The First Play w/ Matt Stone

Matt Stone Enterprises
  • 5.0 (6)
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Every day starts with a first play—the decision that sets everything in motion. I help founder-CEOs build authority during transitions. This is mine, documented daily: business building, mindset shifts, strategic pivots, wins, losses, and lessons. mattstone.substack.com

  1. The Cold Start Problem (And Why You Just Do It Anyway)

    9H AGO

    The Cold Start Problem (And Why You Just Do It Anyway)

    Seventy-three days until summer, 34 degrees overnight (still freezing), but by Monday it’s hitting the 70s and 80s for good—so get ready for Matt complaining about the heat. After sharing trivia about King Henry I getting reprimanded for long hair (1105), LaSalle claiming Louisiana for France (1682), and Jumbo the circus elephant arriving in the U.S. (1882), he dives into yesterday’s 7:30 AM networking event near Grand Central. He’s a huge extrovert, but every time he shows up to these things, there’s that moment right outside—the cold start problem. Do I belong? Will I feel excluded? It’s like going to the gym when you don’t want to, but once you’re in, it’s better than great. He started talking to the guy at the coffee station who was super friendly—later learned he’d lost his father a few weeks prior but gave no indication of the grief he was carrying. The woman running the event? Number two employee at WeWork years ago, incredible personality, made him feel more welcomed than anywhere he didn’t technically belong. Here’s the reminder: we connect on a human level, regardless of profession or background. The sooner you get one notch deeper than weather and traffic, the more opportunity for real affinity. And when he introduced himself, the head of the group asked him to speak at a different meeting on April 21st—depending on how that goes, maybe at this one too. Now he’s got a date certain to prep a short version of what will become a longer talk. That’s the game: create moments that force you to do the work. Even if he doesn’t join, the value is there. The theme: doing things in spite of feelings to the contrary. When you know all it takes is getting your mind right and connecting, you’ll belong. And when you put yourself out there, opportunity comes. The question: What’s your opportunity that’s going to move you closer to where you want to be? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattstone.substack.com

    10 min
  2. Oklahoma, Storytelling, and Why In-Person Still Hits Different

    3D AGO

    Oklahoma, Storytelling, and Why In-Person Still Hits Different

    Seventy-six days until summer, beautiful sunny day, though Wednesday night’s dropping below freezing one last time before hitting the 80s next week. After sharing trivia about Brigham Young marrying his 27th and last wife (1868—quite a responsibility) and Jimmy Dewar inventing the Twinkie (1930), Matt reflects on last week’s trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma—his first time in the state. He flew down to work with an amazing husband-and-wife team running a roofing business, set up a remote shoot with two cameras, lights, tripods, and mics. Found the sweet spot of equipment without overdoing it—the iPhone 17 Pro Max camera is so good that for some shots it was even better than the Sony. But the real magic was having authentic, powerful conversations while capturing them. He interviewed customers, employees, and the owners, helping them become authorities in their space through storytelling. Not just recording stories for the world, but the act of crafting and internalizing them first—that’s what takes you to the next level. One customer was teary-eyed by the end, talking about how much she appreciated the company and what they did for her. Seeing the impact of your work firsthand like that—you can’t replicate it online. Online’s great for global reach and collaboration, but being in-person with clients is a next-level experience. They had dinner together, and he’ll remember it joyfully for years. The message: if you work remotely or hybrid, intentionally bring in live face-to-face meetings—networking, whatever. It’s a totally different quality of exchange. The question: What in-person connection is going to fill you this week? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattstone.substack.com

    9 min
  3. When Sunday Morning Work Feels Like Joy (Not a Chore)

    MAR 30

    When Sunday Morning Work Feels Like Joy (Not a Chore)

    Eighty-three days until summer, heading into the 70s today (upper 80s in Oklahoma where he’s flying tomorrow), and Matt’s making it quick before a client meeting. After sharing trivia about Washington proclaiming the boundary of the new capital city (1791) and Jeopardy’s TV debut (1964—didn’t realize it was that old), he reflects on a weekend that was productive but exhausting. Saturday hit the gym and worked, then Sunday ran errands in Manhattan—B&H for equipment, Apple Store to replace his iPhone battery. Turns out Apple never put two screws back when they fixed it years ago, so they refused to service it. He wanted to just swap the battery and go another couple years, but the system funneled him into upgrading and locking in for three more years with Verizon. Congratulations to them. The lesson: if you’re committing to errands on a Sunday, brace yourself—it won’t be relaxing, and you won’t feel refreshed. That’s okay, but it caught them both off guard. But here’s what really landed: Sunday morning, early, he woke up anxious to finish a client project. Got on his computer, worked on it, and his heart was full of joy. When you wake up early on a Sunday morning excited to get to client work and you actually enjoy it—that’s a signal. Amongst all the stress and anxiety of building a new business, those signals matter. You can’t manufacture that kind of joy. So the question: What kind of work do you enjoy doing any day of the week? That’s the signal that you’re in the right lane. He’s off to Tulsa tomorrow, working with great people, capturing stories, helping folks move from operator to icon. Back Friday with hopefully some good stories to share. Sonnet 4.5 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattstone.substack.com

