What One Thing?

Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter
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One business. One lesson. Every episode.  Real businesses. Real stories. Real-time. What One Thing? is the straight-talking bi-weekly podcast for growing UK businesses with a team who are on the move — building, scaling, and figuring it out as they go. Join co-hosts Hayley Baxter (Corbar Accounting) and Phil Davenport (Affirm IT) as they chat with fellow business owners and share their own lessons from the journey — the things they wish they'd known, the wins, the wobbles, and the one thing that made the biggest difference. Each episode is 15–25 minutes of real-world insight, a few laughs, and practical takeaways to help you grow a better business — without the fluff. 🎙️ Expect: Honest interviews with business owners on the growTopic episodes on key business challengesStraight answers, no jargonOne clear lesson, every week👀 Also on YouTube — because yes, it’s filmed too.📍 Based in Derbyshire, speaking to businesses across the UK. New episodes fortnightly — follow to catch the next one.

  1. 2D AGO

    Know Your Numbers - Debbie Porter

    If you’re bringing in revenue but still not seeing the profit you expect, this episode is for you.Debbie Porter (Destination Digital Marketing) shares how COVID forced a hard reset — and why ‘knowing your numbers’ became the habit that protects profit, reduces risk, and helps you lead your business with clarity.In this episode we cover:• Moving from gut feel to numbers-led leadership• Pricing from costs + margin (not competitors)• ‘Whales’ and why big clients can become a risk• Why Xero shows the past — and what to add to forecast forwards• Avoiding surprise VAT and corporation tax bills• Building a simple sales ledger to spot gaps early

    32 min
  2. Growth Without Freedom Isn’t Success – Bev Flanagan

    FEB 11

    Growth Without Freedom Isn’t Success – Bev Flanagan

    What does it actually take to build a business (an accountancy practice in Bev's case) that doesn’t rely on you 24/7? In this episode of What One Thing?, we’re joined by accountant, coach and international speaker Bev Flanagan. Bev shares how she went from being constantly “on” for clients — even while supporting her sister abroad — to building a fully systemised, cloud-based accountancy practice that allowed her to travel, work from anywhere, and ultimately sell her firm. We cover: • How to stop creating a job and start building a business asset• Why systems and pricing are critical for time freedom• The mindset shift every accountant must make to grow• How to move from firefighting to long-term planning• What to do if you feel stuck in your accountancy practice If you’re an accountant, bookkeeper or service-based business owner who feels chained to your desk, this episode will resonate. Bev now coaches accountants and bookkeepers to build scalable, profitable firms with clarity and confidence. 🎯 Her one thing?Plan what you actually want — and reverse engineer it. — 🔗 Connect with Bev:Website: https://www.bevflanaganbff.com/Email: bev@bevflanagan.comLinkedIn — What One Thing? is the bi-weekly podcast for growing UK business owners with a team. Brought to you by Corbar Accounting and Affirm IT Services. Subscribe for practical insights, honest conversations, and real-world lessons from business owners building something bigger.

    34 min
  3. You Built It… Now What?: When Success Misaligns – Lisa Johnson

    JAN 28

    You Built It… Now What?: When Success Misaligns – Lisa Johnson

    What happens when you achieve everything you thought you wanted — and still feel unfulfilled? In this episode of What One Thing, we’re joined by Lisa Johnson, who built a multi-seven-figure business, topped the charts, and was invited into the most elite entrepreneurial spaces — before realising the “more” mindset no longer worked for her. From turning down Necker Island to choosing a £6.99 Chinese with friends, Lisa shares the moment she realised success had drifted away from what actually mattered. In this honest, reflective conversation, we explore: Why hitting big financial goals doesn’t always bring fulfilmentHow to define your version of success — not social media’sKnowing when “enough” is an achievement, not a failureRedesigning a business to fit your life (not consume it)Letting go of status, comparison, and external expectationsThis episode is for business owners who’ve built something impressive — but are quietly asking whether it still feels right. 🎙 Hosted by Hayley Baxter (Corbar Accounting) & Phil Davenport (Affirm IT) 👉 If this episode resonates, please like, subscribe, and share it with another business owner on the same journey.

