Meet Matthew Johnson of Neats USA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Johnson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Matthew. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
At a young age, I always found myself involved in entrepreneurial activities: cutting grass in the neighborhood, delivering newspapers, helping my mom with her floral/wedding cake business or visualizing myself having my own business. You can say that the entrepreneurial spirit has always been running warm in my veins and I am so excited that I get to share with the world an innovative product that will have a positive impact on people’s lives.

Upon graduating with a BA from the prestigious Washington & Jefferson College, I briefly considered playing professional basketball overseas, but I decided to remain in the states and accept a temporary assignment at BMW Financial Services that ultimately led to a 17-year corporate automotive financial services career. I am still involved in Corporate America with Porsche Financial Services, but my heart and soul is tied to my personal company NEATS.

My inspiration evolved from personal experience. For years, I had been aware of the myriad of problems with restaurant utensils. They didn’t necessarily look dirty, but there was no way to know whether they’d been handled in a manner that left them safe for consumers. Who had touched them? Were their hands clean? How hot was the water the utensils were washed in? If they were left on a table, had other patrons handled them?

I just felt in my heart that there had to be better solution and I set out to create it. It had to be portable. It had to be nontoxic with no aftertaste, it had to be safe and finally easy to use.

Has it been a smooth road?
Absolutely not, but I have truly enjoyed the journey and believe that the best is yet to come.

Struggles that many start-ups will encounter has to do with capital. Cash is king and when you have it, it can help things move more smoothly; In addition, small businesses will need to be certain that they have a social media strategy.  This is vital to connecting with your customer base.

Also, speaking with retailers about a product that does not currently exist in the market has posed a minor obstacle, but there is no way that I can or will let that stop me.

I have made plenty of phone calls, sent out letters, emails and even made site visits to a number of stores and all of the responses have been the same: no response from the retailers at all or the standard “thank you for showing interest….”. The minor setbacks that I have encountered has turned out to be a great motivator for me and every day I continue to smile and remain positive because I know that that the consumer will love NEATS.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Neats USA – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
What sets us apart from others is the fact that we are the first. There is no other product on the market to date.

We are most proud of the fact that what was just a vision on a napkin is now a reality. We smile every time we see the word NEATS. We smile when we see our fans engaging in social media and want to connect with our brand. We smile knowing that what we are bringing to the market is a product that will change lives, as we are actively involved in giving back.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Well we truly love the City of Atlanta and relocated back to the area because we felt that this was a great opportunity for our family and is also great for small businesses.

There is so much to do and to be involved in here in the City of Atlanta: Sports, Entertainment, Shopping, Food, Tourist Sites.

A major plus is the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It’s great to be in a city where the airport offers so many non-stop services. Living in a city that has only connecting flights makes for a long day of traveling.

Areas of improvement for the City of Atlanta hands down has to be the wonderful traffic. All I can say is just make sure that your gas tanks are full and that you have used the restroom prior to getting into your car and don’t text and drive. One minor accident can ruin the day for all; however, I do see a number of companies offering telecommuting so hopefully this should alleviate some of the daily traffic woes.

Contact Info:

• Website: neatsusa.com
• Email: information@neatsusa.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/neatsnik/
• Facebook: facebook.com/neatsnik/
• Twitter: twitter.com/neatsnik

Image Credit:
Theresa McNabb
Matthew Johnson

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