By Anderson Schoenrock
The City of Fishers has graciously given me the opportunity to share the perspective of a Fishers’ entrepreneur each month. I firmly believe that what’s happening in Fishers is incredibly unique and will benefit the community for years to come. I also believe it is important that Fishers residents have an opportunity to learn more about entrepreneurs in our community and how we are all impacted by local entrepreneurship.
This month I connected with Recovery Force Founder and CEO, Matt Wyatt. Recovery Force is a highly-innovative company that launched and operates out of Launch Fishers. The company has built amazing active-compression wearable technology using memory fibers and materials to help your muscles recover. Their patented technology has applications in athletics as well as medicine. Matt is an incredibly humble (overly humble in my opinion) entrepreneur who wanted to spend less time talking about the success of his company and more about the various aspects of entrepreneurship that exist in all of us.
Matt believes that we need to redefine the traditional definition of an entrepreneur beyond just “people who start businesses”. He views an entrepreneur as anyone who walks the fine line of taking risks while being fearless but not foolish. Being an entrepreneur takes courage and fortitude, but also the ability to collaborate and understand where your blind spots may be.
He also feels it is important that people understand that they can be entrepreneurial within the context of a larger organization as they lead, create and innovate.
“Being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you need to compromise financial security to start a business,” Matt explained.
Most of us, often unknowingly, operate with the spirit of entrepreneurship in their everyday life. For example, a mom raising children may, unknowingly, operate very entrepreneurially as she juggles the demands of her children and often times a career.
He also shared that entrepreneurs need support from their community. This is more than just financial support, but really an understanding that the journey of an entrepreneur is filled with ups and downs. Successes and failures.
“Not all days are glamorous,” Matt told me. On those challenging days, it is great when people in the community understand that while being an entrepreneur is incredibly rewarding it’s also incredibly tough.
Finally, perhaps most importantly, and certainly in line with his humility, Matt wants Fishers residents to understand that “they are as important to entrepreneurs as entrepreneurs are to the community.”