Building an anti-hustle culture business from the top down
A chat with Matt Herbert, co-founder of Auckland-based startup Tracksuit
In 2021, while most of us were sitting around in our trackies during lockdown, Matt Herbert and Connor Archbold were launching Auckland-based marktech start up Tracksuit, aimed at helping businesses measure, understand and communicate the value of their brand. Since then the business has expanded rapidly, bagging awards and support from big names including marketing industry veteran, Mark Ritson. We sat down with Matt just after they successfully closed their first investment round to talk anti-hustle culture and the importance of switching off in order the stay switched on while running one of regions fastest growing start-ups
Hey Matt! Thanks for chatting with us today man. Can you start by telling us what you do and what your typical day looks like?
Hey team, thanks for the invite!
I'm the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Tracksuit. We’re a modern brand tracking SaaS company offering marketing teams a simple approach to tracking brand health.
We help consumer brands measure, understand and communicate the impact of marketing efforts in an always-on and easy to use tool. We launched a couple of years ago and aim to be used as a common language by the very best marketers and brand leaders in the industry.
On a typical day you’ll find me in our office in downtown Auckland working with the awesome humans at Tracksuit, leading and feeding off the energy. Amongst a number of things I oversee the growth functions of Tracksuit - sales, marketing and partnerships. And lead Tracksuit alongside my incredible Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Connor.
As a founder, I imagine your schedule isn’t super open. Do you do anything to prioritise taking time out as opposed to succumbing to the stress of the hustle?
At Tracksuit we’re intentionally building an anti-hustle culture. Don’t get me wrong, we work hard and we have big ambitions, but we want to be intentional about what we do and how we do it - like finding efficiencies so we don’t waste time unnecessarily. Each member of our team wants to do their best and achieve the very best for themselves and the business, but we make sure they all feel supported, valued and reminded that it’s good for them to leave on time and not put themselves under too much pressure at work.
For me, I make sure the morning is for myself so that I’ve done something that benefits me personally before getting stuck into the grind. That could be a walk, run or gym workout, or catching up with a friend for an early morning coffee. I’ll admit this doesn't happen every morning, but the goal is to take some time for myself first.
If there isn’t something in my calendar, I find it very easy to succumb to the pressure of the ever-growing to-do list. Having said that, if something spontaneous pops up then I’m always keen to see if I can balance work priorities with catching up with friends or family, playing and watching sport, and getting outside as these are all things important to me.
Before you went out to Unyoked, did you do stuff like that before? Have you spent much time out in nature?
I love being outside in nature, whether it’s camping, skiing, surfing, playing golf or chilling - it’s good for the soul and I always feel revived after a good stint outdoors.
After lockdown we bought a Feldon rooftop tent, which has been a lot of fun. It’s given us even more reason to spend time in nature and go on adventures around New Zealand including to the East Cape, Muriwai, Bay of Islands and the Coromandel.
How were you feeling mentally and emotionally before you headed out to nature?
Well, I hadn’t slept a wink the night before…I had a few other things on my mind…
I proposed to my now fiancée Natalie on an early morning walk just before we headed down to the Marama cabin in Raglan. We had the weekend planned and were both really looking forward to our first Unyoked experience, little did she know, I had something else up my sleeve.
Not only that, but we were also closing the final deals for Tracksuit's first investment round so there was a lot going on at work.
I had two major life moments coming together at the same time, so I was feeling pumped, but also in need of some relaxation and tranquillity in nature.
How did you feel on return?
I felt refreshed, calm, happy, and had much more clarity. Everyone deserves more time in nature, and Unyoked offers just that, but with some of life’s little luxuries.
Some of our team members have also visited, and they’ve all loved the opportunity to switch off in their own ways. It’s cool to hear how much other people have enjoyed it.
We’ve been recommending Unyoked to friends from the moment we left and we can’t wait to connect with nature at one of the cabins again soon.
We know that people in this day and age - particularly in the city and particularly founders and other people in high paced jobs – can be over committed and struggle to pause when they need it. What would you say to them?
Get on top of your schedule and ruthlessly prioritise. There will always be work for you to do, but you need to know when to put tools down.
When you’re on your commute or you sit down at your desk, consider the top three things you need to get done. Complete them, and then be satisfied.
Sure, there'll be times that you need to work a little later, or there’s a major deadline looming, but don’t stretch yourself constantly, because it will have adverse effects.
Also, find incredible people to surround yourself with. That’s the most important thing. Good people will bring out the best in you, support you through the hard yards and celebrate the small wins and the milestones so make sure you find the best people for you. Loved ones and epic colleagues will also remind you when to pause, if you haven’t already reminded yourself.
Take time to smell the roses!