Meet the Founder of Prismma, Mateus Morais

Mateus Morais is the founder of Prismma, a firm that provides marketing and consulting services to brands that are or looking for a more conscious business mindset and practices.

He is a counselor of the Conscious Capitalism movement for northeastern Brazil — a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to generate more conscious business practices — companies can exist for reasons beyond just making a profit. Mateus is also a part-time Energetic Therapist and creates spiritual retreat experiences to help people journey inward and live a life of wisdom, freedom, and peace.

For more information about Mateus, visit here.

Here we sit down with Mateus, to know a bit more about his journey as a marketer.

Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

Mateus: I always wanted to work remotely while traveling as a digital nomad. Unfortunately, the company I was working for would not let employees work remotely internationally. So I made a bold decision to quit. I always dreamed of creating marketing solutions and branding services to support other entrepreneurs and brands, especially when their work impacts the world in a positive way. So I thought this was the perfect opportunity to do that — help conscious brands share their stories and encourage businesses to rethink their business models and how it impacts the world. Together we can create and build a strong network of businesses with clear purpose and intention behind them.

Q. How did you get started?

Mateus: I resigned from my job in Brazil to create and develop my own projects and to give life to the ideas. I always dreamt about it. I decided to take a sabbatical to focus on projects that were aligned with my values and the way I wanted to live my life.

But, I needed a break. I was always operating a hundred miles per hour. So I promised myself I wouldn’t jump into working for another company or take the first client that came to me. I wanted to be strategic about who I worked with and how I approached life. I didn’t want to burn out again.

While I was jumping into the unknown, I fully embraced this opportunity to be creative. To focus on my strengths and abilities. Gradually, I started to figure out how I could combine my values, strengths, and abilities into a specific entrepreneurship model.

That’s how and why I founded Prismma — a marketing consulting firm — that focuses on helping conscious brands make a positive impact on the world through their products and services.

Q. What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?

Mateus: My biggest challenge has also been my greatest strength. I come from a low socio-economic region of Brazil and have a hearing impairment. So for my entire life, I had to be resourceful, quickly adapt and learn how to overcome limitations.

If you’ve ever been in the startup world — you know that’s the game everyone plays. How can you optimize your limited resources and quickly adapt to a constantly changing environment?

I had the privilege of working with Rise Higher, a Los Angeles company focused on content and spiritual retreats that help people journey inwards and live a life of freedom. They had an idea for almost two years. They knew the type of content and experiences they wanted to curate, but they didn’t have a large budget for it and they didn’t know how to bring it to life.

Their goal was ambitious. They wanted to facilitate a luxurious, 5-day spiritual retreat in Mexico. And they wanted to do it all within two months. They chose Mexico because of the lower costs to secure a high-end location. However, they still didn’t have a brand identity, nor someone to help market and plan the event.

In two months, our Branding & Consulting services provided a marketing plan, branding and identity guide, website, sales and marketing materials. This was the easy part.

The challenge came when I had to communicate in Spanish and English to bring this event to life in a foreign country. Although Portuguese is my primary language, I lived in the UK for a year and took 3 years of Spanish lessons, so that came in handy. But, I really had to be resourceful to make sure that everything that was selected for the retreat, from the location to the type of paper, gifts and perfumes that would be used. And of course, it all needed to align with the brand identity.

We rolled our sleeves up and got to work. We found an award-winning luxury villa to host the event and make sure all attendees, which were traveling from all parts of the world, were comfortable before they journeyed into the unknown. We created all sales and marketing materials such as retreat FAQ guides, how to plan for the retreat and the retreat schedules. And for the days of the event, we made sure it was all aligned with the brand, which was one of elegance, minimalism and comfort. So we made sure to focus on all of the details that would elevate the participants’ experience. We thought about the kind of paper we wanted to use for the event schedule, the flowers that would be arranged around the house, customs gifts that were handcrafted by local artisans, what candles would be used, and even how their pillow would smell. It all aligned with the brands’ colors, look and feel, and the premium quality service they wanted to provide as people battled with their deepest fears and limitations.

The entire event was a massive success. We received incredible feedback for all our hard work at Prismma. We learned a lot about Mexican suppliers and the local culture. And we took great joy in adapting to a new country, leveraging our resources, making quick decisions, all to provide an experience that those participants will never forget.

Q. What is the Most Memorable Thing You’ve Done Since you Started your Business?

Mateus: My most memorable moments are always when I get to watch the pure happiness my clients experience when they can express themselves and their stories to a larger audience.

The companies I work with have the potential to generate massive value through their services or products. I always love watching people light up. I remember the big smiles my clients had at Rise Higher when they received our marketing growth plan, brand identity guide and marketing materials. They could finally share their story, the way they always wanted to express it to people.

Casa Prisma is another client I worked with, and after our consulting phase, they became an architecture firm that creates healing spaces and rebuilds homes for people. They needed help with marketing business plans, branding and identity, and their website building to engage with their target audience. I loved watching my client share their work and express the impact their healing spaces have on individuals and families.

This past year we were able to support these brands by creating a voice for them. We helped them channel their talent through different forms of content and media. And gradually, the social impact they have will make this world a better place.

Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?

Mateus: My favorite book is Bringers of the Dawn: Teachings from the Pleiadians.

Because it is a compiled book from more than four hundred hours of channeling by Barbara Marciniak, where I could learn more about the wisdom of the Pleiadians, a group of enlightened beings who have come to Earth to help us discover how to reach a new stage of evolution.

Q. What are your top 3 favourite online apps, tools, or resources and what do you love about them?

Mateus: Gaia — Offers the largest online resource of consciousness-expanding videos — over 8,000 informative and enlightening films, original shows, and classes. A lot of this content helps me to expand my knowledge and also teaches me how so much of the world operates.

Grammarly — A plug-in that acts as a personal writing assistant, helping me check my grammar. It corrects all of my spelling and punctuation errors. Which helps me write clearer and more confidently — especially for a non-native English speaker like me.

Safety Wing — It’s travel medical insurance for nomads and you pay as you go. They cover people from all over the world, while outside their home country.

Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?

Mateus: I want all human beings to be aware of their inner essence and to live full of joy. So I keep holding and bringing this belief constantly to my way of living, including the creative process of branding and marketing. May the people create the life they want, including their careers and companies simply by manifesting who they truly are. The world is changing fast and I believe it is pushing forwards the ones who allow themselves to flow on it.

Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?

Mateus: Try to connect and imprint your energy and power to every single part of your leadership journey. It’s where the magic happens.

To keep up to date with Mateus and his journey, connect with him on LinkedIn.