Matthew Needham @bigredtomato Has Business in His Blood

You could say that Matthew Needham grew up in business. His first experience in the business world came at age 6 when his parents bought a pharmacy.

It didn’t take long for Needham to realize running a drug store was not for him, but his interest in business didn’t stop there.

After receiving his degree in accounting and finance, Needham worked his way up through the ranks, first at Rolls-Royce, then at Experian.

Then in 2008, Needham decided to leave the corporate world behind for a chance to focus on his first love, helping small business owners build their companies and find success.

His resume is an impressive one.

During his career, Needham has served as a business mentor for the Prince’s Trust, a UK-based charity created by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales; a business adviser to the Chief Executive of Ice Skating GB; has served as a consultant for businesses and organizations ranging from Fortune 100 multinationals to governments, non-profits to solopreneurs, and small businesses of 10 employees or less in the IT, design, and commerce fields.

His financial acumen extends beyond the simple nuts and bolts of operating a business, too. In 2012, Needham was instrumental in assisting De Montfort University with its issuance of a a ￡110 million Public bond on the London Stock Exchange, the first such issue of a public bond by a British University since 1998.

That same year, Needham moved his family to Wellington, New Zealand, where he continues to dispense wisdom from his business blog The Big Red Tomato Company.

Still the owner of a multi-million pound property business with his wife, Needham combines his lifetime business experience with his background in small business to advise established business on changes they can make in their operations to boost overall profitability and realize long-term growth.

Needham, our latest BizSugar Contributor of the Week, has been a member of the BizSugar community since 2011. He says what he likes best about the BizSugar community is its focus.

“Many sites offer the opportunity to share content, but BizSugar focuses entirely on business, which means that I’m always going to find useful and relevant stuff that will help my business or my clients businesses grow,” he explains.

Would you like to be a BizSugar Contributor of the Week and have your business or Website featured here on the BizSugar blog. It’s easy. Just sign up for a free BizSugar account, if you haven’t already, “like” our BizSugar Facebook page, and start sharing small business news and information with our community while voting and commenting on the submissions of others.

You’ll be helping the other members of BizSugar find the best and most useful small business news and information on the Web, and will have the chance to be recognized for the content that you share. We look forward to meeting you!