By Matthew Rushton
Hi, my name is Matthew Rushton. I am the owner of Matthew’s Cutting Edge, we offer the sharpest knives at the best prices around.
Matthew’s Cutting Edge began when I was three, at which time my grandfather gave me my very first pocket knife. I cherished it. I carried that old knife absolutely everywhere showing everyone I saw. I was so proud of that knife and the trust that I received with it. I am glad that my dad and mom trusted me at such a young age. They taught me that yes, the knife can hurt you, but if you take care of it by oiling it or sharpening it or not throwing it around, that same knife can take care of you by doing what you want for it to do.
The addiction (hobby is what some call it) had started to grow with my second knife, and third, and fourth, and fifth. It was every time I saw my grandfather or every time I had a birthday until this hobby grew to be inseparable with me and I had thirty or more knives. I cherished all of them for their own purpose, carrying half of them with me every day!
One day, I was out with my family visiting all of our favorite hideaways. The natural place to end up was at my favorite knife shop. The owner had become accustomed to my frequent stops and haggling for a good price on new treasures. This particular day, we were talking about knives when he encouraged me to start my own business. He said that as much as I loved pocket knives and studying all about them, I should just go into business and sell them myself rather than selling them for others to make the profit. He recommended that I begin a business selling what I loved the most. I had never thought about doing anything like that, but I knew instantly he was a God-send. We look back and see that only God could have orchestrated something like this business—we were not looking for a business for a twelve-year-old knife addict.
My friend was an incredible help. He shared his insight from experience and practical help that set my business on the right track. My business was years ahead of others in the market from the very beginning. Even now, I have an edge on my competition that enables me to operate with minimal competition. His only requirement for mentoring me was that I never set up my business in direct competition to him—could you imagine operating a business in competition against a knife-addicted child (some have experienced that nightmare—tough business)? To this day, we network together and never compete for our market directly against one another. This relationship set a great foundation for my business.
Years have come and gone. The experiences have astounded me. You can’t learn these things in any classroom or textbook. I have learned so much. One experience that stands out over the years as probably the most influential was my interaction with Mr. Chuck Buck, the owner of Buck Knives (still one of my favorite companies to work with).
I purchased a Buck Lighting HTA II knife. This was one just for ME. I was immediately impressed with its quality and workmanship. When I received it there was a note in it from Mr. Chuck Buck, the owner of Buck Knives, with his mailing address in it. I then, mailed him a letter telling him how happy I was with his product. I never expected anything from it. I just wanted to let them know how much I enjoyed their brand new product and that I would be endorsing and selling them wholeheartedly.
Imagine my surprise when I received a personal letter back from Mr. Chuck Buck—himself. The letter said that he was glad that I had enjoyed his product and furthermore that he noticed that I was a Christian from the way that I had signed my letter “In Christ Jesus our Lord.” He said that God was the only thing that kept him going through the thick and thin. This really impressed me and challenged me as a Christian. Needless to say, this also made me an even more loyal Buck customer!
As my business has continued to grow, I have learned lessons that will help me in the future. I have learned business basics such as how to take inventory, add up money, budget for more inventory, figure taxes, and to pay for every expense in CASH at the time of purchase. Most importantly, I have learned how to treat my customers firsthand through experience. I have always endeavored to treat my customers the way I wish to be treated. I have always wanted the best products at the best price with the best service. This is my personal goal with Matthew’s Cutting Edge. Through it all, just the same as Mr. Chuck Buck, I have learned that God will take you through every mountain and valley of life (and business) and He will direct your path through it all. God has been faithful to teach me lessons that I could never have learned anywhere else.
To think, it all began with my dad and mom giving me that bit of trust with that small knife. Just imagine…that spark of an interest led me to the place I am at today, running a very enjoyable business and doing what I really love the most—buying and selling the sharpest knives around!
Thank you our loyal customer for you undying support for all we do. We are glad to have you and hope you find all your needs met here at Matthew’s Cutting Edge.
Enjoy and God bless.
–Matthew E. Rushton, the owner of
Matthew’s Cutting Edge
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