By Matt Plapp
Every Monday, I write an email and send it to my mailing list. It’s called MP’s Monday Minute. Some weeks, it’s a marketing tip. Other weeks, it’s me wearing my heart on my sleeve.
This week? It’s the latter. (And for those of you who don’t know, I always end every email with a song and a book—more on that later. If you want to get on the list, email me at [email protected] and we’ll get you added.)
Facing Failure
This past summer, I lay in bed wide awake. It was 3:30 a.m. But this time was different. My heart wasn’t pounding from anxiety or stress like it had been so many nights over the last 18 months. This time, it was racing with excitement.
A lot had happened since 2023: Massive growth. An acquisition. And, for the first time since 2008, failure. From 2008 to 2022, I was on a run—the kind of streak entrepreneurs dream about. Everything pointed up. But by the summer of 2025, that streak had ended. And I didn’t have the answers. Yet.
Related: The Key to Failure: The No. 1 Reason Why Your Loyalty Program Isn’t Working and 3 Ways to Fix It
Let me be clear: I wasn’t giving up. If I was going to go down, I’d go down swinging. So I took a hard look in the mirror and asked: What the hell happened? Three answers came fast and clear: Debt. Wrong people. Data-blind decisions. Let’s take a look at each of these.
1. Debt: The Quiet Killer
The first domino fell on Friday in July. I was reviewing the business with a notepad in hand when it hit me: We weren’t just dealing with debt. We were dealing with a dangerous comfort with debt. We had gotten too casual. Too numb. Too used to chasing big moves with borrowed dollars. And while I’d borrowed from everyone but the mafia to build this company, the truth is that until 2020, we were doing it the right way: without debt.
So, that Friday, I made a decision. I looked at the date: July 4, 2025. That day is now my personal Independence Day. The day I declared freedom from debt.
2. The Wrong People: Influencing the Wrong Things
Next, I had to confront the fact that I’d let people into my head, into my company, and into my values who didn’t belong there. Driving to a meeting one day, it hit me. The voice in my head kept echoing an old Under Armour commercial: “We must protect this house.”
So I made the decision. One relationship ended. Another got redefined. And, most importantly, I made Matt Plapp the No. 1 priority in Matt Plapp’s life again. After all, I got us here. I’ll get us through this. And I’ll get us through whatever’s next.
3. Data-Blind Decisions: From Gut to Growth
Now let’s talk about the third piece: data.
If you know me, you know I move fast. I trust my instincts. I act on hunches. That’s served me well, until it didn’t. Like my guy David Scott Peters, a restaurant expert, would say: “Don’t price your burger by pulling a number out of the air.” You use recipe costing cards. You use your numbers. You use data.
For example, launching our YouTube series, ABR Roadshow, was a hunch—a $10 million hunch—and it worked. But the scale, the execution, the investment…it should’ve been data-led.
So, for the past 60 days, I’ve been in the trenches again. Meeting with clients. Studying the numbers. Planning 2026 to 2029 based on facts, not feelings.
Related: The Dream 100 Marketing Strategy: Forget TikTokers—Your Real Influencers Are Closer Than You Think
The Reset: Give Yourself Permission to Own the Truth
I’m not writing this as a motivational post. This is your permission slip. Permission to reset. To face your failures. To eliminate the noise. And to rebuild your business with clarity and confidence.
The pizza business isn’t for the weak. But it’s also not for the solo act. It’s for the ones willing to dig in, take their hits and course-correct in public. That’s leadership. And if you’re reading this, you’ve already got what it takes. Now go take your swing.
Need Extra Inspiration?
If you want to know the energy behind this mindset shift, here’s the playlist I’ve been running on repeat:
- Feelin’ Good—Norman
- These Days—Connor Price
- Marathon—Connor Price
- Not Afraid—Eminem
- Here We Go—Norman
Listen to them in order. Then reread this.
I’m not sprinting. I’m in this for the long haul. I’m not afraid to be vulnerable or wrong. And I’m done listening to people who haven’t walked my path. Here. We. Go.
Finally, this week’s book is Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. Yes, it’s a repeat recommendation. But it’s the book that reminds me failure is the price of building something legendary. If that doesn’t fire you up, you might not be in the right game.
My name is Matt Plapp. I’m the CEO (chief energy officer) of America’s Best Restaurants. I’ve worked with thousands of restaurants since 2008 when I started this company, and over the next 12 months, we will help 2,500-plus restaurants with their marketing. This is the latest article in an ongoing series of columns for PMQ Pizza to help restaurant owners understand the gold mine we have to market in 2025—and beyond.
