Matium Monday Vol. 10 - The Missing Link

It's almost time to link with your Network...

Over the past few months, we have added hundreds of companies all along the plastics supply chain to the Matium Network. At the same time, we have introduced the functionality of Matium Core to the masses. All of this in preparation for what is about to come...

Matium Network Links are coming very soon. With this comes the ability to connect with your own private Network (much like on here) and set up your digital infrastructure to do business more efficiently.

Links will pave the way for "Offers," which will give Matium users the ability to send/receive private and personalized material offers to companies they are linked with. This means that you can create/control your Network the way you want. Just like on other social media platforms, the only way you can link is if the other person accepts. The only way you can send/receive an offer is if you are linked.

Offers will be rolled out as part of Matium's official launch at NPE: The Plastics Show! We are excited to give companies the ability to streamline their communications and have a platform that keeps the relationship at the center of the transaction.

For example, we know that we offer one price to one customer and another to another for a plethora of reasons - volume, reputation, history, location, etc.

A marketplace doesn't allow for relationship-based business - that is why we are a Network. We were built for materials businesses by people who worked in them. We never take a position - we simply provide the digital infrastructure for you to conduct your business optimally.

All companies on the Matium Network will have the ability to link with others, send/receive offers, and book freight as part of their free profile. All Network companies will also get the ability to trial Matium Core and use our proprietary material matchmaking system, track all past opportunities/orders, gather analytics, and much more.

Matium remains an invite-only Network of verified companies along the plastics supply chain. As a part of launching Links, we are giving our users the ability to earn $100 in freight credit for every company that they invite to join the Network who successfully onboard.

If you want to join the Matium Network, request access here.

If you want to book a Demo to see what Matium Core looks like click here.

Blog: Next Gen(eration) by Mitch Best

Prior to joining Matium, I worked with successful entrepreneurs of legacy businesses on exit/transition planning. What I witnessed during that time is what pushed me to make the leap to Matium.

You are probably wondering what about working on M&A transactions can possibly make you want to sell software to an industry you knew very little about?

The answer is actually quite simple.

I wanted to help entrepreneurs transition their businesses gracefully and on their own terms.

During my time working on exits, I helped families transition a business to the next generation, businesses sell to a trusted competitor, and my favorite was helping owners sell to their employees.

These were all amazing moments to watch a legacy be passed on and liquidity finally being realized after decades of blood, sweat, and tears.

But during this time, I also saw owners ending up in forced sales due to a plethora of factors. The most common though is aging out.

We hear about the Silver Tsunami where the Baby Boomer generation will age out of the workforce and ultimately transition nearly $100T in wealth to succeeding generations. What we don’t hear about is the harsh reality of that transition of wealth and the fact that 70% of Baby Boomer business owners have no transition plan or exit strategy.

In a day and age where interest rates are at a generational high, inflation has chipped away at savings, and younger folks are not entering the manufacturing workforce - we find legacy business owners in a predicament.

Their business will not trade for what they thought it would - or they simply don’t have interested buyers.

The reason it won’t trade at their expected price being the processes are often not optimized for today’s day and age from a technological standpoint and more importantly a vast amount of the value of the business is captured in the mind of the owner as well as the relationships they maintain.

The reason there aren’t any interested buyers is that younger generations either can’t afford to buy a business or don’t want to get into manufacturing.

All of this has led to outside dollars coming in and scooping legacy businesses for cents on the dollar. They then force the business into their mold eliminating the identity and values that the organization was built on.

So where does Matium come into play?

My reason for joining Matium wasn’t to sell software, it wasn’t to fix the supply chain, and it wasn’t to create my exit.

It was to use Matium as a tool to empower entrepreneurs in the legacy manufacturing space.

I want to help owners stop working in the business as they approach retirement and start working on the business.

I want the owner who has put decades into this business and has sacrificed vacations, sporting events, and everything in between to transition the business on their terms.

I want to take all of the value that is captured between their ears and transfer it to a system that can help their legacy live on forever within an organization.

I want to take their Rolodex and create a seamless handoff of relationships to the next generation (on both sides).

I want when the bankers come in to valuate the business prior to a sale, they boost the multiple due to the processes and systems in place.

I want the owner to be able to say no to those exact same bankers and sell the business to their employees if they choose without having to worry about obtaining liquidity or working every day to keep things in check because they have a well-oiled cash-flowing machine in place.

I want the next generation to have an easier path to getting into these industries and decrease the learning curve to propel faster success.

I want my generation to lead the next great Industrial Revolution by building off the amazing foundation set by those currently in power.

I know that Matium will be the tool to drive this initiative.

That is why I am at Matium.