MattChevy Shares His Life Lessons (September Luncheon)

October 04, 2010

Written by: Lauren Antista, Communications Coordinator, Florida Psychological Association

Could you make it or break it in just one year using personal branding?

Matt Cheuvront did.

Matt Cheuvront (@MattChevy) shared his success in personal branding with FPRA’s members at the September member luncheon at the FSU Alumni Center. In one year Matt went from laid off to launching a successful company. He stressed that personal branding is, “YOU. What makes you unique,” and that successful branding requires you to utilize your assets to your best advantage.

With the creation of his blog, “Life Without Pants: Perspective on Life Less Restricted” (www.lifewithoutpants.com), Matt found a platform from which he could speak his mind. After being laid off from his full-time, he moved with a positive mindset into an independent, entrepreneurial role, launching MATTCHEVY (www.mattchevy.com), his online marketing consultancy and web design firm. MATTCHEVY took off immediately. Following a whirlwind of personal success and challenges, including moves from Nashville to Chicago and back to Nashville, Matt also successfully launched PROOF (www.proofbranding.com), a full-service branding agency, with his business partner. Behind his personal brand and business success were his unique qualities he used to his advantage. He did it his way, and made it work.

“I work with my clients, not for them,” he stated simply.

Matt broke down his experiences for FPRA’s members into some straightforward life lessons in branding to follow:

Lesson 1: Getting what you want and doing what you love involves taking (calculated) leaps of faith;
Lesson 2: Attitude is everything (and then some);
Lesson 3: Accept that you don’t know everything;
Lesson 4: Ask (a lot) of questions;
Lesson 5: Be a friend 1^st, a resource 2^nd, and a salesperson last;
Lesson 6: Every experience matters; learn from everything you do;
Lesson 7: You don’t have to do it all today;
Lesson 8: Offer something tangible;
Lesson 9: Figure out what you need (freeing experience);
Lesson 10: Determine your worst case scenario (not as bad as it seems).

Matt summed it up with some closing words borrowed from a friend’s rap lyrics, “Life ain’t a rehearsal; the camera’s always rolling.”