than successes. But my successes—they’re the ones that get notarized because I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the amazing companies, as You alluded to earlier, like Disney and Home Depot, BMW and Porsche—I mean, those are amazing companies. I didn’t get to work with them because I took the first no.

No, Matt. So Matt, my question to you now is: What was your biggest challenge during your career, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge was having enough faith and belief that I could do this and be an entrepreneur. I always had an entrepreneurial mindset, and I was always doing things. But when you go to the state and register and create, you know, get your insurance and all the other things, it puts pressure on you, and then when you start working with other people as either business partners or investors, you can understand my failures. But when I started partnering with others, more pressure was on me. And that was one of those fears I had to overcome. 

Doing that has allowed me to become a better version of myself and move forward. It’s one of those things I still work on because there’s always self-doubt in everything we do. I’m living the dream of having my own company. 

Now, are we making millions of dollars a year? Not. But are we growing? Are we succeeding? Are we meeting our customers where they’re at and servicing their needs? Absolutely. I love to have those milestones of success that I can keep moving forward with. And if I hadn’t taken that step, I wouldn’t be here today having this conversation with you.

So, Matt, it’s really interesting that you talk about self-belief and confidence in yourself because that’s what most people would struggle with if they wanted to become entrepreneurs. Knowing yourself is worth knowing who you are, and having confidence in yourself could. So how would that be? What advice would you give somebody suffering from, let’s say, low self-esteem? And like negative self-doubt and all of that, they want to start a business.

Well, for me, I have a faith system, so you know, in my faith system, I had to, you know, lean into that. So, whatever your faith or belief system, maybe find something to create an anchor point that helps build confidence. It is stories of people persevering but failing to overcome. The most well-spoken, the most beautiful, or the strongest people impacted millions of people. 

You know, we celebrate our athletes because of their talent. But if we look at, you know, some of the greatest people in the world, they were not athletes; you know, they were great speakers. They weren’t the most physically fit. You know, they helped them motivate and inspire other people. Whether it be a face system or someone who inspires you, dive into why they inspire you. Because there’s a core connection and they inspire you, you need to find that spark within yourself to find that inspiration and belief in yourself.

No, I agree. Having role models and people who inspire you, whether on TV or in books, can make a major difference because life is about understanding yourself and having the confidence to go about doing whatever you want to have success if we do not have belief in ourselves, Matt, we’re never going to get what we want, you know, because it’s all about having belief in ourselves. Can we go far forward in life and push through, you know? So, I agree with you on that one. 

So, Matt. What was a moment in your career you could pinpoint as a turning point that made you successful in your industry?

I think it was. I worked for a short period—a New York Times-bestselling author. Motivational speakers have written countless books. His name is John Maxwell. I got to work for his organization. It’s not me, you know. Name-dropping, but I watched a man inspire people who always want to improve. Some people might say he’s at the top of his game. And that would have been, you know. 20 years ago. But he’s always challenging himself to get better. He’s always looking to be better.

One of his favorite books is a 360-degree leader. It’s when you’re the leader and all those around you surround you. For me, it’s not leading from the front or back with fear but leading from the middle and inspiring that growth I mentioned earlier. How do you inspire people? Because that’s a legacy that we all want to leave. But when I saw him and how he treated people, that resonated with me, not only with my faith System. But he also had the same facial system, which helped me say I can do things independently. Right. I just need to find out what my passions are. And figure out how I can lean into those most effectively. One of my passions is, you know, talking with people. I love brainstorming with people. 

I may not always be the subject matter expert, but because of my network, I probably know a subject matter expert who can, you know, bring four solutions. That can be game-changing. I’m proficient in a lot of things, but there are some. Things that I will raise my hand because it’s never to lead somewhere straight, but it’s helped to provide them a path, a light, to the path that they’re on.

So, no, it’s true. If you brainstorm and go about it, and then you have a group and then a mastermind session, it plays a big role in getting answers and solutions. I know I’ve done that myself, and it just brings out the creative process in everybody.

Yeah, I mean, you mentioned Darren Hardy earlier in his book. And there you have John Maxwell. You know, we look at Grant Cardone, you know. Tony Robbins has all these great speakers. And so on. So forth, but I think with every one of those, it’s the inspiration of how they get to people, and they create a community, and that community is where people can bounce ideas off like you were just alluding to. And when you can bounce ideas off, you may not have thought of it. But when you hear someone else say you’re like, that could help my customer base or who I’m trying to serve.

It’s big. It’s basically like synergy, right? Like where you bounce it off, and then the combined is something about being in sync and having this similar energy, which creates, as you can see, a compounding effect.

