HEY, I'M MATT. AND I ALMOST LOST EVERYTHING.
September 2010. I was living in my car.
Hiding from the repo man. Using food stamps to buy tuna. I had a 14-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son. And I was ashamed to face them.
I had spent years chasing my dreams while my kids grew up without me. That season broke me. But it also saved me.
I made a promise: I would build a life where I never had to choose between being present for my family and pursuing my passion.
I refused to be a part-time dad with a full-time business. This is how I did it.
COACHING IS IN MY BLOOD.
I’m the firstborn of seven kids. My grandfather, Chappie Lisle, coached college football for over 30 years.
My dad coached me and my siblings for nearly 30 more.
Some of my earliest memories are throwing a baseball in the backyard with my dad. The sound of the ball hitting the glove. The satisfying crack of the bat.
Baseball wasn’t just a game.
It was our language. Our way of connecting.
By the time I was 24, I was coaching my first high school team. And I made every mistake you can imagine.
I was sarcastic. I kept players at arm’s length. I cared more about winning than developing kids. I thought boundaries meant no relationships.
I had the strategy down. But I was missing the heart.
THE GRIND. THE BREAKTHROUGH.
For years, I bounced between coaching jobs. High school. College. Division III. Division I. Even pro ball.
I coached at Gallaudet University, learning sign language to communicate with my players.
I worked for the Chicago White Sox. I coached at South Carolina, where we went from predicted 12th to 3rd in the SEC.
But I was always grinding. Always hustling. Always away from home.
Then in 2014, I had an idea.
What if I could take everything I knew about hitting and put it online? What if I could reach thousands of athletes instead of just a few dozen?
I started filming videos in my garage. I gave away every secret. Every drill. Every tip. I figured if I provided enough value, something good would happen.
The Hitting Vault was born.
Today it’s grown to over 3 million followers. 400 million monthly views. Reaching athletes and coaches in every state and dozens of countries.
The Hitting Vault was born. Today I’ve grown to over 3 million followers and the Hitting Vault has generated 8-figures in revenue. But the best part? It runs without me grinding 24/7.
FROM COACHING ATHLETES TO COACHING DADS.
I realized the same principles that make great athletes make great entrepreneurs. Discipline. Systems. Reps. Coaching.
Dads started reaching out. Not for hitting tips. They wanted to know how I built an 8-figure business while coaching full-time. How I scaled without burning out. How I finally stopped sacrificing my family for my work.
That’s why I created Built Different. It’s for entrepreneur dads who are done trading time for money. Who want to scale their revenue AND reclaim 20 hours a week.
The Mission Now
I’m married to Jessica. We have five kids. I don’t coach on the field anymore.
I traded the 90-hour weeks in the dugout for dinner with my family every night. I realized the impact I could have wasn’t limited to a roster of 25 players.
Now I coach the coaches. I coach the dads. I coach the entrepreneurs.
I help them build systems so they don’t have to choose between success and their kids.
Because winning a championship is great. But building a life you don’t need a vacation from is better.
If you’re ready to stop grinding and start building, I’d love to help. Let’s go.
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