We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Matthews a.k.a. “Lethal Shooter” and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, do you have a budget? How do you make lifestyle and spending decisions?
I absolutely have a budget. When I first started making money to the point where I wasn’t living paycheck to paycheck, I didn’t really have a budget yet. I grew up in a way that we never had “extra money” or thought about budgeting and saving…we were just trying to pay the bills. As my business started to grow, my manager helped me find a real accountant and financial advisor. This was a game changer because they have collectively helped me budget both for my business and my personal expenses. With their help, I was able to purchase my first home recently. I really try to make decisions around spending and lifestyle based on the budget we set. I have kids and a family, so spending money on material things isn’t really that important to us. I’m more focused on things like my 401k, saving for my kids, and the long-term plan.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The journey to where I am now professionally definitely wasn’t easy. I always thought I would play basketball professionally and I never really thought there would be a time when I wasn’t playing. Of course, God had a different plan for me and that journey brought me to coaching. When I stopped playing professionally and started to transition into coaching I was literally homeless and faced a lot of adversity both financially and mentally. It’s really hard to make the change from playing to a new career and thankfully I had support of friends and family as I was embarking on a new journey in life.

I’ve always overcome challenges by reminding myself that everything I face is a part of God’s plan. I pray on things and lean on the people around me to get through the rough times. Most importantly, we celebrate every single little victory. Whether it’s closing a new partnership, hitting a new milestone of followers, purchasing a home, or any day-to-day win, we celebrate it all. I just hope the world knows that it was certainly not easy to get to this point. I literally put in blood, sweat, and tears and A LOT of people helped me. What you see on social media is only part of the story.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Honestly I’m not great at this type of thing because all I really do is go to the gym, train my clients, and spend time with my family. I usually have to ask my manager where the “good spots” are. I love to eat crabs and usually take visitors to a spot where we can enjoy some fresh seafood. If we have the kids then we’re one of the many parks in the area or may adventure down to San Diego for a day to the aquarium. Honestly there is so much to do in L.A. but I’m really a homebody and a gym junkie, so if you’re coming to visit me – plan on being in the gym a lot! I might take them to JumpmanLA downtown – they have a rooftop court. I also like to shoot around at The Shoe Surgeon’s gym in his workshop. Just make sure you bring a basketball!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who deserve credit and recognition in my story. From the time I was a kid, so many people believed in me. My coaches, mentors and family helped me find a way to get to college and continue to play the game of basketball. Since then, my family – my fiancé and my two daughters inspire me every single day. Lastly, my manager has been with me for over 7 years (since before I was Lethal Shooter) and we’ve worked really hard to build the business that I have today.

Website: www.lethalshooter.com

Instagram: @Lethalshooter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LethalShooter__

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LethalShooter05/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiFGRUKvGK_xp7jq6NO7BJQ

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