Hi, I'm Matthew Graves, and I've spent the last 25+ years building successful online businesses and helping entrepreneurs achieve their financial goals. What started as a personal journey to create freedom for my family has evolved into a mission to help others do the same.
Unlike many in the online marketing space, I'm not here to sell you the latest "shiny object" or promise overnight riches. I focus on what actually works: building sustainable businesses based on genuine relationships, providing real value, and playing the long game.
My Journey
From teenage entrepreneur to international online marketer
Always an Entrepreneur
I have always been an entrepreneur, since long before the Internet came onto the scene. Starting as a teenager, I had a desire to build something of my own — and not be chained to a desk, working for someone else.
Future Gateways Technical College
After several smaller businesses, I saw my first real success when I founded Future Gateways Technical College, bringing cutting-edge IT training to rural Nova Scotia communities. I expanded to two locations with 25+ staff members, earned Entrepreneur of the Year and Technology Achievement Awards, and developed innovative self-paced learning systems that were licensed internationally.
However, we were closely tied to government policies regarding career training — so when their priorities shifted, it was time to move on.
Director of IT – New Media, Golf Channel
I was recruited to lead the technical vision for Golf Channel's digital transformation in Orlando. This was my first real work in the online space. I built and managed a team of 9 programmers, architected systems to handle 100,000+ simultaneous visitors during major tournaments, and grew their email newsletter into the highest-circulation golf publication worldwide — online or offline.
My team and I custom-built a database-driven content management system three years before WordPress was even invented. The corporate world and office politics was not my cup of tea, though — I was still an entrepreneur at heart.
Web's Best Marketing
I developed and launched over 100 marketing websites and SaaS platforms that have helped thousands of small businesses and entrepreneurs grow online. From managing dedicated servers and cloud infrastructure to building sophisticated email systems that deliver and track over 3 million personalized messages daily.
I have grown email audiences to 500,000+ subscribers, managed multi-channel campaigns across Facebook, YouTube, and paid search, and orchestrated affiliate networks with custom tracking systems.
Quick Start Coach
In 2015, I launched Quick Start Coach, where I do my coaching and consulting. In the last 10 years, I have worked with hundreds of businesses and coached thousands of online marketers. As Launch Manager for one high-ticket online course, I orchestrated a campaign that generated $2.4 million in sales during a 10-day launch window, handling everything from sales funnel creation to tracking integration with HubSpot.
Chester Digital
In 2026, my son and I launched Chester Digital to serve local businesses in Nova Scotia with cutting-edge marketing technology and artificial intelligence. We help small to medium-sized businesses and solopreneurs get more attention, convert that attention into leads, and turn those leads into repeat customers.
My Philosophy
Know, like, and trust — the only shortcut that actually works
I believe in the "know, like, and trust" principle above all else. In today's noisy world, people are bombarded with sales messages constantly. The only way to break through is to build genuine relationships.
That means providing value first, being transparent about what works (and what doesn't), and always putting your audience's success ahead of short-term profits. It's not the fastest approach, but it's the only one that creates sustainable, long-term success.
"Success in business isn't about finding the perfect system or secret hack. It's about consistently showing up, providing value, and building real relationships with your audience."
— Matthew GravesMy decades of experience have taught me to stop looking for shortcuts and focus on fundamentals: building an audience, creating genuine relationships, and providing value before asking for anything in return.
I'm also passionate about simplifying complex marketing concepts. Too many "gurus" make things seem more complicated than they need to be. My goal is the opposite — make everything as simple and accessible as possible so anyone can succeed.
Success can be simple… but not easy.
Ready to See What Actually Works?
Success in online business doesn't have to be complicated, and you don't have to figure it all out alone.
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