Nick Karnel Williams

This morning, I found myself scrolling through TikTok. Yesterday, I had the idea to create content—something that aligns with current trends. I’m not one to speak much, but I thought, What if I could make content without saying a word? So, I did. The goal was simple: experiment and try new things for the brand.

Last year, we lost our content creator, JP. Our conversations had always been about growth—his pursuit of bigger things and, of course, the financial realities of running a business.

Truth be told, this business isn’t easy.

We started with 2,500 watches. The goal? To get my uso Andrew’s four years of hard work back. We didn’t have a lot of capital. In fact, we were still working regular jobs, covering our DHL bills out of our wages just to send out free gifts. More Andrew than me, honestly.

That cost about $900 a week just in giveaways. Imagine setting a goal of giving away $10,000 worth of products, only to realize two years later, we had moved closer to $250,000 in giveaways—supporting local communities, businesses, and events. Just two Polynesian boys with no brand experience, giving away a ton of stuff.

The amount of vultures that showed up along the way was enough to make anyone quit. But we pushed through.

We gave a lot, and in return, we took some hits.

But with those struggles came blessings. We hit $1 million in revenue within 18 months, and we’re still selling today. That’s something we’re proud of.

Scaling a business, though, changes things. Ideas get bigger. The costs get crazier. The collaborations we once paid for? Now, the requests from celebrity influencers to “gift” them watches never stop.

We still say yes—when it makes sense, when it honors those who have truly put in the work.

But the deeper truth? As CEO, I’m still learning. People think we have it all figured out, but we’re still figuring it out every day.

With growth comes expectation. People think we should do more. That we owe more.

Funny how that works. You give a lot, and somehow, that means you should give even more. All part of the marketing strategy, right?

I respect JP for what he built within our TikTok community. But it wasn’t until I logged in recently that I saw the sheer number of messages—people just asking for free stuff. Somehow, we became the brand everyone expected a freebie from.

It worked in both our favors. My uso wanted to move forward, but still had love for what we built. At the same time, we had to cut back on marketing spend and shift the mindset away from constant handouts.

Not everyone deserves the results of our hard work for free. Especially when each watch costs $300+.

Why our price point? Why our margin? Because it allows us to do more.

We don’t drive Lambos. We don’t live some flashy lifestyle. When I left my 9-to-5 in security to pursue this full-time, I told myself: As long as I can match my old wage, I’m good. And three years later? I still only pay myself my old security wage.

Not every month is a good month. Not every day brings in sales. Realistically, how many watches can you sell?

Well, we’ve moved over 20,000 watches, and yet we still face challenges. Not “struggling”—but dealing with the realities of the brand we’ve built.

This year, I’ve pulled back on sponsorships. Not because I don’t believe in giving back, but because the focus now is on spending less and making more to secure the future of the brand.

That means fewer big collaborations. More organic content. Less reliance on Facebook ads.

I took a step back from social media for a while. But recently, I felt inspired again—like those moments you watch a YouTube clip and get that spark back. A reminder of my commitment to this.

And it’s not just Matai Watches anymore. We’ve started building another company—Matai Arts and Innovation. This one focuses on services, which means balancing two businesses at once.

Retail marketing is a beast. And ironically, while we aim to spend less, we’re actually overspending just to make money this year. Meanwhile, Matai Arts and Innovation runs on no money and will rely on funding.

Business isn’t for everyone.

But it’s for me.

And every day, the challenge remains the same: figure it out.