June 25, 2019: Matthew Walters posted images on LinkedIn
Source: https://coddi.co/
In 2007 my first shipment of shoes arrived. 1200 pair of basketball shoes. The original payment was right around 18,000 dollars. My business partner was an asshole and tried to have the shoes delivered to Portland because his name was on the original order, but he no longer wanted to run the business. When I was willing to risk my families income and get the shoes into production because I had a system to sell the shoes in place with my basketball camps, I couldn’t get around certain aspects of holding the license. His decision to land the shoes in Portland cost me an extra 3,000 dollars and ultimately led to me not being able to act quickly on the production of my second shoe and eventually led to him selling the brand to an acquisition group.
I didn’t own my shoe company.
Matt Walters has done the damn work!!!!! More important he did it in a way where he owns his company. I can’t stress how important this is. I remember when the truck backed up to my garage and dropped off all of those boxes. It looked exactly like Matt’s picture. When I saw Matt’s post on LinkedIn yesterday it felt like my success although I have nothing to do with what he’s accomplished.
I know the difficulty, the pride, the excitement and the fear of stepping out without the safety net of a job. This picture is the epitome of planning and executing, but it’s only the beginning. If you have wondered what it’s like to start this journey look at this picture and then imagine this is the front of your house and that you’re working alone. Small business is hard and it wears you down, but every small move can lead to the counter that delivers you the results you desire… if you’re willing to push through.
GO MATT and CODDI!!!!!! You can follow Matt on LinkedIn via the link at the lead. You can visit the site and cop a pair of CODDI Boots at either of the links in this post.
From Matthew Walters:
Matthew Walters on LinkedIn: “2 years ago to this day I left my dream job. Under Armour meant the absolute world to me. Everything I currently know about the professional side of footwear grew and developed from my experiences at UA.
To leave in the summer of 2017 to pursue my own company was the biggest decision of my life…but I had bigger dreams that I felt I needed to try and achieve. For the past 2 years, I have been working day in and day out working on my own footwear company.
Earlier this month, I hit my largest milestone yet: my first shipment of boots made it stateside. I’m beyond excited about the future of this company. It’s fun to celebrate, but it’s even more fun to put your head down and get back to work. Thank you to everyone who has supported my dream, both financially and through constant feedback and assistance. Matthew Walters Founder CODDI™ www.coddi.co“