Yeah. And one of the things I tell people is that I’ve been very fortunate to sit at some tables. Maybe I didn’t deserve to be there, but I was invited to be at a table, which allowed me to participate in the conversation that led me to do so. Things that I never thought possible, but you must be willing to put yourself out there to say, Hey, here’s where I’m good. Here’s where I’m bad. But be authentic. 

And when you can be authentic about what you can do it. People will respect that and want to do more with you because they will lean into you. Because if they see a sponge, most people want to pour their knowledge into others. Luckily, I’ve just had the privilege of being around other people who want to pour into me, and I’ve taken much of that. I was just going right off my shoulder. I haven’t taken any of those lessons because they didn’t apply to what I needed, but there might have been one or two things—you know, again, a small percentage—that I can apply in my daily life. To help me become a more authentic version of myself because that’s a constant evolution from where I was 20 years ago to where I am now. This is not a day difference, and I cannot wait to see where you know I will be in the next 5–10 or 20 years.

So, Matt, if you had to go back in time, let’s say you could do time travel, right? And then you met the 12-year-old version of you, right? And then you and you had one thing to tell the 12-year-old version of you, like, hey, look, this is what you got to do to be successful in business. Like, what would that be?

Oh, that’s a good one. I would say for me, I would tell myself. It’s hard for me to say, but even be more outgoing. Because there are a lot of times when I might have said no, I was tired or wanted to go to a party with my friends, but I didn’t put myself in an area to do so.

Learn understandable reasons, understandable reasons.

Yeah, but yeah. I mean, we have to go through this evolution of life. But I think it’s to Try to be a better listener. When around those that have a generation upon you, you know your father, grandfather, aunt, and uncles because there’s so much knowledge that they’re passing and wisdom that I look at. Now, I mean, I go, oh, what was that lesson? And I have to go. And, you know, luckily, I still have my parents around. I can talk to them. And they might remind me of it. 

But if I could have, you know, heard it more directly from other people who are, unfortunately, leftists, Or what would that impact be today if I were to, you know, really internalize what these people were trying to pour into me? And whether it’s being a principal or teacher, there’s always been someone trying to pour into me and, you know, get the best out of me. And I’ve been resistant. And, you know, I would tell myself, don’t be so resistant to those trying to, you know, that’s where change happens.

But I can now see why you’re successful in what you do because you have the perfect concoction of things that come together to bring you success, right? First, you can push forward and take many high actions, relatively high risk compared to what most people would do. You can take the “no’s” and take the hits. Take the setbacks and keep pushing forward, and then you have all your Internet, networking, connections, and learning from other people. That’s perfect. That’s like a relatively powerful company. Willing to push forward and gain knowledge from others is exactly what people need to do to attain success. You know so. I admire you for that.

I appreciate it.

Yeah. So, Matt, you know that, on another note, America is the land of the free and where dreams are made. Do you agree or disagree with that?

I agree. But it’s becoming a bigger challenge because so many people are out there. I believe they should be given things without earning them, and I alluded to athletes earlier. And I know. And some people look up to it as athletes. But you know, when you get money and haven’t performed yet, that’s what you’re getting money for Potential. 

People who pay me a salary are giving me money to do a job, but there are repercussions if I don’t do that job to these standards. But when other things are out there and with social media, many people just get money without truly having to earn it. 

And I think it’s creating a weaker version of society, which is maybe taking away that. We’re so accustomed to opportunities in the land of the free home of the brave and the American dream because we are not just a country of Americans. We’re a country of people from all over the world that, you know, came to seek certain opportunities, and some of them worked very hard. 

And those people are very inspirational, and we probably look up to most of them; the ones that we don’t look up to are the ones that were just giving something, you know, we joke around in certain circles about. Kids that were trust fund babies or whatnot—you know, they were giving money that they never had to work for. And I believe there has to be a fine balance between book smart and street smart because if you cannot apply what you know, you’re not helping anyone. And that’s where the application becomes relevant within the American Dream.

Well, Matt, I mean, in my experience, when I came to America, it was always like a land of opportunity, provided you work hard, and you like to work smart as well. You work smart, apply the knowledge you gain, and then work hard and attain success. But yeah, I do see Your perspective: You have to work hard and earn what you keep, which you know because that’s what made the nation what it is.

And that’s the thing we have to, you know, instill in the next generation as you work hard. I mean, yes, there might be skills you do not have to work hard for because my father would say he’s proud of me because he always told me to work smarter, not harder.

So, my dad, you know, would work 12/14 hours a day out in the sun, wiring buildings and doing stuff with his hands. I’ve never had that, you know, because, you know, I had smarts and was able to work smarter but still stay in the same arena.

