We have had the pleasure of hosting Matt Meents as our “Entrepreneur in Residence” this week. Matt is co-founder of Reside, based out of Minneapolis. Matt was a student of mine when I taught at the University of St. Thomas. It is so rewarding to have students come back and tell their story to my current students and work with them one-on-one as they work toward launching their ventures.
Matt has been focusing on two messages here at Belmont this week — focus and culture.
Matt has viewed building the right culture to be one of his primary jobs as CEO of this fast growing business. From their website:
The company also reflected on the culture that it had established internally over the years, based on the theme of “Rockin,” and what that meant to the group. They agreed that “web for business” is what Reside does, but doing good in the world is what they are really all about. Based on that understanding – and the desire to leave a corporate legacy – the concept of The Residers (a virtual band) was founded. TheResiders.com would provide the interface for the company’s pro-bono initiatives and would play “alter-ego” to the group’s corporate image – providing them a framework for an ultra creative marketing and web tool application.
2007 saw the launch of The Residers and the “Rockin’ for a Cause” initiative. And in 2008, the mission – and company’s growth – continues. And what does Matt Meents, founder and CEO of Reside have to say about all of this? “We’re really just getting started,” states Matt. “Looking back, I am humbled by what our small band has already achieved. But I get really excited when I look to the future…because I can only see good things ahead! We be rockin’!”
The culture that Matt has instilled is a true reflection of his personality. It is a culture that respects the clients, the employees and the community. He has built a team that not only shares his vision, but also embraces the culture he has instilled in Reside. Too often we ignore the importance of hiring people that fit into the culture, only looking at their technical competence.
I am so very proud of Matt and appreciate his willingness to help our aspiring entrepreneurs here at Belmont this week.