Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business 1332: The Anti-5-Year-Plan: Why Planning Too Far Ahead Will Kill Your Startup w/ Andrew Mathewes
Ever feel like you have too many ideas and not enough focus? Andrew Mathewes is here to show you why that might be your greatest strength. In this episode, Andrew shares his incredible journey of leaving a high-profile role at the National Civil Rights Museum to launch not one, but two completely different businesses simultaneously: Jehl Consulting, a tech consultancy for nonprofits, and Stomping Grounds, a massive brick-and-mortar play space for families. This episode is a masterclass in turning personal problems into powerful business ideas, leveraging AI as your strategic partner, and understanding why building community is the ultimate growth hack. Andrew’s story proves that the skills you’ve gathered throughout your career are more connected than you think, and they can fuel a multi-faceted entrepreneurial life that is both profitable and fulfilling.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
- The Anti-Focus Method: Discover how running two seemingly unrelated businesses (tech consulting and a brick-and-mortar) can create a powerful synergy that makes you a better strategist and CEO.
- Solve Your Own Problems: Learn how Andrew turned his frustrations as a dad of two toddlers into Stomping Grounds, a community-focused business that solved a real-world pain point he experienced every weekend.
- Bizanthropy 101: Uncover the strategies used by multi-billion dollar nonprofits like St. Jude to run their mission-driven organizations with the ruthless efficiency and marketing savvy of a top for-profit company.
- Why a 5-Year Plan is a Waste of Time: Embrace the power of "discovery-based planning" and a "test and learn" approach to stay agile and responsive in an uncertain market.
📝 About Andrew Mathewes
Andrew Mathewes is an entrepreneur who thrives at the intersection of data, technology, and community. After a distinguished 15-year career serving major organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the National Civil Rights Museum, he took the entrepreneurial leap in a big way. Instead of choosing one path, he launched two: Jehl Consulting, which helps nonprofits leverage technology for greater impact, and Stomping Grounds, a 1.4-acre family-focused eatery and play space in Memphis. Andrew’s unique perspective comes from his ability to speak the language of both tech nerds and business leaders, making him a powerful connector and problem-solver.
🎯 Andrew’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
“I wouldn't be anywhere without a mentor. So if you're young in your career, if you're just stepping out to be an entrepreneur... I can't urge you to do that enough.”
📢 Memorable Quotes
- “When everything is so uncertain, it's actually imprudent to plan that far ahead. And instead, you stay in test and learn mode.” – Andrew Mathewes
- “I could not have done it without where the tools are today in terms of AGI and ChatGPT. Doing this completely different business, I've never run a restaurant… I can just pull out my phone and run a deep research report.” – Andrew Mathewes
- “Both [businesses] are rooted in community and rebuilding... that impulse to go back to knowing our neighbors a little bit better.” – Andrew Mathewes
🔗 Links & Resources