We were lucky to catch up with Matt Sweetwood recently and have shared our conversation below.
Matt, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
I like to say, “as an entrepreneur – a business owner we work 80 hours a week so we don’t have to work 40.
With that said, being your own boss, being in greater control of your destiny, and the personal thrill of success make business ownership worth the investment of time, money and soul.
There are times when all the pressure is on you, and you are working late into the night, or you don’t get to sit in a bar on a Sunday watching football, you sometimes think to yourself about having that “regular” job and just living an “regular” life.
However, the difference between being and entrepreneur and taking cocaine is that you can actually quit cocaine. So, wonder yes, but never will I go back.
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?
My company, Greener Process Systems, has developed patented technology (SETH™), that captures emissions and reduces 98% of air pollution from oceangoing ships that are docked in ports near urban areas. Greener’s systems improve health conditions for millions and reduce the impact of ship emissions on the environment. Port emissions contribute to over 70% of air pollution in nearby cities and have cause a worldwide catastrophic health and environmental problem.
When I exited my previous career in the electronics and retail business, I said to myself I would only take on a new role if it made a difference and improve the planet. I know that sounds like a beauty pageant response, but when a former employee came to me with this opportunity – an opportunity to fix a worldwide air-pollution problem, I had to go for it.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
My business partner in Greener Process Systems was my marketing director at a previous company. Long after we both exited that company, he came to me, out of teh blue, and told me about what Greener’s technology and said to me, we need you to run this thing and get us into the big time.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
The time in my life where I felt my resilience saved me was when my wife, and the mother of our 5 children walked out on us for good. My children at the time range from 18 months to 8-years-old. I was lost, confused, scared and alone. And I had to figure out how to raise these kids into successful humans (which I did) and how to grow a company in the incredibly challenging electronics business – which I did and exited a $100M company a few years back. I wrote all about this spiritual journey of resilience in my #1 bestselling book, “Leader of the Pack: How a single dad of five led his kids, his business and himself from disaster to success.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://msweetwood.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msweetwood/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msweetwood
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/msweetwood/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MSweetwood
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MattSweetwoodManUp
- Other: Company website: https://greenerprocess.com/ Crowdfunding Campaign: https://www.startengine.com/greener-process-systems Leader of the Pack Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BYCR1M1
Image Credits
I have rights to all pictures submitted here.