Matt Cabana has a goal for his second act in life – help as many people as he can, anyway he can.
It’s a lofty expectation for the 50-year-old Temple resident, but anyone who knows Cabana shouldn’t be surprised.
Cabana is a self-admitted risk-taker, who has failed enough times to know that he’s not afraid of failing again.
“The biggest lessons for me haven’t come from the successes,” Cabana said.
It’s those moments in his life that drive him, give him perspective. When he chose to close his real estate business in November of 2008, foreseeing the looming downturn in the housing market, he joined Bean Group and has put together quite the portfolio over the last decade-plus. In 2018, he helped open Bean Group offices in Peterborough and Rindge, and was part of 75 real estate transactions.
But for Cabana, it’s not about the commission check. He doesn’t think of real estate as a sales job, but rather more like being a guide to making the process of buying a home as simple as possible – a problem solver you might say.
“It’s about taking something that people do one or two times in their lives, that seems daunting and impossible, and making it easy,” Cabana said. “It can be an amazingly rewarding experience.”
It doesn’t hurt that Cabana has spent the vast majority of his life in the Monadnock Region and truly believes it is the best place in the world to live.
“If you believe something in your heart, it’s absolutely the easiest job in the world,” he said. “This region is the easiest sell.”
For out of towners looking to make their next home here, Cabana’s first stop is downtown Peterborough. While he calls Temple home now, Cabana is from Peterborough, graduated from ConVal High School, and has a deep appreciation for where he grew up.
“What wouldn’t keep you here?” Cabana said. “I’ve been all over the United States, but I’ve only lived in one state. I’ve never found another place I wanted to call home.”
His extended family has owned many businesses in the area and working for his parents growing up taught him the importance of service. And it’s that pride that has pushed Cabana to be a big part of the community – to try and make as big an impact on this area as he can.
After seeing what the 100+ Women Who Care Monadnock, a group his wife Amy is a part of, was accomplishing, handing out thousands of dollars in donations every three months, Cabana started thinking about doing something similar for the men of the Monadnock Region.
“I realized there was a need beyond that,” he said. “So why not start another group?”
He tried to put something together a few years ago, but it never gained any traction. But undeterred, Cabana founded Monadnock Men On A Mission last year and has been handing out donations every three months to worthy organizations. It’s growing slowly and Cabana knows that soon things will just take off.
“My goal is always to get to that $10,000 mark,” he said. “But I’m not alone. There are a lot of other people that are doing this stuff and I’m 1,000 percent behind anyone that’s improving our region.”
The group is entirely made up of men from the area, who get together four times a year and write a check to that meeting’s nominated nonprofit. It’s really that simple.
He also created Cabana’s List, an online directory to anything and everything in the region. Need a plumber? How about a place to grab a bite to eat? What about planning for your financial future? Cabana’s List has you covered.
It’s a free service and one that Cabana feels is important to not only his clients but those who want to get the most out of the area.
In April, Cabana did what he calls a heart purchase. With the Birchwood Inn up for sale again, and having established a relationship with the previous owners, he didn’t want to see someone come in and take over. So along with Amy, the two bought the historical Temple property and are looking to continue the strong tradition of providing not only a place to stay for visitors to the area but a relaxed and inviting place to get a meal and jobs to those in town.
“This is important to me. It’s important to the town. It’s important to the region,” he said. “I live in this town and I love this town.”
The Cabanas bought the property with the intention of running it for as long as they’re still around.
“This is a passion project and I have no intention of ever selling this,” Cabana said.
A handful of years ago, Cabana got involved with the Temple Drama Club and while he had never been on stage before, he quickly found it was a great stress reliever and a way to get out of his comfort zone.
“The first time I went out there, I thought I was going to throw up,” he said.
These days, Cabana is always looking for ways to slow down and be present. He has a demanding job, a new business and many other priorities and responsibilities – including being the dad to two teenage children, Caden, 16, and Julielle, 15 – that can pull him in different directions. But as someone who has spent his entire life battling depression, Cabana is learning to find that balance. He has to.
“My success was going to be my downfall,” he said. “There’s only so many hours in the day.”
Cabana got to know Steve Millard, before his passing, and found his book, “A Bipolar Life,” both fascinating and helpful. He hopes with revealing that he has struggled with mental illness that maybe he could be a Steve Millard to someone else.
He tries to be present, stay in the moment as much as possible because he’s learned over the years that you can’t get things back.
“The most valuable thing we have is time,” Cabana said.