We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matt Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Matt thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Per the NCAA, only 2% of collegiate football athletes make it to the NFL, and about 80% of professional athletes experience financial difficulties when they retire. The opportunity for prolonged football success is seemingly slim, yet that is still the dream of many.

I shared that dream but ultimately found another path before me. In a grey space after my fifth season of college football, I was offered a couple of full-time, corporate opportunities. One was inaccessible to me due to location, and the other was pulled from my grasp. Having abruptly concluded my football career with one remaining semester of school, I realized that I needed to pivot and was provided the opportunity to start a business.

After months of ideating on what to do, I thought it pertinent to structure this business in a way that enables me to tell stories in a professional setting. As such, I immersed myself in content creation. Creating for brands like CBS’ Survivor, Beyond Meat, Lemon Perfect, etc.

Storytelling connects us all. Storytelling enables us to show empathy. Storytelling gives way for respect. The mission of VICTORIOUS VENTURES lies in empowering former athletes to tell their stories in whichever way they choose. Moving forward, God willing, this business grows, providing a platform to protect, educate, and serve collegiate athletes.

Matt, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I played football at Virginia Tech. As such, my interest in this industry was sparked due to legislation that enables collegiate athletes to market themselves and capitalize on their name, image, and likeness.

Now, I am a professional content creator based in the DMV, east coast. I create visual assets for companies, build websites, write compelling copy, and conduct SEO for my clients. In college, I began my work within a nationally recognized marketing agency, and was eventually promoted to the director of copy. I ultimately help businesses improve their digital marketing efforts in this new era of the internet.

Potential clients, followers, and fans should know that playing sports in front of hundreds of thousands of people, sometimes millions, taught me many lessons — all of which I apply to my work and how I work with partnering businesses. I care about you and I want you to succeed.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Keeping in touch with clients is something that requires intention; I believe it has to be genuine as well.

I do not always refer to the people I’ve worked with as ‘clients.’ More often than not, I refer to them as partners or simply people that I work with. I believe that this allows room for the fact that these are relationships. Yes, these relationships are professional and involve transactions, often monetary, but business is not conducted without a connection between two parties. At the end of the day, I care about the people I work with and their businesses, so I make a true effort to stay in touch with them throughout the year.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Two things: one, remember your why; and two, most good work is done with enthusiasm. Regarding the former, this is often why many companies have missions, or why there’s a championship trophy to conclude every sports season. There has to be a reason you are doing something, so reminding your team what that reason is, will greatly help productivity and devotion to the cause. Regarding the latter, I believe that you must find enjoyment in your work to consistently produce something good. How is that enjoyment expressed? Through enthusiasm. Excitement for the journey. It’s the spring that gets you out of bed. It’s the energy in your steps.

Contact Info:

• Website: victoriousventures.co
• Instagram: mvjohnson_
• Linkedin: mattvjohnson1

Image Credits
Zach Lantz (football photo); Jack Morgan (photos of me)