Why Never Having a Plan B is Key to Business Success with Matt Higgins, RSE Ventures

Matt Higgins shares his experience and insights as Co-Founder & CEO at RSE Ventures. He joins Katie in this episode to talk about great lessons from his first book, “Burn the Boats.” He dives into the story behind the title and how it can be applied to building a successful personal brand.

Get Mic’d is all about teaching individuals and company leaders how to make your brand notable. Here today to share his experience and insights is Co-Founder & CEO at RSE Ventures, Matt Higgins. He’s joining Katie in this episode to talk about great lessons from his first book, “Burn the Boats.” He dives into the story behind the title and how it can be applied to building a successful personal brand.

Join us for the second episode of Get Mic’d and learn some valuable lessons about building a notable company and personal brand from Matt today.

Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

1. Find out how Matt took risks and gained control of his own life to rise from poverty into success.
2. Learn about the importance of communication during times of crisis.
3. Discover why you should burn your boats, be intentional, and take risks as you build your personal brand.

Resources

• Burn the Boats Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full Potential by Matt Higgins
• Connect with Matt Higgins on LinkedIn
• Listen to more Get Mic’d episodes

Episode Highlights

[02:45] The Beginnings of 

• Matt was first recognized for his skills in writing in fifth grade when he won an essay scholarship. He used his skills to help himself. Now, he chooses to use them for the good of others.

• Throughout his life, Matt struggled with poverty. However, he knew that he could shape his own life, and he did that by leveraging his writing skills. 
• His first job was writing for a congressman’s newspaper. He wrote, won journalism awards and features, and got a job in the mayor’s office.
• In politics, as long as Matt had his writing skills and willingness to work, he was able to get a job early. By 26 years old, he was the mayor’s press secretary.
• Matt’s desperate circumstances motivated him to take control of his own rescue.

[09:52] Matt Higgins: “I have never wavered in that belief that I happen to things and things don’t happen to me.”

[10:28] Living Through 9/11: Crisis Communication

• When the first plane hit the tower, Matt was standing on a corner, three blocks away. At that time of death and terror, his job was to represent strength by setting a press conference. This was the mayor’s, and now Matt’s, philosophy in crisis communication.

[11:25] Matt Higgins: “You’re hearing sounds and you don’t realize later that’s the sounds of people dying — horrific. But you have a job to do. And the job to do is to represent strength, and to set a press conference.”

• As time goes on, people will demand answers. However, at that moment, communication matters. The first rule is always to show up and communicate.
• 9/11 wasn’t your ordinary crisis. It’s through the press conference that the mayor was able to acknowledge the immense impact of the crisis.
• In comparison, President Bush seemed aloof at first. Matt helped arrange the first visit to ground zero. This turning point was when the president was able to project strength and humanity.
• During a crisis, even if you are part of the perpetrator, have empathy and humanity.

[16:59] A New Chapter: Shifting into the Corporate World

• People tend to put themselves into a box. Be intentional in defining your life.
• Matt could have stayed working for the government. But, he didn’t want to define his life that way.
• He gained assets that he could leverage from his work as a government employee.
• By identifying these assets, he was able to find a way that brings him closer to where he ultimately wants to end up.

[19:05] Matt Higgins: “As we go into my career, if you look at what’s the connective tissue, it’s the being intentional, and identifying leverageable assets, and using them to bring me a little bit closer to where I want to end up to this very moment on this broadcast.”

[19:17] Why You Need a Personal Brand

• Matt is an introvert. Despite that, he’s building a public personal branding so that he can reach his goals.

Matt Higgins: “Why would I build a brand? Building a brand gives you authority and power to meet your objectives.”

• His most important experience was the death of his mother and how no one cared or did anything. Matt wanted the authority to make people start caring.
• Matt is building his personal brand to accumulate authority and accomplish his objectives. Using his authority, he can shine a light on what powerlessness feels like.

[22:19] Burn The Boats For Victory

• The phrase “burn the boats” can be found in stories of various cultures. It’s about how a general would overcome the odds by eliminating any options of retreat to create desperation.
• It’s a phrase meant for people like Matt who struggle with anxiety, shame, and imposter syndrome.
• This can apply to marketing and communications. To be successful, you have to stop preparing for both reaching your goals and failing to do so.

[25:38] Matt Higgins: “From a communications and marketing standpoint, when you actually aren’t fully committed to your plan A, it’s going to show up in your language.”

• Some people would rather let others represent themselves and their products. This isn’t a good move.
• Recognize that marketing and branding are everything. If you’re not willing to fully represent your personal brand, it will have a negative impact on your success.

[27:00] The Gut Sandwich

• The gut sandwich is how many great things have started with institutions and no evidence.
• Data is great and can greatly help. However, intuition is the green light to making a decision.
• There are times when there is evidence that one tactic shouldn’t work but ends up working. This happened to Matt when he chose to do a radio interview at 1 AM, and it effectively promoted his book.
• As a CEO, data is important to figuring out what works.
• Marketing can be gut-wrenching. But by being tactical, you can figure out and create new and unexpected marketing ideas.

[31:27] Lessons in Burn The Boats About Building Notable Brands

• One important lesson is to go out and get in front of people when you create your brand.
• Once you’re out in front, be prepared to be vulnerable. You have to overcome people’s negative judgments. Block this out.
• Show up every year and let yourself be heard. Have confidence as your own representative.
• Evaluate the opportunity cost. One way to mitigate the cost is by backing the right people who balance confidence and humility. 
• When Matt chooses what to back, he chooses things that are large but not obvious. It should be scalable and available to the people.

[34:32] The Motivated Founder

• It’s very important that a founder build their personal brand intentionally. Use your assets wisely.
• People would love your brand more if you connect with them and reflect their values.
• The most successful companies are those that express their founder’s nature. These founders are passionate and see their business as a natural extension of themselves.
• You should care about the brand that you represent. You’re empowered and motivated because you care.

[40:41] Finding the Right Partner

• The majority of partnerships are born from a moment of insecurity. Unfortunately, many of these partnerships between co-founders can end up with opposing views.
• You choose a partner based on an overlap of values, not a skill gap. A values overlap allows you to work well together even in a crisis. The skill gap comes second.
• Look for partners with self-awareness. They can create space for others to be open by sharing their vulnerabilities and are able to self-reflect on constructive criticism.
• Cultivating awareness can be a challenge. They first have to recognize that they don’t have it.

[44:56] Matt’s MicDrop Moments

• A notable brand is a brand that stands for something.
• Matt has dropped out of high school and walked away from law school. Back then, these seemed like self-sabotaging decisions. This was Matt burning the bridges to get where he is today.
• Apple is a brand that Matt admires. He had thought that the brand would end with Steve Jobs’s death. But it is still one of the best-run companies on Earth.
• LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter threads are the tools and resources you should utilize in building your brand.
• Be tactical with your tools. Many of them are about enabling communication and your personal brand.

About Matt

Matt Higgins is a serial entrepreneur and a growth equity investor. He is the CEO and co-founder of RSE Ventures and also an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School. Matt has recently published his bestselling book, Burn the Boats. He shares his rags-to-riches life story, his whirlwind career, and the lessons that he learned along the way to success.

Matt was also the youngest mayoral press secretary in New York City. He managed the global media response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. From politics, he moved to work in senior leadership positions with National Football League Teams. 

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn and learn more about his work.

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