Matt Haycox

Matt Haycox I’m Matt Haycox — entrepreneur, investor, and host of the No Bollocks Business Podcast.

Over the last 20 years I’ve raised more than £750M in debt and equity, rebuilt multiple 8-figure companies, and helped founders unlock funding, clarity, and growth. Matt Haycox is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with over 25 years of experience in the business world. He has provided close to £1 billion in funding to UK businesses and invested in over 100 companies. Despite being declared bank

rupt during the financial crisis of 2008, Matt rebounded and rebuilt, now using his expertise to help other businesses and entrepreneurs thrive, cementing his reputation as one of the UK’s most resilient and innovative leaders. In addition to his business ventures, Matt hosts two podcasts, "Stripping Off with Matt Haycox" and "No Bollocks with Matt Haycox," where he sits down with entrepreneurs, celebrities, and industry experts to uncover stories of success, challenges, and innovation. His unique perspective, unfiltered approach, and ability to connect with guests make him a standout figure, offering thought-provoking conversations that resonate across multiple demographics.

06/08/2026

You can know every negotiation tactic and still lose because your ego walks in first.

05/08/2026

Most people hear “no” and think the conversation is over. It isn’t. The trick is not to push harder. It is to change the frame.

That one word — we — changes the dynamic. Suddenly, it is not you versus them. It is both of you versus the problem.

31/07/2026

Loud people don’t win negotiations. Calm people do.

30/07/2026

The loudest person in the room is rarely the best negotiator.

International negotiation expert has spent more than two decades working on high-stakes deals, conflict resolution and negotiations where every single word matters.

And her biggest lesson is simple:

If you lose your composure, you lose your leverage.
We talk preparation, rejection, hostage negotiation, building trust, knowing when to walk away and why what people say they want is rarely what they actually need.

This one will change how you handle business, money, relationships and every difficult conversation in between.

The full episode is out now.

08/07/2026

Scott’s view on franchising is blunt.

He doesn’t believe in bad studios or bad areas. He believes in poor operators.

And that’s why, when a master franchise wasn’t being run properly, he revoked it, took it back, and took over the locations himself.

Not because it was easy.
Because the brand mattered more.

That’s the part people underestimate about franchising: you’re not just selling a model. You’re protecting the reputation attached to every single location.

One weak operator can damage the whole thing.
capelin

06/07/2026

Happy at home. Better in business. It’s not soft, it’s performance.

.capelin

26/06/2026

Everyone says small business is risky, but is your job actually safe?
capelin

26/06/2026

.capelin had wanted to take the business to America for 15 years.

He researched California, LA, Orange County, Silicon Valley, then got advice to look at Texas instead. Good advice, but still, getting there cost serious money.

From the outside, it looked obvious: every Pilates studio was booked out, classes had waitlists, demand was there.

Then three months in, he thought: I’ve made a mistake.

The lesson? A market can look easy from the outside and still be brutally hard once you’re actually operating inside it.

Same business. Same model. Different country. Different sales psychology.

25/06/2026

.capelin loved the idea of freedom, flexibility, and having a go — but he wasn’t stupid about it.

That’s why franchising worked for him.
It gave him the framework to learn every part of business: operations, leadership, accounting, recruitment, marketing, sales, culture.

He owned five franchise locations over seven years, then went off to do his own thing and had a big crash and burn.

Lesson? Confidence is good. Thinking you know everything is expensive.

.capelin

21/06/2026

This is what rock bottom actually looks like.

Selling your home while your wife is eight months pregnant.
Moving in with your in-laws for four years.
Concreting in the day. Uber driving at night.
Applying for jobs and realising your degree is basically obsolete.

Then the brutal bit: he realised the only thing he really knew how to do was run a fitness studio.

So he started again — with no money and a handful of reformer Pilates machines.

That’s not motivation. That’s survival

.capelin

Address

10 Park Place
Leeds
LS12RU

Telephone

+447958906289

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Matt Haycox posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Matt Haycox:

Shortcuts

Share

Category