    6 min
  4. Being the Best Dance Partner (So the Other Person Shines)

    MAR 27

    Being the Best Dance Partner (So the Other Person Shines)

    Title: Being the Best Dance Partner (So the Other Person Shines) Subtitle: On service over self-interest, curating stories that help people, and why good feedback makes you better Description: Eighty-six days until summer, high of 67 today (19 Celsius for everyone else), and Matt’s squeezing out as much spring as possible. After sharing trivia about the urinal patent (1866), the corkscrew patent (1860), and the first cherry trees from Japan planted in D.C. (1912), he’s gearing up for a podcast recording with a fantastic entrepreneur who built a painting business 30-40 years ago—so successfully that he started a consulting company. The guy’s run marathons in all 50 states, high energy but reflective, and Matt’s excited to dig deeper into the psychology and what’s worth passing along. Here’s the main theme: it’s so easy to focus on what you need as a business owner—paying bills, taking care of family, building a business for yourself. Your brain naturally goes there. But the more time he spends thinking about who he’s serving and how he’s helping them meet their needs, the more it shifts everything. He’s becoming more discerning about podcast guests—not because anyone’s worthless versus high value, but about what story will actually help people. He asks potential guests for topics, then crafts a conversation that serves the audience. He’s also staying flexible with clients at this stage, being all-in on what it takes to serve them in a way that gives real tangible benefit. Recently he pushed a client to retell a story from a different angle to build the muscle of storytelling for different purposes. Same story, different emphasis—active versus passive voice, different details. She gave him feedback on better phraseology to help her think about it the right way, and he genuinely appreciated it. It’s about being the best dance partner you can be so the other person shines. If they shine, you shine—you don’t even have to worry about that. The question: How can you put yourself in a posture of service that benefits you, your business, whatever venture you’re in? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattstone.substack.com

    8 min
  5. Put the Call In (And Trust the Answer Will Come)

    MAR 26

    Put the Call In (And Trust the Answer Will Come)

    Eighty-seven days until summer, 73 degrees today (23 Celsius for the global crowd), and Matt’s feeling it. After sharing trivia about the UN Security Council’s first meeting in NYC (1946) and Jonas Salk announcing the polio vaccine (1953—though we’re apparently bringing back measles now), he touches on the absurdity of TSA chaos for his Tulsa trip next week before diving into what’s really on his mind. He’s getting requests for ancillary services from new clients, forcing him to test his strategy. But mostly he’s focused on today—specifically, building a community around The Bigger Stage. Not just another weekly cohort or group everyone’s launching, but something creative, different, exciting, probably leveraging New York City. Starting with 100 people, growing to thousands. The dream is forming, but he doesn’t know what it looks like yet. And that’s okay. Here’s the pattern he’s noticed over the years: when he puts the call out—whether it’s for writing or strategy—he doesn’t know the answer and thinks it’ll never come. But it always does. It’s like working in a restaurant: you write the order on a ticket, stick it in the metal structure above the plates. “I want an order of a community building strategy.” Then as you move forward, view what others are doing, take in information, it becomes clearer. You get great advice and make it your own. Yesterday they did their first LinkedIn Live—30 minutes with Kait. People came early, left comments, then dropped off. They need to make it highly relevant early and give people a reason to stick around. Not sure LinkedIn is the right habitat long-term, but there’s only one way to find out. In the process, he figured out StreamYard, successfully streamed to both LinkedIn and YouTube. The recording’s on The Bigger Stage channel if you’re curious. The question: What’s the call you need to put in? What answer are you waiting for? Start with the call—the answer will come. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattstone.substack.com

    9 min
  6. People Are Just People (Even in Gray Suits at M&A Meetings)

    MAR 25

    People Are Just People (Even in Gray Suits at M&A Meetings)

