Nick Karnel Williams

January saw a lot of change across the business. For us, it was a tough month. For MATAO\I, it was the worst sales month in the company’s history. Was it expected? Not really. I didn’t think it would dip that hard, but it happens.

In previous years, this would have stressed me out far more. This time was different. God makes a way. November and December required us to turn a lot of things around, and in many ways, those months were a blessing. Because of that, I can’t complain. It just means we need to be more disciplined when these dips come.

The Genesis timepiece has pretty much sold out and has been our strongest performer, while Exodus has done decently for a recent release. We don’t have a lot of stock, and to be honest, last year in business wasn’t the greatest. There were so many transitions I had to move through. Realignment was a big one. Understanding the value of money, learning restraint, and not spending on things that don’t actually matter.

From the outside, our public output may not have looked huge. It might even look like we weren’t doing much. But in reality, I feel like I’ve done more than ever.

The Higher Learning program is getting ready to start again, and we recently ran our first pop up activation for HLRN, which is now officially a brand. Running two brands, pretty much by myself, isn’t simple. I’m the only one who gets paid from this, and for many reasons. Efficiency wise, I like being in control, even if it takes all my time. Late nights. Early mornings. And still showing up as a husband and a father.

This is what I chose three and a half years ago. I’ve been fortunate and foolish at the same time.

On top of that, I’m now on the committee for PIMDAN and helping a lot there as well. We ran V4VILLAGE and the Elephant in the Room event, which was exactly about that. The things we avoid talking about. From a distance, I try not to go too deep into everything, but community contribution matters. Being present matters.

In the chaos of running Matai, writing often gets pushed aside. Time becomes the rarest resource. But this is one of those moments where I pause and write anyway.

Because sometimes, you just need to talk about it.