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 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-baxter-/) (Corbar Accounting (https://corbar.uk/)) and Phil Davenport (https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-davenport-affirmit/) (Affirm IT (https://affirmit.co.uk/)) 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 grow
Topic episodes on key business challenges
Straight answers, no jargon
One 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.
Are You Investing in Your People or Just Your Business? - Angela Hodgson
You invest in new machinery, better systems and technology to help your business grow. But are you investing enough in the people who actually make it happen?
In this episode of What One Thing, Hayley and Phil welcome back Angela Hodgson to explore why investing in your people is just as important as investing in your equipment, particularly in manufacturing and engineering businesses.
And we're not just talking about sending people on another training course.
Angela challenges the way businesses approach leadership development, staff training and performance improvement, and explains why so much time and money can be spent on training without anything really changing.
We talk about:
Why technical training alone isn't enough to develop a high-performing team.
How to identify the leadership and performance gaps holding your business back.
Why training should start with a business problem, not a course.
How one business secured £100,000 of new contracts after getting clearer on its goals and aligning its team.
How to measure the return on investment from staff development.
Three simple questions you can ask your team to understand how your business is really performing.
We also explore something many business owners will recognise: knowing you need to spend more time developing your people, but struggling to find that time when customers, deadlines and day-to-day problems keep getting in the way.
If you're a manufacturing or engineering business owner, MD or business leader who wants to build a stronger team and a better-performing business, this episode is for you.
What One Thing (https://www.pod.whatonething.uk/) is brought to you by Affirm IT (https://affirmit.co.uk/) and Corbar Accounting (https://corbar.uk/).
Listen to What One Thing? the business podcast focused on practical ideas growing business owners can actually implement and discover the one lesson that could change the way you run your business.
Connect with Angela Hodgson:
In 5 mins, understand why your team isn’t performing and how to fix it. https://ignitediagnostic.scoreapp.com/ (https://link.eu.inky.net/link?domain=ignitediagnostic.scoreapp.com&t=h.eJx1jkEOgyAQRa_SsG4AURRceZURRiUqEMSmSdO7V-K6y_n_5f35kDNtpH-QJed49Iy52buM1sHsw5GdoYcJCSFGasLOyPNB1oJf4QiJLSO8M6bhPum5MmW0nhqtQIp2bK0WKCW3uhGT4qLualZ1mndKtnVFueRKSFWkWKTgZ9xguF9we0zhhTv6fE1f6oLZgv3rvz9f9EEz.MEUCIQCxu38WfgZISPgeNEaZb_-Npo69m1uc0Svgwkay50Ay5wIgAInPzz64NgTNkagAD6zROHwu380jSg-zq2S3-hPTZsY) Follow Angela for practical hints and tips: Angela Hodgson | LinkedIn (https://link.eu.inky.net/link?domain=www.linkedin.com&t=h.eJx1jkEOhCAUQ69iWE_4iKLgyqugfJWoYBB1ksncfSSuZ9m0fe2HHGEhTUamGLe9Abiuiy7WzWiso71fwTrQbsRFT96Mu3dAXhmZU6X3odMBpk6_I4b2kfSYQfZKDaWSWvCqq4ziKAQzquSDZLyoC8hrxWopqiKnTDDJhUxQTNBnq7WjsxHtugV_4oou3l9udIqZFPvnf39kxEJz.MEUCIAvE9MkWIvXJA9BJZfv_2SLCmgHE9ZQvHjeYG4qe9NlsAiEAlPCP3UjU46-eNEciYz3WwwVNNnsT1KWQeQ4OTGZxh14)
Connect with the hosts:
Hayley Baxter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-baxter-/
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-baxter-/)Phil Davenport: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-davenport-affirmit/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-davenport-affirmit/)
Affirm IT Services https://affirmit.co.uk/ (https://affirmit.co.uk/)
Corbar Accounting https://corbar.uk/ (https://corbar.uk/)
7 Oct 2026
How to Stop Firefighting in Your Manufacturing Business - Harvey Leach
What happens when your manufacturing business grows, your team gets bigger… but somehow everything feels harder to control?
In this episode of What One Thing (https://www.pod.whatonething.uk/), Hayley Baxter (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-baxter-/) and Phil Davenport (https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-davenport-affirmit/) are joined by Harvey Leach (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jharveyleach/) to talk about a problem many growing manufacturing businesses will recognise: firefighting.
