Ep. 16: Matt Johnson - Constraints, Sequencing, and Finding the Fun
People do business with people they like, and Matt Johnson is one of the most likable people I have met in the last 10 years. He is a cocktail of curiosity, energy, reflectiveness, enthusiasm, and both left and right brains that come together in a genuinely compelling person. And his company is a reflection of him and his co-founders, Bibi and Isabel, and a phenomenally designed, user centric, cost effective solution for a pervasive problem, not only in water, but in real estate and all real assets as well. LAIIER have already secured leak detection contracts with two of the biggest companies in the world and have a good shot at becoming a new standard in building resilience. Their story is a fascinating study in entrepreneurship, and they're in a very interesting position indeed. Please enjoy my conversation with Matt Johnson.
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Full show notes and links to mentioned content below.
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Matt shares his entrepreneurial journey from Colorado to London, emphasizing the cultural insights and strategic growth tactics he's adopted. He and Tom discuss LAIIER's innovative solutions for preventing damage in real estate and industrial settings, the challenges of negotiating with large entities, and the significance of understanding customer needs for business success. Their discussion here today takes a deep dive into the complexities of water technology that encapsulates the essence of overcoming adversity with a positive mindset, underscoring the critical role of humor and resilience in the entrepreneurial journey.
0:00 Start
0:49 Introduction
2:15 Matt’s journey to LAIIER
6:47 What LAIIER produces
8:36 Advantages and disadvantages of Matt’s training
11:28 The discovery process
14:47 Working with big name entities
18:15 The importance of sequencing
21:55 Alleviating some of the sales pressure on him
24:43 A fundamental founder sales problem
29:09 Replicating founder level sales quality in a sales organization
33:11 Negotiation lessons and resources
36:51 Cultural differences between Britain and the US
39:56 Reflections on becoming an entrepreneur
42:00 Matt’s single piece of advice for water entrepreneurs
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