The Success Interviews – Matthew Needham

Posted by Ben Lumley on Jun 23, 2010 in Peak Performance, Thinking Differently | 37 comments

Today I’m pleased to give you the second in my Success Interview Series, this time with Matthew Needham from The Big Red Tomato Company. Matthew helps businesses make more money as an Interim Manager, Blogger and Coach. I asked him the same questions that I asked Chris before (in fact all of the interviews that I have done so far have included the same 5 questions.)

Matthew is another one of my role models as he runs a successful business and lives the life he wants to lead. It’s great to be able to share his thoughts on success here with you today.

What would you say your passion is?

Without question, it’s making a difference. I have a passion for business and I want businesses to reach their potential, which is why I’ve chosen to be an interim manager and business coach as I get to work with different businesses on a regular basis.

What gets you up in the morning?

I’m quite fortunate in that I love what I do. So everyday I get to act out my passion. Even on dark days, there are always opportunities, you just have to be open enough to see them when they arise. Acting decisively and promptly enables you to capitalise on the opportunities when they arise.

What’s your biggest motivator?

Freedom. Freedom to choose what I do and with whom I want to spend the time. As you know, my wife will be giving birth to our first child in a few weeks and being able to give my new son my time is a big motivator to be able to develop a passive income stream so I don’t have to do as much long distance client work.

How do you push through the tough days and obstacles you come across in life?

Look for the positive in everything you do. Small successes are still successes. Recognise when successes have been achieved and that they take you towards your goals.

What piece of advice if any, would you give to some one who wanted to be successful in life?

Be clear about what they want to achieve. If they don’t know where they are going, they won’t know when they get there.

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Ben Lumley writes about Success and Personal Achievement at 6aliens.com. He is a Personal Achievement Coach and Motivational Speaker.

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37 comments

  1. Matthew Needham
    June 23, 2010

    Great interview Ben!

    It’s been a while since I answered the questions and it looks like we’re no nearer to having the little one either!

    Reply
  2. Hulbert Lee
    June 23, 2010

    Hi Ben, thanks for sharing this interview with Matthew Needham. The message I got here was that if you are passionate about what you are doing, everything else will more or less fall into the right place. I can see that his passion for making a difference has helped him become a successful business coach. Finally, I really agree with the advice that he shares on looking for the positive in everything we do despite obstacles that come into our lives. That makes a big difference. Good job!

    Reply
    • Ben Lumley
      June 23, 2010

      Thanks Hulbert

      You’re right; when you are doing what you’re passionate about everything falls into place. I’m starting to see that for myself right now

      Reply
    • Matthew Needham
      June 26, 2010

      Thanks for the comment here Hulbert. You can find positives in everything you just have to be open to see them.

      Reply
  3. ayo
    June 23, 2010

    hello ben/ matthew,
    how are you?
    thanks for sharing this interview and my take home thought for the day happens to be the conclusion of the interview which is ‘be clear about what you want to achieve because if you don’t know where you are going, you won’t know when you get there.(profound statement)
    Take care and enjoy the rest of the day.

    Reply
  4. Jeffrey Morgan
    June 23, 2010

    Hi Ben,
    I like your style here. I just don’t have the time to look at an interview that is 1700 words long. I mean those type interviews are probably pretty good, but it takes to long for what I get out of it. Short attention span I guess.
    For me personally, I like it short and sweet. I can easily adsorb what is being communicated.
    I hope all is well with you these days Ben, and I will see you soon!

    Reply
    • Ben Lumley
      June 23, 2010

      Thanks Jeffery

      Great to have you drop in

      Glad you like the shortern interview style. For me it was important to just get the answers to the burning questions I had rather than asking lots of filler questions.

      Reply
    • Matthew Needham
      June 26, 2010

      Hi Jeffrey, I’m with you, I much prefer the short style. When I write my posts I try to keep them under 800 words (often no more than 500) because I think you should be too the point.

      I too have a short attention span…

      Reply
  5. Kim
    June 24, 2010

    Hi Ben,

    I like the format. I resonate with Matthew’s lifestyle and I agree that clarity is important to success. It’s good to check in with oneself on occasion and evaluate where you stand and if you’re on track. Keep rockin’. :)

    Reply
    • Ben
      June 24, 2010

      Thanks Kim

      Self-reflection is a really important part of a successful mindset and one we can all cultivate.

