#35 – Matt Sonnenberg is a man who isn’t afraid to try things. He tries something new, learns a valuable lesson, and then moves onto something else. This is a pattern that started with his childhood paper route but and continues with the multiple revenue streams he manages today.

His journey takes us through two different attempts at post-secondary education; a path that eventually led him to specialize in brass instrument repair. After a failed solo repair business, Matt ended up at a larger music store but quickly realized that the industry would take a significant amount of time to break into. Leaving there to deliver pizzas, he learned that he enjoyed working for himself where he didn’t have to rely on a schedule made by someone else, and that was enough to push him towards another entrepreneurial venture. 

His first website, a place to assist those purchasing a home, taught him how online advertising worked, and his second website was where he found his niche; the toys-to-life video game genre. He got in early enough during the Skylanders crazy that his website generated $35,000 per year from advertising and affiliate marketing, but eventually the bubble had to burst. Realizing the value of getting in on the ground floor, he switched to the world of card games and started the first direct sales website in North American for the Lightseekers franchise.

While all this was going on, Matt had become a regular guest on a few podcasts that specialized in video games due to his expertise in the toys-to-life genre. His positive guest experiences led him to start a podcast of his own with some friends, and when it began to pay for itself through Patreon subscribers, his entrepreneurial side took over once again. Now, Matt splits his time between running his websites, creating Skylanders Youtube content, and working as a podcast advisor and consultant helping others get their ideas off the ground.

Matt's projects can be found at the following links:

Skylanders Website

Skylanders Youtube Channel

Lightseekers Podcast

Podcast Consulting

Podcast Better

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