Harvey shares his own experience in the automotive industry, where every day became a cycle of chasing parts, answering problems and simply trying to get through the day. The turning point wasn’t working harder or recruiting more people. It was creating visibility, structure and simple daily routines that helped the team regain control.
We talk about:
Why growing manufacturing businesses can lose control as teams expand
The difference between urgent work and important work
How to create better visibility across production and your wider team
Why departments need to understand how their work fits together
How to move from constant firefighting to continuous improvement
Developing people as they move from technical roles into management
The small changes manufacturing leaders can start making tomorrow
If your business is successful but increasingly feels like everyone is incredibly busy without quite knowing whether you're moving forward, this episode is packed with practical ideas you can actually use.
Because sometimes the answer isn't more people, more hours or working harder.
It's stepping back long enough to understand what's really going on.
What One Thing is brought to you by Corbar Accounting Ltd (https://corbar.uk/) and Affirm IT (https://affirmit.co.uk/), sharing practical conversations and ideas to help business owners build stronger, better-run businesses.
What One Thing (https://www.pod.whatonething.uk/) is brought to you by Affirm IT (https://affirmit.co.uk/) and Corbar Accounting (https://corbar.uk/).
Listen to What One Thing? and discover the one lesson that could change the way you run your business.
What One Thing? is the business podcast focused on practical ideas growing business owners can actually implement — without the fluff.
Connect with Harvey Leach:
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyrennie1/)https://www.linkedin.com/in/jharveyleach/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jharveyleach/)
Connect with the hosts:
Hayley Baxter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-baxter-/
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-baxter-/)Phil Davenport: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-davenport-affirmit/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-davenport-affirmit/)
Affirm IT Services https://affirmit.co.uk/ (https://affirmit.co.uk/)
Corbar Accounting https://corbar.uk/ (https://corbar.uk/)
23 Sept 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 (https://www.pod.whatonething.uk/), Hayley and Phil are joined by Marc McCardle (https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-mcardle-18a29521/), 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 accounts, gross and net profit margins, understanding costs and getting much more granular about where the business was actually making money.
Marc shares what he learned, the practical changes the business made and why knowing his numbers now gives him far more confidence when making decisions about pricing, costs, recruitment and future growth.
We also talk about:
• Why year-end accounts alone might not tell you enough
• Gross profit vs net profit and why the gap matters
• How rising costs can quietly erode your margins
• Using management accounts to spot problems earlier
• Understanding profitability by product, service or client
• Why business owners can be reluctant to increase prices
• How better financial information helps you make decisions
• Using AI to analyse and understand business data
• The role of accountants, mentors and outside perspectives
• Why knowing your numbers becomes even more important as your business grows
This isn’t about becoming an accountant or spending your life buried in spreadsheets. It’s about having enough visibility over your business to understand what’s working, what isn’t and what you might need to change.
Because better numbers aren’t really about the numbers. They’re about making better business decisions.
What One Thing (https://www.pod.whatonething.uk/) is brought to you by Affirm IT (https://affirmit.co.uk/) and Corbar Accounting (https://corbar.uk/).
Listen to What One Thing? and discover the one lesson that could change the way you run your business.
What One Thing? is the business podcast focused on practical ideas growing business owners can actually implement — without the fluff.
Connect with Marc McArdle:
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyrennie1/)https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-mcardle-18a29521/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-mcardle-18a29521/)
Connect with the hosts:
Hayley Baxter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-baxter-/
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-baxter-/)Phil Davenport: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-davenport-affirmit/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-davenport-affirmit/)
Affirm IT Services https://affirmit.co.uk/ (https://affirmit.co.uk/)
Corbar Accounting https://corbar.uk/ (https://corbar.uk/)
Inside a recent episode
When Success Isn't Enough | With Lisa Johnson
Published 28 Jan 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And so I started to think about the things that fulfilled me, like the charity work I do, I have a project called a life well lived that I loved. And it's like, okay, well how can I still do those things? How much money do I need to make to do all the things that I love doing? And most of it is just being around family and friends in amazing places, that's one of the things I love to do. And I didn't need anywhere near as much money as eight figures or whatever I was going for at the time. I sat down with the family and said, what do we want life to look like? And we wrote it down and then we worked backwards on, okay, what do we need to do to get that? […]
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