#37 | Investing Tips & Shark Tank With Matt Higgins

Matt Higgins joined us for Coffee with Kim this week and if you haven’t Google stalked him yet here’s his resume cliff notes: Cofounder and CEO of RSE Ventures, Executive fellow at Harvard Business School, Host of The Manifestor Mindset podcast, Recurring Shark on Shark Tank and the list goes on. 

Matt is a genius in his own right – you have to be if you hang with the likes of Gary Vee and Jay Shetty – and someone who has his finger on the pulse of the next best things. He shared advice on everything from time management to Bitcoin to raising the next generation. His nuggets of wisdom can be applied across industries and lifetimes.

Tell Your Story (10:54)

What I find most unique about Matt is though he is very accomplished he still feels relatable. For someone who frequents dinner with Gary Vee you’d expect more of an ‘untouchable’ persona. He credits this trait to his belief that telling your story is the most valuable contribution you can make in this world.

“I want people to relate to me. I hold onto and pull forward my origin story. I don’t want people to think of me as a finished instrument. I don’t want people to relate to me because I’m on Shark Tank, even though it’s pretty cool, and I don’t want people to think of me as this random rich white guy. I want you to relate to me because I came from dirt and [I am an example that] you can go anywhere you want in this beautiful world.”

How Matt Utilizes His Time (13:21)

Matt is someone you would consider “very busy” yet he’s always striving to accomplish more. Here’s what Matt says about utilizing time wisely with so many responsibilities to tackle. 

• Determine the highest and best use of time that day. Ask what you can do today that will get you closer to your goals tomorrow.

• Be very intentional with your time. Don’t give it generously because there’s not much of it.

• Wake up early.

• Be at least 80% effective at what you’re doing. If you’re not, decide quickly what should be let go.

• Don’t be afraid to walk away when a project no longer serves you. 

Identifying A Good Investment (30:00)

As a venture capitalist, Matt reviews hundreds of deals a month. He has a simple method of narrowing down choices. First, identify if it’s a product people always seem to be using, then, if it’s a product that is scalable and available right now. If the proposal meets that criteria you may have found a diamond in the rough.

A Bitcoin Rundown (33:23)

Currently, one of the most popular trading platforms is Bitcoin. It’s boomed since launching in 2008 and users swear by it’s value. Since we had the expert in the room I had to ask if he thought it was something worth investing in.

“I am a firm believer in bitcoin. What I like about it is, fundamentally, it can replace gold and the government cannot easily manipulate the value. The issue is you can’t consider something “currency” if you don’t know the value of it by the end of the day and people aren’t using it because of its potential value to appreciate. It’s not really currency, it’s more of an asset.”

Advice For The Future Generation (38:59)

Matt and his wife are raising two beautiful children. I was interested to know what they’re instilling in them to help them be successful. 

He gave three valuable points for their approach to parenthood:

1. “My kids have complete freedom to dictate their life. I don’t push a certain career path and I’m not living vicariously through their accomplishments.”

2. “We don’t define our success or worth by material possessions. Nice things are great but who you are is more important than what you have.”

3. “The value of work – you must work! Both my son and daughter have worked through the pandemic.”

Speed Round (46:32)

• What have you started using lately that you love? My continuous glucose monitor from Levels Health, one of my latest investments. It’s helping me track my sugar levels and lose weight.

• What is the best gift you’ve given yourself in the last year? I pitched a book I am writing to Harper Collins and received a deal. Writing was something I put off, I’m glad I committed the time to do it.

• What’s something you’re excited to learn in 2021? Non-fungible tokens and blockchain tech. I learn about them on OpenC. If you want to learn more just google ‘NFT Market places’.

• What accounts do you follow that you love? Kim Kaupe, Jay Shetty, Gary Vee, and Scott Galloway

• What is something that looks like a win from the outside, but wasn’t on the inside? Our soccer business, International Champions Cup. we invested way more money than planned, don’t have a long term plan for it.

Homework: There is so much room to run and be successful through an eCommerce store so study Shopify and Amazon to learn how.

Next Week:

Stacey Gordon founder of Rework Work and author of Unbias is teaching us to recognize unconscious bias in the workplace, where and how it shows up and what we can do to overcome it. Join us and bring all the questions with!