Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Peppes.
Hi Matt, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
To give you a little background… I’ve always had an exploratory interest in the latest technology and always loved navigating new platforms or other gadgets/things I didn’t understand to see how they worked and how they could best be used. I guess you could call it a natural tendency to just fidget with things I didn’t understand up to the point of having enough knowledge about them to satisfy my curiosity. It was this “nerd” curiosity that started my fascination with social media and website design/creation. So the idea for Cuvée KC started 5 years ago when I noticed my Dad’s frustration with who they were using to manage their website. He’s a Dentist here in town and was working with some company down in Florida who built cookie-cutter websites for dental practices.
At the same time, my now brother-in-law was in the process of creating a new golf/fitness-based program and wanted my help to build a website and start up a profile on Instagram and Facebook. I recently left a Sales VP position with an Oil & Gas manufacturing company so I figured I’d help him out while I figured out what I wanted to do next professionally. So I built a website using the Wix platform and started to create content that we pumped out on social media showcasing what this new program was all about and why it’s different from anything else people have experienced. Long story short… members of this new fitness program starting asking if I could help them and their businesses with a new website design and advise on how they could build an engaging social media presence.
All of a sudden a light bulb came on in my head and I thought, “Hmm… maybe I could do this type of work as a career?” And then boom, Cuvée KC was born. (pronounced /k(y)o͞oˈvā/) A quick side note, I picked the name Cuvée KC because I am a huge lover of champagne and in french, Cuvée means “a type, blend, or batch of wine, especially champagne”… so my thought was I’m providing a variety of services to my clients so this word just seemed like a perfect fit. Anyway, I started offering a whole gambit of digital marketing services but over the years I zoned in on what we were the very best at, which was social media management, content creation, and website design & development. One of the main goals in how I wanted to operate my business was to offer a tailored approach to digital marketing so that I could meet every aspect of my client’s needs.
I also wanted to provide my clients with the best possible customer service possible. This all tracks back to me mentioning my Dad and his frustration with who he was using for their dental practice’s website. Seeing how frustrating he got and how long it took this company to make edits or respond to any questions made me think there’s a market out there for small businesses who just want to work with someone they can trust and rely on… and that’s exactly the type of environment I’m trying to build for our clients.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It most definitely has NOT been a smooth road lol! In the very beginning, I was trying to do everything myself, as I didn’t have the financial stability to bring on any help, and I was taking any and all business I could without regard to asking the question on whether it was really a good fit for Cuvée.
I quickly realized my capacity was running out and it was preventing me from bringing on other clients as I wasn’t able to give them the service I set out to provide. Over a few years of discussing my point points with a few mentors, I came to the realization that I was really really good at overall marketing strategy, social media strategy/management, and website design… but not so much at photography, graphic design, branding, and copywriting. So instead of me struggling through those aspects, I wasn’t good at, which were also taking up a lot of my time, I decided to find other creative people who were extremely talented in those areas and started outsourcing the work to them. It was incredible what happened next, the overall work was getting done faster and my capacity was opening up allowing me to go out and secure new projects. What would normally take me two or three days would take these creatives 2 or 3 hours… plus the quality of work was 300% better than what I even produced.
Now on to my mistake of accepting every project under the sun right when things got started. I would imagine it’s similar to most other start-ups… you’re hungry and eager to make your business successful so you have to be crazy to turn down at type of business that comes your way! At least I believed that in the beginning but then I came across the book “The Pumpkin Plan” by Mike Michalowicz. The book basically compares farmers who grow these world record pumpkins to business and as odd as it seems, the premise makes perfect sense. Essentially it’s ok to “cut off” your annoyingly demanding “C” customer and focus more of your attention on your “A” and “B” customers. They’re already your higher-paying clients so just imagine if you spent more time focusing on their needs…what other revenue streams could you uncover! It’s a scary thought to “fire” a client, especially if you are just starting out because at the end of the day they’re a stream of revenue. But it was the best thing I could have done as it realigned my focus and allowed me to better understand who the right client could be.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Out of college, I worked in sales for an Oil and Gas manufacturing company here in KC. I learned a lot of valuable skills during my time there and got the opportunity to travel all across the country to visit customers. My heart just wasn’t in sales and as I mentioned in the earlier section, I’m fascinated with the digital marketing world.
I specialize in marketing strategy, social media strategy, social media management, content creation, and website design and development. For the other essential services provided by Cuvée, I outsource to other creatives I’ve built relationships with over the past few years. I would say I’m best known for my outgoing personality. People always comment on how approachable I am and how easy it is to talk with me. I’m the person who is always smiling so I guess I’m just someone people feel comfortable with. I am most proud of all the friendships I’ve made over the past few years since starting Cuvée KC. I’ve met some really cool people, most of whom I wouldn’t have crossed paths with if I didn’t start my own business.
What sets me apart from most is my desire to continue learning. I don’t have much of a desire to be an expert on one single thing and I always look at new opportunities as a time to learn something new that might just help me become a better person. I have a natural curiosity in things I don’t know or understand and I think there’s always something new to learn each and every day.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
“The Pumpkin Plan” by Mike Michalowicz – a must-read for every startup owner or entrepreneur “Leonardo da Vinci” by Walter Isaacson – just makes you think how incredible people can be. “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” by Neil deGrasse Tyson – a humbling book that makes you think how small we really are.
- The GaryVee Audio Experience (podcast) – so many nuggets here, an incredible entrepreneur.
- Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast – amazing conversations on leadership.
- Golf Underground on ESPN Radio (podcast)
- Fit Body, Happy Joints (podcast) – always curious about new ways to improve my fitness and wellness.
- Uncrate App – the best place to find new gadgets.
- StockX App – because my shoe game needs to be on point.
- Firefox Focus App – best privacy-conscious browser app for your phone.
Iconosquare – one of the best social media schedule/analytics platforms I’ve used.
I recently started listening to “The Cutting Onions Podcast” with Bobby Shaw and it’s phenomenal.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.cuveekc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cuveekc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cuveekc
Image Credits
Jillian Bode Photography