So, we have to, you know, take the smarts that we have with the lessons and build, you know, apply that in the fundamentals of applications to get a job done are what I think make the dream happen. When we’re all bringing practical applications, it will make that American dream come true. More relevant, and you know, something that more people want to aspire to.

So, Matt, speaking of the American dream, most Americans find it harder every year to achieve their version of the American dream. And they’re finding it a challenge to make it right. What do you think is the biggest challenge, in your opinion, to people attaining the American dream, and how should they overcome that?

Well, I’m going. I can only speak to myself; I’m sure it will resonate with others. But the American dream for me was realized when I stopped looking at other people and started looking in the mirror. You know what makes me happy? It does not make other people happy. 

And yes, we have devices that, you know, constantly feed us information, and there are certain things that we aspire to. I’m very happy. I can say I’ve checked off many things on my bucket list. Probably 95% of the world will never get a chance to do it, but I’ve done some of those things. 

But there’s a law out there called the principle of perseverance. And you know, what motivates you when you’re going through hard things? Push through and find that success, and how do you reward yourself? And that for me is, you know, doing some of the things on my bucket list. But I would say we have. I always look internally at what makes us happy because I am married and have two young boys. My needs are higher than those of a single male, female, or a couple not looking to have kids. My needs and wants are a lot different. 

We must look at our personal goals, not someone else’s, because those goals may not be in line, and we must align with ourselves. Move forward to be self-serving for other people.

Matt, I love it. What you’re saying resonates with me, but you meant you talked about happiness, right? So what is your version of, you know, the American identity about the pursuit of happiness? So, how would you advise other Americans to pursue happiness from your perspective?

I want to inspire you. If you’re rock climbing, or you know, for me, I joke around, I’d say American happiness is for me, spending the week with my family and friends, spending time on the golf course with friends, and having a Scotch and cigar. I’m a simple guy; I don’t need a big fancy car. I don’t need the big fancy house, but those are little things—quality time—because I cannot buy time. I can if I had hundreds of millions of dollars and you could not buy time. I can create moments. And those moments are created with my wife and my kids. 

And then also spending time out, you know, on the golf course with my friends. You know, jabbing each other or having a sky church. Do you know things like that? I will just allow myself to relax and let my hair down. You can see. I’ve got a lot of Hair here, but you know those are things that create happiness for me. But in doing that, you know, that’s me being the authentic version of myself, which, you know, people resonate with and want to spend time with me. But you know, luckily, I attract those people who also want to spend time with their family. So, it’s a happy balance.

That is awesome, man. Like. Yeah, I’m. I think that is pretty effective, like you just do things that make you happy, like go for your passions and all that. Stuff a lot. People rely on other people to dictate what happiness is, you know. But it would be best if you did what makes sense. You are happy so.

Yeah, we have to. You know, you have to do what makes sense. Are you happy? And as I sit here and talk to you, I, you know, think about the things that I’ve been able to do, some of the stuff I mentioned earlier. The bucket list I did by myself, which I can say I checked off, but if I look at the memory, there’s a memory I created myself. I didn’t get to share it with someone. And that is it. If I say there’s a rut, I regret not having someone I cared about or someone to bring to say, oh, remember when? And that was a moment that’s lost, you know, because, you know, I may not be able to recreate it that again. 

So that is why I look at that: you know, time with family and friends; that’s what brings happiness. You know, people truly care about you? That will tell. You are good and bad, but you know that’s. What you need in life, and that’s for me, is my happiness.

Matt, I think they did a study of people on their deathbeds, like of old age, and they asked them, do you have any regrets? Is there something you regret that you wish you could have done? And I think many said that instead of focusing on their career or this or that. 

They could spend more time with their family and friends because, ultimately, like when you’re at the end of your life, those experiences are the ones that truly end up mattering, you know, instead of the money, Cars, the status, and all. Of that stuff, those are the things that gave me the most joy, but that’s the study they did, you know? So, I find it interesting that you’re also seeing that.

Yeah. And, you know, at this time that we’re doing this recording, it’s what’s happening in the college football world. You know, I’m an Atlanta native; you know, Deon Sanders is now head coach of the Colorado University. And I saw something earlier today. I said he’s living his dream. He’s living on his bucket list because he achieved the highest level in two sports. He’s a Hall of Famer now. He’s a college coach at a major university, and he has two of his kids playing on his team and achieving at a high level. They’re not just the token players who say, hey, we’re the Suns kids; they are performing as all. 

