Matthew Kimberley – How to Get a F*cking Grip

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I love to ponder what-ifs. Like what if, back in the spring of ‘96, I’d have found a parking space at the back of Angelluci’s? Well…I wouldn’t have parked on the pavement, and thus my dashing good looks (augmented by my convertible sports car) wouldn’t have attracted the attention of ex-wife #2, who was dining al fresco just metres away.

What if I hadn’t succumbed to her undeniable charms just 24 hours after splitting from wife #1? What then? Well, I wouldn’t have gone on to marry her, nor produce two beautiful daughters (who remain priceless gifts in my life) … before, eleven years later, suffering an emotionally and financially crippling divorce.

And what if, prior to my divorce and financial ruin, #2 hadn’t mucked up our relationship with the family accountants? Well – and this is getting predictable now – I wouldn’t have met wife #3 at the new firm!

It’s also unlikely I’d have survived my midlife crisis, paid off my debts or had our delightful son, Tommy. Instead, I’d be living like my noughties role model, George Clooney – minus the wealth, fame and age-defying looks. In fact, I’d probably look like Yasser Arafat after a night on the turps.

Like him, I’d probably be dead.

The Laura Belgray What-If

Here’s another big one: What if I hadn’t stumbled across a copywriter in New York called Laura Belgray?

1. My writing would be far worse than it is now.
2. I’d have never joined Marie Forleo’s B-School.
3. I wouldn’t have learned from, and subsequently interviewed the disgustingly talented trainer, writer, speaker and entrepreneur-whisperer, Matthew Kimberley, my podcast guest this week.

And now Matthew can claim one of my what-ifs, too. If I hadn’t signed up for a full year of his cajoling, pushing and encouragement (via his stunningly effective Single Malt Mastermind), my first course, “Escape the Office” wouldn’t have happened.

The only problem was, the course teaches you how to convince your boss to let you work remotely… and I launched it just after the coronavirus forced everyone to work from home!

Bugger.

But nevermind. My course will still be there when everyone’s told to return to their concrete places of watercooler worship, and I’ll rake it in then! Plus, I’ve almost finished my second course, and I know that wouldn’t have happened without Matthew’s help with the first.

The Man, The Charmer, The Genius

So let me tell you about this man. Matthew Kimberley is a sales training extraordinaire – sought by big-time entrepreneurs, fortune-500s and those smart enough (and flush enough) to seek his counsel.

He’s enjoyed and suffered through an all-you-can-eat buffet of careers and vocations in half a dozen countries – teaching French to rich kids in Kuala Lumpur, serving Whisky in Brussels and giving English lessons through the magic of theatre in Italy.

In 2007, he threw on his big boy pants to found a tech recruitment company in Belgium (which he grew to millions in revenue), before taking on the top job at the Book Yourself Solid School of Coach Training. He later went on to create The School for Selling, and he is the cunning brains behind The Single Malt Mastermind and The Principles of Professional Persuasion.

Today, from his Bond-style lair on the sunny island of Malta (where, apparently, everyone is naked), he works with companies from around the world to help them achieve remarkably better results. Indeed, Glamour Magazine described him as the “tough-love business guru”.

The Last Self-Help Book You’ll Ever Need

Last year, Matthew delivered the 52* kicks up the arse I so desperately needed (amazingly, I enjoyed every punt), and it’s only because of those that I finished what I’d started. So I reckon Glamour Magazine was spot on. *It’s been scientifically proven that 52 kicks are the optimal number.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve read a metric tonne of great books from the likes of Godin, Pressfield, Allen, Frankl, Holiday, Mandino, Glason and dozens more. I can now add Kimberley to that list.

His new book is called Get a F*cking Grip, and despite the Mark Manson-style title (there’s a funny story about that), this book is truly unique. There is so much to love about the advice it offers – and particularly, the way Matthew dispenses it.

As he says in the preface:

“This book is an intervention and it’s the last one you’ll ever need. It was easy to write because it’s a plain old vanilla rehashing of common sense, common knowledge and absolute truths, packaged up cunningly as a self-help guide.”

I think this book is the how-to manual everyone needs. I love it so much, I bought five copies before the interview, and then another five straight after. Matter of fact, I’m giving three away in the next couple of weeks. Listen to the podcast to learn how to get yours.

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Links from this Episode

Matthew Kimberley Website
Delightful Emails (email marketing course)
Single Malt Mastermind
Get a F*cking Grip Book
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