Episode 1: Matt Wilson

When it comes to being the type of person that becomes a successful entrepreneur, is rebelliousness part of the package? Where does work ethic factor in? In today’s episode, your host and guest Matt Wilson of BATL (The Backyard Ax-Throwing League) ponder these questions and more. Listen in to hear about Matt’s background and how he ended up founding an indoor ax-throwing league to begin with, as well as how he built BATL’s community, what things aspiring entrepreneurs need to hear, and whether it’s nature or nature that produces entrepreneurs.

Topics Discussed in This Episode 

• Matt’s family background
• Rebelliousness as part of the entrepreneurial spirit
• Matt’s educational background
• The characteristics that helped Matt succeed in his early jobs
• Matt’s experience managing an indoor volleyball venue
• How Matt got into comedy shows
• How Matt got interested in ax throwing
• The origin story for how Matt founded BATL
• How BATL evolved from a backyard event into a business
• How Matt started hosting events
• The importance of a work ethic
• How Matt and Ilan met up
• Where BATL is now in terms of locations, employees, and growth
• The real and perceived safety issues involved in ax throwing
• How ax-throwing has caught on and become more mainstream
• What Matt sees in the future for BATL and ax-throwing as a sport
• How much of BATL’s community-building happened naturally vs through strategy
• Important lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs
• Nature vs. nurture
• What Matt wants for his life

Related Links

BATL

Matt on Instagram

 Quotes From the Show

 “I’ve always been able to kind of bring people together to do things, and that certainly is a benefit in the workforce.”

 “When I think something is great, I’m pretty passionate about making sure that other people around me understand how great it is.”

 “You never have to jump off a cliff. You just don’t.