    28 min

  4. JAN 13

    Lessons Learned Running a Business in 2025 (Honest Reflections from Two Founders)

    What really changes after another year of running a business?In this end-of-year reflection episode of What One Thing, Hayley Baxter and Phil Davenport look back honestly on the past year — what surprised them, what challenged them, and what genuinely shifted how they now run their businesses.This isn’t a highlight reel or a list of wins. It’s a real conversation about growth, visibility, accountability, and the lessons that only show up when you’re deep in it.In this episode, they talk about:What they thought would be hard in business — and why it wasn’tWhy time, energy, and focus are still some of the hardest things to manageThe reality of team management versus expectationsHow peer groups, collaboration, and asking for help changed everythingWhy visibility in numbers and decisions matters more than growth aloneWhat they would do differently if they could start the year againThe importance of consistency — and how hard it actually is to sustainIf you’re finishing the year asking “What have I really learned?” or “Why does this still feel harder than it should?” — this episode will resonate.What One Thing Podcast – with Phil & HayleyEach week, business owners share the one thing that made the biggest difference in their business journey — and hosts Phil (Affirm IT Services) and Hayley (Corbar Accounting) dive into the lessons, laughs, and lightbulb moments along the way.If you’re a UK business owner looking for real stories and practical insights on growth, leadership, IT, and finance — this is the podcast for you!Connect with the hostsPhil Davenport | Affirm IT ServicesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-davenport-affirmit/https://affirmit.co.uk/Hayley Baxter | Corbar AccountingLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-baxter-/https://corbar.uk/Follow What One ThingListen & watch on: https://www.pod.whatonething.uk/Instagram: @whatonethingpodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/what-one-thing/YouTube: Subscribe here#UKBusinessPodcast, #SmallBusinessGrowth, #BusinessLessons, #EastMidlandsBusiness Chapters 00:00 Reflecting on the Year08:36 Key Learnings and Changes15:51 Reflection and Planning for the Future21:29 One Word to Describe the Year29:32 Pride and Achievements

    28 min

  5. 12/24/2025

    What We’ve Learned From Running a Weekly Podcast as Business Owners| What One Thing

    What’s one thing about starting a podcast that you thought would be easy… but wasn’t? In this behind-the-scenes episode of What One Thing, hosts Hayley Baxter (Corbar Accounting) and Phil Davenport (Affirm IT Services) reflect honestly on what it’s really like running a weekly podcast alongside two busy businesses. They share what surprised them, what took far longer than expected (editing, captions, clips, admin), how tough audience growth can be without consistent marketing, and how they’ve embraced AI tools (Riverside transcripts + GPT) to save time and tighten up the show. If you’re a business owner considering launching a podcast — or you’re trying to build your brand through content without burning out — this episode is packed with real-world lessons. ⏱️ Episode timestamps 00:05 – What seemed easy but wasn’t?  00:10 – Audience growth struggles  00:44 – Editing + admin reality  01:58 – Why structure matters  02:38 – The surprising part: enjoying it  03:07 – Guest lessons that changed how we run our businesses  05:07 – Unexpected benefits (collaboration + confidence)  08:13 – Playing the long game + consistency  09:05 – ROI and the “soft introduction” effect  12:24 – What we’d do differently if we started again  15:25 – Using AI to speed up content creation  18:58 – Final thoughts: make it enjoyable or you won’t stick with it If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a business owner who’s thinking about hitting “record.” What One Thing Podcast – with Phil & Hayley Each week, business owners share the one thing that made the biggest difference in their business journey — and hosts Phil (Affirm IT Services) and Hayley (Corbar Accounting) dive into the lessons, laughs, and lightbulb moments along the way. If you’re a UK business owner looking for real stories and practical insights on growth, leadership, IT, and finance — this is the podcast for you! Connect with the hosts Phil Davenport | Affirm IT Services LinkedIn https://affirmit.co.uk/ Hayley Baxter | Corbar Accounting LinkedIn https://corbar.uk/ Follow What One Thing Listen & watch on: https://www.pod.whatonething.uk/ Instagram LinkedIn YouTube #UKBusinessPodcast, #SmallBusinessGrowth, #BusinessLessons, #EastMidlandsBusiness

