Smithmier and His Startups
Don Smithmier shares his secrets of success.
Tate Carlson
Don Smithmier doesn’t fit the profile of a serial disruptor.
He’s personable, the devoted father of three daughters, by all accounts a good neighbor and the lead singer of a popular middle-of-the-road country-pop band.
But he also loves “disruptive” technologies, and knows how to use them to help his customers and benefit the four startup companies he runs—with three business partners—under the umbrella of Minneapolis-based Matter Worldwide.
“Disruptive,” as defined by influential Harvard business professor and author Clayton Christensen, is “the idea that big companies cannot disrupt themselves,” Smithmier explains. “Because people get accustomed to the world working a certain way and playing a certain role, it becomes very hard for a disruptive idea to take root, in a long-established company. I love the role of agitator and innovator.”
Matter Worldwide consists of two wholly owned subsidiaries—Rumble Music (a full-service music studio) and GoKart Labs (a digital innovation lab)—plus two joint ventures: BringMeTheNews.com (a pioneering online and broadcast news aggregator) and Sophia (a new teaching and learning application that combines the power of Facebook, YouTube and other social media).
Matter was founded in late 2010 by Smithmier and partners A.J. Meyer, Rick Meyer (who are brothers) and Jess Ford. Smithmier is CEO of Sophia, and leads GoKart Labs along with A.J. Meyer. Rick Meyer, creative director of Rumble, and Ford, Rumble’s executive producer, are experienced music creators for various media.
Rumble Music provides original music for clients such as Macy’s and Target. The firm opened a Los Angeles office earlier this year.
GoKart was founded in 2009; later that year, Smithmier and his partners became part owners of BringMeTheNews.com, the service founded by former KARE-11 anchor Rick Kupcella. Sophia launched in early 2010.
Getting Started
Growing up in McFarland, Wis., the 41-year-old Smithmier planned to become a teacher—inspired by high school teachers who mentored him after the death of his father, who died when Smithmier was 8. He came to the Twin Cities to earn an MBA at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School.
