Episodes

In this episode of What One Thing, Phil Davenport (Affirm IT Services) and Hayley Baxter (Corbar Accounting) sit down with entrepreneur Stuart Mason to unpack a business collapse that no one saw coming—until it was too late. This conversation isn’t about doom and gloom. It’s about the real risks small and medium-sized businesses face, especially around discounting, cashflow, pricing pressure, and over-stretching for growth. Phil and Hayley break down the lessons through the lens of IT, Accounti...

This week on What One Thing, Phil Davenport (Affirm IT Services) and Hayley Baxter (Corbar Accounting) sit down with leadership consultant Angela Hodgson (Ignite Improvement Ltd), who went from leading a global team through Barcelona riots, burnout and personal loss… to rebuilding her career with clarity, courage and a brand-new purpose. It’s a powerful conversation — but as always, Phil and Hayley bring it back to what really matters for small business owners across the East Midlands: your peo...

When everything seems to be going wrong, the hardest truth to face is that you might be the problem. In this episode, hosts Phil Davenport (Affirm IT Services) and Hayley Baxter (Corbar Accounting) talk with Steve Knowles, who shares how a consultant’s brutal honesty turned his struggling accountancy practice around — and what that taught him about leadership, control, and trust. Key Takeaways: How Steve recovered from losing £80K by bringing in the right outside help Why business owners need...

AI isn’t just for big corporations — it’s for small businesses too. In this episode of What One Thing, Phil Davenport, Hayley Baxter, and Craig Millar sit down with Neil MacDonald from Technology4Business to explore how small businesses can use AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to save time, simplify work, and get better results. Neil shares practical, real-world examples of AI in action — from automating repetitive admin tasks to creating smarter systems that free people up to focu...

If your business can’t run without you, this episode is a must-listen. Phil Davenport (Affirm IT Services) and Hayley Baxter (Corbar Accounting) chat with Dawn Baxter, award-winning marketing agency owner, about the reality of burnout, over-delegation, and how to create frameworks that actually work. 💬 In this episode: Why so many business owners become their own bottlenecks How to empower your team without losing control The mindset shift that separates surviving from scaling Real-world ad...

Overview Phil & Hayley interview Jojo Smith (CreativeSAS) on the difference between brand (values, beliefs, personality, purpose) and branding (visuals). Jojo shares how ditching a generic “corporate” persona unlocked connection and growth, and outlines the Creative SAS model — Creativity, Self-awareness, Strategy — as a practical framework for founders. Key insights Brand first, branding second: build the naked business before choosing the clothes Reframe “flaws” into differentiators clients ...

Overview Phil and Hayley sit down with Meg Fenney (Founder & Director, HR Download) to unpack the realities of leaving corporate HR, winning first clients through BNI, and the pivotal shift from low-cost helplines to a fractional HR model that actually moves the business: the right mix of HR Director, HR Business Partner, Advisory and Admin hours. Key insights Consistency beats confidence: time-blocked sales and weekly scorecards How to package and price fractional HR for SMEs Using exit inte...

This week on What One Thing? AI, hosts Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter sit down with Ewan Reid, Head of Utilis, an Amsterdam-based IT support company with over 21 years of experience helping growing businesses across Europe. Ewan shares how he tackled one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses today — how to start with AI in a way that actually delivers results. Instead of chasing the hype, he focused on a simple, high-impact problem: improving documentation, SOPs, and internal cons...

Overview We sit down with Donna Hall (Specialist Cleaning Company; Cleaning Business Growth Academy) to explore how she built a multi–six-figure cleaning business with 20+ staff and now coaches other founders. Her one thing is deceptively simple: see the learning in every situation. Expect practical tools for managing emotion, responding to client feedback, and coaching teams to own quality. Key insights Red → Green: a two-column “brain dump then flip” method for fast, calm decisions Why lead...

In this episode of What One Thing AI, hosts Hayley Baxter and Phil Davenport sit down with Ian Phillips, Head of Sales UK at Xero, to explore the most underutilised feature in Xero: payments integrated directly into invoices. Ian shares why enabling simple payment options (Stripe, GoCardless and others) can dramatically reduce debtor days, improve cashflow, and enhance professionalism in client relationships. He also highlights the surprising number of UK businesses still not using bank feeds a...

Episode theme: Journaling for self-discovery — the fastest path to authentic visibility In conversation with Regina Martin (visibility strategist, brand/web designer; founder, The Confidence Healer), Phil and Hayley explore how self-knowledge underpins brand clarity, marketing that resonates, and more sustainable leadership. Regina charts her move from corporate to entrepreneurship, the “nicer in person” moment that prompted change, and why a short, reflective journaling habit outperforms mor...