    20 min

  6. 12/17/2025

    Taking Radical Responsibility in Business: How Jo Simpson Survived the 2008 Crash

    What do you do when your business looks successful on the outside… but the numbers tell a very different story? In this episode of What One Thing, Hayley Baxter (Corbar Accounting) and Phil Davenport (Affirm IT Services) talk to Jo Simpson, an accountant who grew multiple businesses – including two multi–seven-figure ventures – before the 2008 crash exposed just how fragile things really were.  Jo shares: How she realised strong revenue was hiding weak financial foundationsWhy she spent months blaming the government, banks and everyone else before accepting that nobody was coming to save her The “stop it and tidy up” approach she used to face every number, cost and commitment in both life and businessHow honest conversations with suppliers, clients and even HMRC helped her keep going when most businesses folded Phil and Hayley use Jo’s story as a springboard to talk about: The difference between blame and responsibility for business ownersWhy knowing your numbers and having solid IT systems is essential if you want a resilient, scalable businessHow strong relationships – with suppliers, clients and your team – can carry you through a recession, a pandemic and everything in between If you’re a business owner in the East Midlands (or anywhere else) who wants to grow and sleep at night, this episode will challenge how you think about responsibility, risk and leadership. What One Thing Podcast – with Phil & Hayley Each week, business owners share the one thing that made the biggest difference in their business journey — and hosts Phil (Affirm IT Services) and Hayley (Corbar Accounting) dive into the lessons, laughs, and lightbulb moments along the way. If you’re a UK business owner looking for real stories and practical insights on growth, leadership, IT, and finance — this is the podcast for you! Connect with the hosts Phil Davenport | Affirm IT Services LinkedIn https://affirmit.co.uk/ Hayley Baxter | Corbar Accounting LinkedIn https://corbar.uk/ Follow What One Thing Listen & watch on: https://www.pod.whatonething.uk/ Instagram LinkedIn YouTube #UKBusinessPodcast, #SmallBusinessGrowth, #BusinessLessons, #EastMidlandsBusiness

    32 min
  7. Nice Won’t Scale. Or Will It? Culture as Strategy – Neil Shaw

    12/10/2025

    Nice Won’t Scale. Or Will It? Culture as Strategy – Neil Shaw

    Can you really scale from 4 to nearly 40 people and keep a calm, positive, nice culture? In this episode of What One Thing, hosts Hayley Baxter (Corbarr Accounting) and Phil Davenport (Affirm IT Services) talk with former MSP owner Neil Shaw about growing an IT business fast – without losing your values or your mind. Neil shares how he: Grew an MSP from 4 staff and 25 clients to nearly 40 staff and 150+ managed clientsUsed systems, processes and documentation to stop everything falling apartDeveloped leaders from within the team using management and leadership trainingBuilt a culture that kept staff churn incredibly low over 7 yearsBalanced being “nice” with still being clear, fair and commercially focusedIf you’re an IT business owner, accountant, or run any growing SME, this episode will help you think differently about what leadership looks like – especially if you don’t fit the traditional “hard-nosed” mould. In this episode you’ll learn: The first steps to systemising your business as you scaleHow to avoid departments becoming disjointed as you growWhy regular, focused meetings beat complicated management fadsThe power of being transparent with your team and your clientsThe one piece of advice Neil would give any business owner on a growth journey🎧 Listen now and find your “one thing” to move your business forward. About Neil Been in the IT industry for 30 years. Various roles including PC builder, onsite engineer, consultant, and director, throw in a failed MBO and then having a silly idea to start an MSP - Co-founded True MSP in 2017 and exited in Jan 2025. Neil Shaw - LinkedIn What One Thing Podcast – with Phil & HayleyEach week, business owners share the one thing that made the biggest difference in their business journey — and hosts Phil (Affirm IT Services) and Hayley (Corbar Accounting) dive into the lessons, laughs, and lightbulb moments along the way.If you’re a UK business owner looking for real stories and practical insights on growth, leadership, IT, and finance — this is the podcast for you!Connect with the hostsPhil Davenport | Affirm IT ServicesLinkedInhttps://affirmit.co.uk/Hayley Baxter | Corbar AccountingLinkedInhttps://corbar.uk/Follow What One ThingListen & watch on: https://www.pod.whatonething.uk/InstagramLinkedInYouTube#UKBusinessPodcast, #SmallBusinessGrowth, #BusinessLessons, #EastMidlandsBusiness

