We were lucky to catch up with Matt Horwitz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Matt thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Once I turned 19, I never thought about having a regular job again. In fact, I made a commitment to myself. Before I even had a business (let alone a business idea), I wrote down on a piece of paper, “I am an entrepreneur.” And I dedicated myself to the path of personal development and self-directed education. I became absolutely obsessed with learning and growing. I got my hands on anything I could. Reading books, attending seminars (while sleeping on couches to save money), downloading audio seminars (they were a big thing in the late 2000s), online courses, digesting insane amounts of video and podcast content, and surrounding myself with others who were on the path of growth and development.

For me, the journey of entrepreneurship has been quite a spiritual and internal journey. Meaning, I’ve had to face fears over and over again (in all shapes and sizes). Looking back, my path has been very much “desire by desire, and problem by problem”. Meaning, in the early days I didn’t have technical skills yet, but I was driven to figure things out. For example, I had no idea how to build a website. But there was a strong desire. Then along the path there are dozens and dozens of problems (aka growth and learning opportunities in disguise). So then it became about learning how servers work, how to install a Content Management System (CMS), how to migrate databases, etc. Bit-by-bit, step-by-step. And the experience (and growth) compounded into skills, knowledge, and experience.

So while I hesitate to use the word “happy” (I think this is overused, ambiguous, and can mean a lot of different things to different people), I can say that I’m extremely fulfilled in the path I chose and committed to. And no, I don’t think about what it would be like to have a regular job. I knew deep in my core in my late teenage years that that wasn’t the path for me.

Matt, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi 👋, I’m Matt Horwitz, founder of LLC University. We teach people how to form LLCs in every state. And we do it all for free. Forming an LLC can be a confusing and overwhelming process. We take all the complexity and details and break them down into simple and actionable lessons.

I got into the industry in 2009 after studying various online business models. The thing that most interested me about the internet was that I could package the knowledge in my brain and help a lot of people. Since I was young, I’ve always been very passionate about learning and teaching.

From nutrition to weight training to slight-of-hand card magic. Whatever I got into, I dove head first into and became pretty obsessed. And then my enthusiasm and ability to explain and break things down led to me teaching friends and family.

So in 2009 when I thought, “What can I teach on the internet?” One of the things that came to mind was: I can teach people how to form LLCs in Pennsylvania. I’m from Pennsylvania, and I had formed a number of LLCs from working in real estate. So that was how the idea was born. I created a step-by-step video course on how to form an LLC in PA. And the next year I expanded to Florida. And today we have courses for every single state.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

From all the books I read, one key message was to be mindful of your beliefs (the subconscious is very powerful). I was 20 years old, had a few thousand dollars, and wanted to get into real estate and buy a rental property. But instead of telling myself, “I don’t have the money” (which I didn’t). I instead wrote down a piece of paper (and stuck it in my wallet), “How can I get the money?”

This kept my brain on the lookout for ideas, potential, and creativity. Months and months had gone by (and I’d almost forgotten about it). Then one day a friend was telling me about a type of student loan he got (a private student loan) – and how the company literally just FedEx’d him a check for $30k a couple weeks later. So I ended up using a private student loan to fund the down payment and closing costs for my first house. I was 21 years old at the time.

While it might not be solely about resilience, I think this example shows resilience of mind. In short, with all that I do, I always push and expand my beliefs and opportunity and into what is possible. I keep an open mind and I push, push, push. I don’t give up and I don’t quit. This spirit and ethos has now stuck with me for decades and hundreds and hundreds of examples. “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.”

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I actually didn’t worry about funding at all. I just started. I think if youth and time is on your side, then that is your biggest asset. It’s not about your resources. It’s about your resourcefulness.

I continually found creative ways to continue to focus and build and learn. I did this for years. Eventually when money ran low, I tapped into ACH cash advances on credit cards (I don’t recommend this for most), and I creatively leveraged credit offers and alternative financing. I would strategically build lines of credit, and shift balances around using 0% interest promotions (but paying a 3% transfer fee).

This allowed me to focus on LLC University 100% and not get a job for many years. However, that only lasted for so long. I kept the dream alive through side gigs until LLCU could fully support itself. For example, I did web development work for clients during the day and focused on LLCU in the evenings.
In short, I did whatever it took to stay focused on my path (LLCU was always my main thing). And after about 7 or 8 years, the business finally became profitable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.llcuniversity.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-horwitz-llc-university/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/llcuniversity