      Reply
    • Matthew Needham
      June 26, 2010

      Thanks for the comment. I hope Ben doesn’t mind me commenting on all these posts! Personal reflection is very important to move forward.

      Reply
  6. Alicia McLucas
    June 24, 2010

    Matthew,

    Thank you for sharing yourself with us through this interview. I’m always interested in hearing what inspires someone and how they meet the challenges in their life. Your new baby is fortunate to have you as their parent and first teacher of life. All the best to you and your growing family, and keep making a difference…the world needs more people like you.

    Ben, I find this interview series delightful to read! Thank you, for making it happen for all of us.

    ~Alicia

    Reply
  7. Eleanor Edwards
    June 24, 2010

    Hey Matthew (and Ben :) )
    You have to be the most passionate accountant I know. It’s very cool actually because you have single handedly shown that whatever your passion, you can develop it and expand it and earn a crust from it. That’s a wonderful lesson for your son and the others around you (like us here and on your blog.)

    Wishing you all the very best with baby Tomato :)
    El x

    P.S. Ben, stick a link to Matthew’s new workbook up on here. You might catch Chris a little ;)

    Reply
  8. Julius
    June 24, 2010

    I like all the ideas given by Matthew in this interview, especially his statement “Even on dark days, there are always opportunities, you just have to be open enough to see them when they arise.” I personally want to develop that skill. I believe that it’s within us all; we just have to enhance it.

    Reply
    • Ben
      June 24, 2010

      You have to be looking for the opportunity in every situation. There’s always something there.

      Reply
    • Matthew Needham
      June 26, 2010

      Thanks for the comment Julius. That’s very true. I guess it helps that I’m quite positive, but adapting to a situation is, what as an entrepreneur you really need to hone.

      Good luck my friend, Matthew

      Reply
  9. ALex
    June 25, 2010

    Great interview Ben, and I agree with Jeffrey that the format was perfect. Succinct and to the point, just the way I like it!
    Matthew is a really inspiratinal guy and I am a big fan of the bigred. (the tomato co. not the Kangaroo)
    Thanks for a great post and reminding me that I owe Matthew a guest post!

    Reply
  10. Ryan Hanzel
    June 25, 2010

    As well as the other commentators I also admire Matthew’s attitude towards life. Especially the part about small success’s are still success. I hope to one day live life as you do bud. Early congratulations on your new baby. They certainly are life changing.

    Reply
    • Matthew Needham
      June 26, 2010

      Thanks Ryan and for you too.

      You’re right small successes are still successes, too often we fail to realise that. As long as you’re progressing in the right direction to your goals I’d rather you made small steps every day rather than big strides every now and then.

      Because a small step every day will get you there faster…

      Reply
      • Ben Lumley
        June 26, 2010

        It’s all about little steps Ryan. As long as you keep moving forward you’ll be further on then if you’d stayed still

        Reply
  11. Joshua Black | The Underdog Millionaire
    June 25, 2010

    This is a nice twist to the standard interview routine where people get asked about their business models all the time.

    I’ve been following the Tomato for awhile myself and Matthew is a great guy.

    -Joshua Black
    The Underdog Millionaire

    Reply
    • Matthew Needham
      June 26, 2010

      Thanks Joshua, appreciate that.

      Actually Ben, you should interview Joshua too – he has a great blog with very topical insights.

      Reply
    • Ben Lumley
      June 26, 2010

      Thanks Joshua

      Glad you enjoyed it.

      And Matthew’s right, you would make a great interview. Would you do me the pleasure?

      Reply
  12. Eric
    June 26, 2010

    I love what Matthew said about knowing where you want to go. I’m still guilty of this in some ways as I’m sure everyone is. If you don’t have a clear idea about what you want your life to look like then how are you ever going to know if it turns out the way you wanted?

    Great interview here… I love interviews and need to start doing some on my blog.

    Reply
    • Ben Lumley
      June 26, 2010

      You’ve got to set the target haven’t you Eric? Once you have a focus you can crush it in any aspect in your life.

      Reply

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