Nick Karnel Williams

Friday nights remind me of the doors—the years spent working them alongside some of my closest brothers in arms. Weekends like this make me reflect on what friendship, brotherhood, and true connection really look like. A lot of long nights, 12-hour shifts, eight-hour shifts, fights, and violence.

These days, Friday nights are different. I vacuum the house, tidy up, take a good shower, and, before I settle in to chill, I watch Netflix. But there are nights I miss it—the camaraderie, the laughs, the caffeine-fuelled conversations, the late-night coffees, the cigarette breaks. The shared experiences. The shared life. The brotherhood of men striving to be better, to grow, to want more out of life.

But what does that “more” look like? What does success look like?

To some, success is material—having the house, the car, the bank account that lets you do as you please. To others, it’s recognition—being seen as someone who “made it.” But what is true wealth? What is true success?

It’s a conversation I’ve had often this week with some of my closest people. The deeper I dive into my journey, the more my perspective shifts. I see the pressure, the responsibility, and the financial sacrifice that come with it.

I once saw a TikTok video where a guy said, “If you haven’t been close to bankruptcy at least three times, you’re not truly running a business.” At the time, I laughed because we were doing well—profitable, even a little reckless. But then, you hit the down periods. January to June isn’t our strongest season, and maybe I just haven’t figured out which country I need to sell into more.

This week, I’ve been thinking about success more deeply. Not just in a business sense, but in a life sense.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in the waiting area at Blacktown Hospital while my brother was sick. I looked at the security guards and thought, These guys are lucky. Not because of the job itself—because, let’s be real, some jobs suck—but because they get to clock in, do their shift, and go home. They get to switch off.

For three years, I haven’t switched off. Four-hour sleeps. Waking up thinking about MATAI. Going to bed thinking about MATAI. The reality of entrepreneurship is that your mind never rests. And yet, I find myself appreciating the simple things more—the stability of a 9-to-5, the ability to switch off, the small luxuries of life: food on the table, the lights on, the internet working, a roof over your head, a car to drive, the ability to take a holiday.

A lot of people don’t realise that this—this everyday life—is success.

Success isn’t just the money or the status. It’s waking up, breathing fresh air, appreciating your loved ones, contributing to society in a way that fulfils you. It’s dreaming, executing, failing, learning, and pushing forward. It’s love. It’s laughter. It’s growth.

I once heard Kobe Bryant say, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” And every day, as I navigate the highs and lows of running MATAI, I get that a little more.

So tonight, I sit here thinking about my brothers still working the doors. They don’t carry the same weight of responsibility that I do now—leading a brand that represents communities across the U.S., New Zealand, Australia, and the islands. Raising three boys. Providing for my family. Keeping my wife happy. Finding time to enjoy life.

What is success to you? Could you be happy just being happy?

Appreciate your time on this earth. It’s not forever. None of us know when we’ll leave this place.

For me, I’ve come to realise that my success won’t fully be seen in my lifetime. By the time MATAI reaches its true potential, its full power and legacy, I may not even be here to witness it. But if I get to see a glimpse of it, I’ll be grateful. And that, to me, is success.