The POZCAST: Career & Life Journeys with Adam Posner

Matt Higgins: From Poverty to the Boardroom: A Success Story for the Ages

Episode Summary

Matt Higgins: CEO and Co-Founder at RSE Ventures, Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School On E113 of The POZcast, Matt and I dig into everything from experiencing 9/11 as the youngest press secretary in New York City history at the time, to operating as the executive vice president of the New York Jets.  Matt has had a full-plate since he grew up in poverty in Bayside, Queens. As early as 12 years of age, Matt felt the pressure to take care of himself and his siblings, and prepare himself to eventually help take care of his single mother, who dealt with chronic health problems. Matt decided to drop out of high school after realizing school wasn’t for him, and ended up getting his GED so he could attend Queens College. Matt was able to secure some jobs in the press and eventually worked himself up to the position of Rudy Giuliani’s press secretary, at which time his mother passed away. Not long after, the tragic events of 9/11 occurred, and Matt spent the next two years crafting the response as press secretary and eventually leading the reconstruction effort of the 9/11 Memorial. After moving his entire life down to the reconstruction site and spending each day of his two years there, Matt was picked to work with The New York Jets, during which time he met Gary Vaynerchuk and became his partner in VaynerMedia (over bagels which is a great story!) Matt’s story involves a ton of intense experiences and he’s gone on to reinvent himself and his ambitions again and again to build the impressive portfolio and story that he has today.This is an entrepreneurial story for the ages. You don’t want to miss this episode of The POZcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review/rating: https://ratethispodcast.com/thepozcast  The POZCast is brought to you by our friends at Interseller - the prospecting + outreach platform of recruiters and sellers. Whether you’re doubling down on business development or recruiting talent, Interseller does all the heavy lifting of finding contact data, automating the email and follow-up process, and syncs all that rich data into 20+ CRMs and ATSs. Reach out and get going in a 2-week *free* trial today and let them know you heard about them from Adam on the POZCast.  Check out a free demo today! https://bit.ly/2Fbm/BZ1 

Episode Notes

3:08 - What Inspired Matt Higgins?
5:27 - Trump is the most authentic leader
6:08 - Difference of Opinion in US Elections 2020
7:04 - Covid Crisis
8:23 - Matt's Early Days and Life Challenges Faced
10:51 - Dropping out from school
12:19 - Journalism - Ability to communicate
13:10 - Bridge the gap
14:17 - Rudy Giuliani
18:06 - Degree of Sacrifice
19:31 - Dont feel sorry for yourself
20:56 - Recovery Effects Post 9/11
26:04 - Sports and Entrepreneurship
28:27 - What makes you different?
29:43 - Take a Pause / Survive the Pandemic
30:56 - Relationship with Gary Vee
35:57 - One thing Matt dislike about working with Gary
37:24 - Shark Tank
38:26 - The best Shark
39:47 - The biggest regret
40:44 - Matt Higgins' Hobbies
43:09 - Favorite Place to travel
45:04 - Matt Higgins' Signature Interview Questions
47:40 - Single Greatest Piece of Advice
48:18 - Greatest Professional Accomplishment
49:40 - Personal & Professional Silver Lining