What One Thing?
One business. One story. One lesson that actually matters.
What One Thing is a podcast for business owners who want to grow thoughtfully, not noisily.
Hosted by Hayley Baxter (Corbar Accounting) and Phil Davenport (Affirm IT Services), each episode explores the real journeys behind growing businesses — the decisions that worked, the ones that didn’t, and the one thing that made the biggest difference.
These aren’t polished success stories or surface-level tips. They’re honest conversations with founders, leaders, and operators about what growth really looks like — from confidence and cash flow to systems, people, mindset, and leadership.
Every episode is designed to leave you with one practical insight you can reflect on and apply in your own business.
No fluff. No hype. Just real conversations that help you move forward.
Brought to you by Corbar Accounting and Affirm IT Services.
Recent Episodes
Sept. 23, 2026
Know Your Numbers: Management Accounts, Profit Margins & Better Business Decisions - Marc McArdle
Do you really know what’s going on in your business financially? In this episode of What One Thing, Hayley and Phil are joined by Marc McCardle, who shares how a post-Covid shock forced him to get much closer to the numbers behind his family business. After years of growth, rising costs and squeezed margins started to have an impact. The problem was, relying on year-end accounts meant Marc didn’t see what was happening quickly enough. That became the start of a journey into management account
Sept. 9, 2026
The Superhero Complex: Business Growth, Boundaries & Learning to Let Go - Ben McManus
What happens when the very thing that makes you good at running a business starts costing you outside of it? In this episode of What One Thing?, Hayley Baxter and Phil Davenport are joined by Ben McManus, founder of BM Civil Engineering, to talk about what Ben calls his “superhero complex” — his drive to solve problems, do things properly and deliver for his clients, whatever it takes. It’s an approach that has helped Ben grow a successful civil engineering consultancy, build a strong team and
Aug. 26, 2026
Your Brand Isn’t Your Logo: How Manufacturers Build a Business People Trust - Lucy Rennie
What makes a manufacturing business the one customers trust, recommend and keep coming back to? It isn't a new logo. It isn't posting more on LinkedIn. And it definitely isn't creating content simply because somebody told you that you should. In this episode of What One Thing?, Hayley Baxter and Phil Davenport are joined by Lucy Rennie to unpack what building a genuinely trusted brand looks like for manufacturing and engineering businesses — and why it has to start on the inside. Lucy shares
Aug. 12, 2026
How Manufacturers Can Win More Business: Turn Marketing Into Sales - René Power
Most manufacturing businesses spend their time chasing new leads while overlooking one of the biggest opportunities already sitting in front of them. In this episode, we are joined by Rene Power, an industrial marketing specialist with more than 30 years' experience helping manufacturing and professional service businesses attract, convert and retain high value clients. CIM qualified and self employed since 2015, Rene has guided businesses through the challenges of pre Covid, the pandemic itsel
July 29, 2026
Practical AI Processes - Marie Piercy
AI is everywhere, but are small businesses actually using it to save time and improve the way they work? In this episode of What One Thing, hosts Hayley Baxter and Phil Davenport are joined by AI specialist Marie Piercy to explore how business owners can move beyond experimenting with AI and start building practical, repeatable systems that make a real difference. From creating AI-powered ideal client profiles using your existing customers, to building sales and marketing processes without los
July 15, 2026
People Buy Holes, Not Drills:| How to Stand Out and Win More Customers - Alastair Ruston
Everyone says you need a USP. But what if that's the wrong place to start? In this episode of What One Thing, hosts Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter are joined by sales consultant Alastair Ruston to explore one of the most powerful concepts in sales and marketing: People don't buy what you do. They buy the result of what you do. From the famous phrase "People buy holes, not drills" to practical ways of uncovering what really makes your business different, this conversation is packed with ide
Recent Blog Posts
Sept. 15, 2026
How Knowing Your Numbers Changes the Way You Run Your Business
You can run a successful business for years without really understanding what is happening underneath the headline figures. Sales are coming in. Customers are buying. Wages are getting paid. The business looks busy. But that doesn’t necessarily me…
Sept. 1, 2026
What Two Years of Turning Down Work Built for This Engineering Firm
Notes from this week's episode of What One Thing, with guest Ben McManus of BM Civil Engineering. A client once asked Ben McManus if he wanted to think it over before turning down their price. He said no, on the spot. That's the sort of answer tha…
Aug. 18, 2026
Why manufacturers' best brand assets are already on the shop floor
A lot of business owners think about their brand the same way: get a better website, post more on social media, maybe bring in an agency to sort out the marketing. Lucy Rennie, who joined us for the second episode in our manufacturing mini-series, t…