    23 min
  8. Stop Trusting Recruiters Blindly: The Hidden Model – Rebecca Morris

    12/03/2025

    Stop Trusting Recruiters Blindly: The Hidden Model – Rebecca Morris

    Traditional recruitment is broken – especially for small businesses. In this episode of What One Thing, hosts Hayley Baxter (Corbar Accounting) and Phil Davenport (Affirm IT Services) talk with Rebecca Morris from Benchmark Recruit about why “bums on seats” hiring is costing businesses far more than they realise. They dig into: How commission-led recruitment encourages poaching and churnWhy values-led hiring matters so much for small businesses with small teamsThe real cost of getting recruitment wrong (beyond the invoice)What a good induction process should look like from day oneHow AI and automation are changing recruitment – and why human relationships still winHayley brings the financial and commercial angle – looking at the true cost of a bad hire and why cheap routes like job boards aren’t always cheaper in the long run. Phil adds the IT and systems perspective – from having laptops and tech ready on day one to using tools properly without losing the human touch. If you’re a business owner in the UK with a growing team and you want to recruit better and keep great people longer, this one’s for you. 👉 Listen, follow, and share with another business owner who’s about to make their next hire. What One Thing Podcast – with Phil & HayleyEach week, business owners share the one thing that made the biggest difference in their business journey — and hosts Phil (Affirm IT Services) and Hayley (Corbar Accounting) dive into the lessons, laughs, and lightbulb moments along the way.If you’re a UK business owner looking for real stories and practical insights on growth, leadership, IT, and finance — this is the podcast for you!Connect with the hostsPhil Davenport | Affirm IT ServicesLinkedInhttps://affirmit.co.uk/Hayley Baxter | Corbar AccountingLinkedInhttps://corbar.uk/Follow What One ThingListen & watch on: https://www.pod.whatonething.uk/InstagramLinkedInYouTube#UKBusinessPodcast, #SmallBusinessGrowth, #BusinessLessons, #EastMidlandsBusiness

    26 min
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About

One business. One lesson. Every episode.  Real businesses. Real stories. Real-time. What One Thing? is the straight-talking bi-weekly podcast for growing UK businesses with a team who are on the move — building, scaling, and figuring it out as they go. Join co-hosts Hayley Baxter (Corbar Accounting) and Phil Davenport (Affirm IT) as they chat with fellow business owners and share their own lessons from the journey — the things they wish they'd known, the wins, the wobbles, and the one thing that made the biggest difference. Each episode is 15–25 minutes of real-world insight, a few laughs, and practical takeaways to help you grow a better business — without the fluff. 🎙️ Expect: Honest interviews with business owners on the growTopic episodes on key business challengesStraight answers, no jargonOne clear lesson, every week👀 Also on YouTube — because yes, it’s filmed too.📍 Based in Derbyshire, speaking to businesses across the UK. New episodes fortnightly — follow to catch the next one.

Information

  • Creator
    Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter
  • Show Website
    What One Thing?