In this episode of What One Thing, hosts Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter interview Alastair Robertson (Supportive Solutions & CB Training). Alastair shares how he scaled to 34 people by prioritising self-sufficient contractors, using a simple outcome-focused review after every project, and building pipeline through relationships rather than advertising. We cover: Contractor-led delivery models and expectation setting Turning mistakes into marginal gains (the Dyson approach) Resilience and e...

Digital marketer Jade Hallam, founder of Clever Clicks, shares how she scaled from solo freelancer to an award-winning B2B agency, lifted prices without losing momentum, hired for culture, and chose the right marketing channels instead of chasing shiny objects. This week on What One Thing, Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter interview Jade Hallam, founder of Clever Clicks. Jade went from freelancing during pregnancy to launching a B2B digital agency in 2022—now a multi-award winner with a 92% rete...

In this episode of What One Thing, hosts Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter are joined by Kelly Shaw, entrepreneur, salon owner, and business coach. Kelly shares her remarkable journey from working in luxury spas across the globe to buying a struggling local salon and transforming it into a thriving, sustainable business. Her story highlights the realities of entrepreneurship: the risks of over-reliance on one client, the difficulties of leading a team, and the moment she realised that true succ...

In this episode of What One Thing, Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter are joined by Jo Wood and Zoe Whitman, co-founders of The Six Figure Bookkeeper and leaders of a thriving 30,000-strong community of bookkeepers. Together, they explore: Why business owners often underestimate themselves — and how to shift into a growth mindset How Jo & Zoe structured their business for scale and future exit The role of speaking, visibility, and “putting yourself in the room” Balancing authenticity, family,...

Social media agency founder Hazel Woodward shares how she turned her COVID startup into a thriving 16-person business in just five years — and the one thing that made the biggest difference. From winning her first clients in 48 hours to hiring internationally, building SOPs, and bringing on an investor, Hazel’s journey is packed with lessons for UK business owners in professional services, marketing, and beyond. Whether you want to grow your team, improve profitability, or build systems that sc...

In this week’s What One Thing? podcast, we’re joined by Jenna Farmer, a former teacher turned journalist and PR expert who built a thriving six-figure business — without a media degree, London agency backing, or traditional network. Jenna shares her journey to growing a flexible, purpose-driven PR business in the UK. We dive into mindset, marketing, systems, and why charging by the hour almost held her back. ✅ From blogging to books ✅ From solo to scalable ✅ From reactive pricing to powerful p...

Are you growing your business — or just growing your stress? In this episode of What One Thing?, we’re joined by business strategist and mentor Emma Hine, who shares her honest journey from scaling a multi 6 figure e-commerce business to burnout… and how she’s now helping other business owners avoid the same trap. Emma’s story is a must-listen for any business owner juggling growth with overwhelm. We talk about: The accidental business that grew fast — and what was missing Why revenue doesn't...

After losing her corporate job, Sophie Baldwin took the leap into business — and learned fast that it takes more than a logo to build a brand. In this episode, she shares how she went from self-doubt to self-employed, why clarity beats perfection, and the one mindset shift that helped her grow a business that truly aligns with her values. Sophie Baldwin, founder of Double Digit Ltd — a bookkeeping practice that helps business owners feel calm, clear, and in control of their finances. Sophie and...

In this episode of What One Thing, we sit down with Catherine Wenborn, founder and Managing Director of Vines Legal, a specialist family law firm in Chesterfield. Catherine shares her journey from employed solicitor to business owner, revealing how she went from launching with just four client files to leading a growing, niche legal practice. We cover: Why she turned down an equity partnership to launch her own firm How offering a free initial consultation became a powerful growth tool The t...

In this episode of What One Thing?, Phil flips the mic and interviews co-host Hayley Baxter about her journey from burnt-out corporate finance leader to founder of Corbar Accounting. Hayley opens up about the fears and doubts she faced starting her business, why she didn’t call herself an accountant at first (despite being experienced and qualified!), and how a random taxi ride at a business event helped her build the support network that’s been pivotal to her success. They chat about: ✔️ Maki...

In this opening episode of What One Thing?, Hayley sits down with co-host Phil Davenport to uncover the story behind his IT business, Affirm IT. Phil shares how he went from redundancy (just a week before his daughter was born) to building a growing managed service provider — with nothing more than a £250 credit card, one client, and a whole lot of drive. They cover: ✔️ The mindset shift from employment to business ownership ✔️ How he landed his first client (before he even quit his job) ✔️ Wh...