And you know, I would love to have something in my life that I can be the coach for my kids and say and get to go down that journey of maybe entrepreneurship and like and cheer them on and motivate them. That is, you know, that’s inspiring. Now that they’re together, I’m sure he’s got problems in his life. Some of it’s been, you know, publicized. We know about his health and yours. I know it’s like, but If you look at that man, he is so filled with joy because he’s around; he’s always got his mom with him. He’s always got his kids with him, which he’s seen as the highlight of his life. 

You know that there were things in his story that were deep and dark, but he’s found a piece, and It’s the time with those that mean the most to me. And I think if we can bear that, we can boil that down to our own little lives. And you know what makes us happy—what we can do to survive—or not survive, but to thrive in our world to create generational wealth, whatever that may look like for each person or each family. That’s what, you know, I think the American dream is. But, you know, the time is up, and we won’t get any more of it.

No, I couldn’t agree more, Matt. So, Matt, on a different note, can you tell the audience a little bit more about the premise of how you founded ProCents and more about what ProCents is about?

Yeah. So, I worked for a company for several years and loved it. And when that company decided to merge with another company, I decided to move on. And I’d made such great relationships during that time. I was like, well, how do I stay connected? I want to stay in the same field. What if the next company I work for does not want to pay for me to be a part of these organizations? 

So that’s why I created ProCents, which was like, all right, I created ProCents. Now, how can I start creating value for people who are, you know, supporting me at Presence? And that was the first generation, then we did Transactional base, and now we’re into a new phase. 

So, we’re on three iterations in less than four and a half years, but it’s one of those things. I use ProCents to stay connected to those I’ve built relationships with because relationships within any industry are invaluable. And I think many people lose sight of that, but they can have an organization where they can go and say, hey, we’re not going to get sold to, but we’re going to get rich by the people who are there and why they’re there. 

As opposed to what they are selling, that’s something that people want to gravitate to, and that’s something I want to gravitate to, and that’s why I created the organization: to stay a part of other organizations and to still have these other organizations recognize not only myself but also people in the iterations it’s had. Be supportive of me. And some of these organizations are celebrating their 70th anniversary. Street or some of them are celebrating 40 years in business and making millions of dollars. They’re impacting lots of people. 

But for me to say, for them to recognize me and accept my little creation with the help of others, is inspiring because these are people. I aspire to be in some form or fashion, and because I see the good in them, how Are they true believers in the art of the handshake? And not the art of the contract. Because when a handshake is done, it’s looking someone in the eyes and saying, I’ve got you; trust me, the contract says. I got you, but if you mess up, I will sue you. So, there’s a lack of trust. 

But you know, with this, some of those things are just inspiring. So ProCents is that organization that helps build bridges between trades—lighting, electrical, signs, HVAC, plumbing, solar EV, and many other things that bring up something from the foundation. Something that we may reside in, something that we do. Or something that produces a product for us in our everyday lives. So, this is the backbone of America, and I’m hoping I can play a small part in bringing people together to create new opportunities. And better relationships.

That is awesome, Matt. I want my audience to look better at ProCents because what you said is amazing. Matt, is there any other project you’re doing now that you’d want the audience to glimpse?

Well, you know we are we are launching our first trade show. So, in 2024, we’ll be going into our second one, but we can’t have our second until we Have our first, so you know. Keep an eye on how our first one will go and how it went. Please let me know if you have any feedback because I can’t grow unless people let me know. You know where we can improve, and the feedback is always welcome, good, bad, or indifferent. But if you’ve got any ideas or suggestions as we move into 2024 because we’re looking into September or October, please let me know. And if you want to be a part of it, please. Let me know because we would love to enrich this into a bigger arena, and maybe I’m just not seeing it this time.

That’s awesome, Matt. So, Matt, how can our audience get to know you more, like connect and get to know you? More about you and your work

Yeah. So, the best way for you to find out more about me is through Matt Russell Media. mattrussellmedia.com. You can read more about my bio and so on. And at the bottom of that, there’s a counter link so that you can connect with me; you know, book time, you can also. E-mail me at matt@procents.com, and I’d love to brainstorm with you.

That is awesome, Matt. Matt, I am so grateful you took the time to do this interview with me and share your wisdom and knowledge, and I look forward to having you on the show later.

Well, man, that would be a great honor, and I am deeply honored that you would give me this opportunity and this platform for your audience to share my story. Hopefully, it will bring inspiration to something more extraordinary.

Thank. Thank you, Matt, and I want to conclude this interview by letting my fellow Americans know that, hey, look, there’s an extraordinary within. Every one of us must awaken it and unleash it until next time. Bye for now.