How to Survive in Business Podcast

I make hundreds of decisions a day. We all do.

What clothes to wear, what to eat for breakfast, what time to leave the house, what to have for lunch, whether or not to have a cup of tea, whether to attend to that email or do what you had planned.

Decisions are a core part of our existence, and as entrepreneurs or managers, they are just part of the equation – we often help others make decisions too.

How to be S**t at Business and Live to Tell the Tale is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Listen to the podcast of the twenty-fourth article in the series: How to be S**t at Business

The return of The Night Manager is being heavily trailed in the run up to Christmas here in the UK. It’s causing me nightmares.

The first series was excellent. But Tom Hiddleston’s bottom was the catalyst for a fairly major series of HR issues in my business and, frankly, I’m hoping that in this series, he keeps his keks on so I can have an easier life.

How to be S**t at Business and Live to Tell the Tale is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Listen to the podcast of the twenty-third article in the series: How to be S**t at Business

It’s that time of year. Brace yourself for an onslaught of articles with 2026 predictions, new ways to set goals so you can actually achieve them this time, planning ideas (I admit, I’m a sucker for stationery to undertake this activity which I inevitably don’t use because it involves writing with a pen), and hot new takes on how you can make millions.

How to be S**t at Business and Live to Tell the Tale is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Listen to the podcast of the twenty-second article in the series: How to be S**t at Business

I was obsessed with Orphan Annie when I was about 6 years old. I watched it over and over and over again on my grandparent’s Betamax video player (remember Betamax? