Charlie Rhodes
Chief Operating Officer
What I Didn’t Know Then
Twenty years ago, I walked into Visual Matrix with an IT background, no hospitality experience, and no real idea what I was getting into.
Things were moving fast. Budgets were small. We were just starting to build a business in an industry I didn’t fully understand, but I could already tell there was something special about it. There was this undeniable energy around solving real problems for real people and doing it in a way that made their day-to-day work easier. That blend of human connection and impact is what pulled me in. The work was high-touch, deeply human, and full of opportunity. I was young, learning fast, and figuring things out as I went.
I had no idea I’d still be here two decades later. That’s not typical for tech. But this space, this company, this team… it’s hard to imagine doing anything else now.
If I could go back and give myself a little advice, here’s what I’d say:
1. Build the Right Relationships
Hospitality is a people business. But honestly, so is tech (or at least it should be).
The best things I’ve ever helped build didn’t start with specs or timelines. They started with a hotel GM walking me through their pain points. A support lead showing me what users kept getting stuck on. A teammate pointing out what I hadn’t considered.
It’s easy to think that technology is all about process. But people shape the process, and they shape the product too.
The relationships that matter most aren’t always the ones that make the biggest splash. They’re the ones built on trust, mutual respect, and shared outcomes. That goes for coworkers, clients, and partners. Especially partners.
And here’s something I didn’t realize early enough: relationships also drive relevance. When we started engaging more actively with the industry (going to events, marketing ourselves, getting our name out there), we stopped limiting our own potential. People can’t work with you if they don’t know you exist. Once we stepped into the spotlight a little more, we found out just how much value we had to offer.
2. Do What You Do Best (Then Let Other People Do What They Do Best)
I know where I’m strong. I also know where I’m weak, and that’s taken time to get comfortable with.
One of the smartest choices I’ve made over and over is working with people who fill in the gaps. Internally, externally, everywhere. That means not just hiring for strengths, but partnering with purpose. It means building a culture where transparency isn’t risky; it’s the norm.
When you stop trying to be the one who solves everything, you get better results, and a better team dynamic. You also create space to lead. You get to think a little more long-term.
I used to believe I had to be the one who got everything done. The lone-wolf mindset felt familiar, even necessary, early in my career. But over time, I learned that it only leads to anxiety, burnout, and bottlenecks. The truth is, you need a strong network, not a strong ego. If you do it right, your team becomes strong enough to keep moving even when you step into something new. That shift in mindset didn’t happen overnight, but it’s one of the most valuable changes I’ve made.
One of my own mantras has become: always be training your replacement. If you’re the only one who knows how something works, you’re not secure. You’re stuck.
3. Start With the Problem (Not the Product)
In the early days, we focused hard on building good software. That’s not a bad instinct. Performance, stability, usability. It all matters.
But what I understand more clearly now is this: if you’re not solving a real problem for real people, it doesn’t matter how elegant your solution is.
Everything we build should come back to purpose. One example I’m especially proud of is our work around anti-trafficking. It’s not just about adding a checkbox in the system or creating a workflow. It’s about building tools that empower hotel staff to do the right thing in the moment, with confidence and clarity.
More broadly, what we’re doing with our Traffic Defend suite reflects something deeper: we can use our tech to make life easier for our clients *and* safer for the world. We’re not just solving operational problems anymore. We’re solving human ones.
That kind of impact doesn’t come from the tech alone. It comes from listening, from empathy, and from keeping the mission at the center.
4. Culture > Knowledge
This one was a hard lesson.
For a long time, we kept people around just because they knew a lot. And yes, sometimes that knowledge was critical. But if someone’s attitude or behavior is out of sync with your values, it creates drag. Not just on the work, but on the whole team.
We’ve changed how we think about that. These days, we hire (and lead) with culture in mind. At Visual Matrix, we’ve gotten very intentional about what matters most: we focus on driving results, leading with expertise, staying optimistic, and working collaboratively.
When someone shows up with those values, the rest can be taught. Skills are shareable. Culture… not so much.
And the best part? A healthy team doesn’t just run more smoothly. It runs more boldly. People are more willing to speak up, try new things, and challenge assumptions when the foundation is solid and the team default is “grow or die.”
It doesn’t mean we get everything right. But it does mean we’re more willing to learn from it when we don’t.
5. Take the Risk (Sooner Than You Think You’re Ready)
I’m naturally cautious. I tend to be careful, precise, and like things to be controlled and correct before they’re shared. Getting things right matters to me.
But perfection can stall progress. That’s something I had to learn the hard way.
These days, I follow something I call the 80% rule: get a project to 80%, then ship it. See how it performs. Get feedback. Iterate. Because truthfully, 100% in a vacuum doesn’t exist. Waiting for it means you’ll probably miss the moment.
Sometimes you’ve just got to take the gloves off and try it. Especially if the idea is good, the timing is right, and you trust the team around you.
Some of the best work we’ve done came from running a pilot and refining it in the wild. That’s where real improvement lives: not in theory, but in use.
What Success Looks Like Now
I used to think success was about numbers. How many installs. How fast we were growing. How many new clients we could bring on board.
Those things still matter. But they’re not the whole story.
At this year’s Best Western annual convention, we hosted a user session. We asked the group who’d been with us the longest, so that we could present gifts to the longest-standing clients. More people raised their hands at “over 20 years” than we even had gifts for. We had to go find more.
That’s what success looks like now: not just acquiring clients, but keeping them. Growing with them. Solving problems together. Being the kind of partner they want to stick with, year after year.
We spent a long time at Visual Matrix being known within one circle. But the last few years have opened up a whole new chapter for us. We started telling our story more publicly, like launching our first real brand campaign and getting intentional about content marketing. We invested in industry events and started showing up to talk with peers and prospects face to face. Engaging more deeply with the industry made a bigger difference than we expected. And it’s paid off -in growth, and in clarity.
We’re not just here to sell hotel software. We’re here to support the people who keep hospitality human.
If I could go back and talk to the 2005 version of me, I’d keep it simple:
- Focus on people.
- Lead from purpose.
- Take the risk.
- Don’t chase perfection.
- Build what matters.
And maybe, don’t worry so much.