    Eighty-eight days until summer (a lucky number), and Matt’s cruising through March with his first live LinkedIn show launching in less than an hour—What’s the Point? with co-host Kait LeDonne. After sharing trivia about the first public pancake-making demonstration in NYC (1882—who knew?) and the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (1911), he reflects on last night’s mergers and acquisitions group meeting in northern New Jersey. Lots of gray and blue suits, and you might think M&A wouldn’t be the most exciting crowd. At first he felt like an outsider—but then he sat down next to a guy at a table in the back. They hit it off, shared stories about Japan, off to the races. Then a woman sat down who turned out to be a riot, works in marketing, great time, follow-up meetings planned. Once you meet the people and forget about the titles and industries, everything gets easy and fun. He heard common themes in the Q&A about trust, disclosure, not lying—themes that run across industries and unify us all. The lesson: if you feel like you don’t belong in a certain space, you probably do. It’s just about connecting at a human level first and letting the rest blossom. He’s finding more joy in his days lately, and that’s a beautiful thing. So the question: where do you feel like you don’t belong that you actually might? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattstone.substack.com

    7 min
  7. What's the Point?! (And Other Questions Worth Asking About Everything You're Doing)

    MAR 24

    What's the Point?! (And Other Questions Worth Asking About Everything You're Doing)

    Thirty-two degrees when he woke up, heading to a ‘toasty’ 47 later, and Matt’s back after missing Monday—just off to the races. After sharing trivia about the NYC subway groundbreaking in 1900 (you can feel those 126 years) and someone surviving an 18,000-foot fall from a plane in 1944 (no parachute?), he dives into evolution and what’s changing with the show. The five-day-a-week frequency is getting challenging with travel coming up (first time in Oklahoma next week), so things might get scattered. But he’s not stopping—just figuring out the commitment to himself and listeners in terms of when to expect episodes. The show might get rebranded as “Backstage” or “Behind the Stage” since the main business is The Bigger Stage, and this is the behind-the-scenes daily sausage-making. Matt Stone Live becomes the personal platform, The Bigger Stage houses everything else. Here’s what’s launching tomorrow: a new LinkedIn show at noon Eastern with Kait LeDonne called What’s the Point?! Kait’s a smart, funny, all-around good human from the PR world, and they realized their conversations about headlines, messaging, and purpose should be a show. The ultimate question for all of us right now: whatever we’re doing, what’s the point? Social media and AI encourage proliferation and bastardization of everything, forcing us to ask—what’s the point of this post? This newsletter? This networking event? Is it meaningful? Helping our businesses? Serving us or others? They’re going to ask that relentlessly, maybe laugh in a semi-mocking way, and see if it catches fire. The real point: evolve, try, be creative, and stay open. How are you adapting today? What new thing will you try? What will you let go of to move forward? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattstone.substack.com

    10 min
  8. The People Who Show Up When Your Energy Shifts

    MAR 20

    The People Who Show Up When Your Energy Shifts

    First day of spring (though at 41 degrees you wouldn’t know it), and Matt’s reflecting on cherry blossoms in Japan—his first season in 1999 when he finally got the mysticism of that dramatic pink against dark bark. But here’s the thing: everyone builds them up all year, then they arrive and they’re over in a second. Like Christmas when you’re a kid. The moments we live for are merely moments—the rest is anticipation. Maybe just enjoy them without over-romanticizing. This week shifted his usual business development plan. Instead of going wide with messages, he went deep with in-person meetings—so rich and valuable it was worth it. When you can’t go wide, go deep. He had a two-hour call with Kyle, a friend from high school who sparked his first franchise painting business. Yesterday he met the CEO of one of America’s most successful painting companies (who’s run marathons in all 50 states), plus a Milwaukee broadcaster with a voice like butter who does live shows and incredible events. The energy has shifted, and new relationships are flowing while some old ones naturally fade. The people coming in now? Deeply aligned. Even before the big money arrives, he knows it’s coming because he’s investing in soil that will produce. Money for resources to build and support people—that’s the point. Intention, purpose, values, and people are all aligning. The question: Who’s come into your life recently that you’re deeply grateful for? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattstone.substack.com

    10 min
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About

Every day starts with a first play—the decision that sets everything in motion. I help founder-CEOs build authority during transitions. This is mine, documented daily: business building, mindset shifts, strategic pivots, wins, losses, and lessons. mattstone.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Stone Enterprises
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    243
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Matt Stone Enterprises, LLC
  • Show Website
    The First Play w/ Matt Stone

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