Mitch and Madie Mathews have both started their own businesses following their graduations from BYU. (Madie Matthews)
The names of Mitch Mathews and Madie Lyons Mathews have been mentioned often in regards to BYU sports. Between Mitch’sfootballcareer and Madie’ssoccerandtrackcareer, the Mathews were hard to miss.
Mitch, the 6-foot-6 wide receiver, had a football career at BYU that included a never-ending series of phenomenal catches. One of his many highlights was his Hail Mary grab against the Nebraska Huskers in 2015.
Madie dedicated her first four years of college to the women’s soccer team. During her last semester before graduation, she joined the women’s track and field team. Her athleticism propelled her competition in two different sports at the Division I level.
Madie Lyons Mathews dribbles the ball upfield against Utah. (Savannah Hopkinson)
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Mitch had gone to the NFL by April 2018 after being signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, and Madie had graduated. What came next for the former Cougars was nothing short of a dream.
Mitch had always loved communications and public speaking, so he chose to pursue a career in sales after he chose to end his football career. Madie had a passion for helping others and found her career in the wedding industry. They both chose to turn their passions into their own businesses.
Mitch started the companyAnthemin his living room with a couple of business partners. Mitch said Anthem is a pest control sales company that sells all over North America and already has over 120 employees.
Madie started a website calledBride Access, a place where couples looking to get married can get everything they need for a wedding in one place online. She wants to help those planning a wedding to have a stress-free and enjoyable experience.
“Mitch is the hardest working person I know. He has inspired me with everything he has accomplished so far as an owner of Anthem,” Madie said. “He is definitely a motivating factor for me and is a good mentor to me. He is always giving me good advice and helps me get out of my comfort zone.”
Madie and Mitch both agree they would not be where they are without each other.
For Mitch, some of the biggest characteristics that have helped him become successful in sales are those he learned from playing football.
“(Football) teaches you to be supremely confident at all times,” Mitch said. “There’s no such thing as someone who reaches high levels of sport that doesn’t believe they can accomplish everything put before them. Even though I don’t play football anymore, football still lives in me.”
He uses the confidence he gained from football to push forward in his sales with Anthem. In his first year alone, Mitch said he sold 1,000 different pest control accounts. This allowed him to become an example in the sales world and teach others how he does it.
“Motivating and inspiring my team never gets old,” Mitch said.
Madie says she is motivated to growBride Accessbecause of the people she can help. Like Mitch, she learned things from her sports career that have propelled her in her business career.
“Sports have taught me a level of competitiveness with others and, most importantly, myself. I want to be the best I can be no matter what I'm doing,” Madie said. “Particularly with Bride Access, I wanted to make the best website and provide the best tools for brides to use so they have the easiest experience they possibly can when it comes to planning their special day.”
TheBride Accesswebsite offers many different options for a couple to make their wedding day as unique and personalized as possible.
Both Mitch and Madie are confident their businesses have started off moving in the right direction, and they have high expectations for their companies' futures.
'I see Anthem all over the country with over 500 reps. I see us being a big brand name in pest control and having 500 obsessed employees,' Mitch said.
And for Madie?
“I hope to have a team of 10, as well as being nationwide,” she said.
Though these former BYU athletes may have hung up their cleats, they say what they learned in athletics opened up opportunities for them to chase their new passions.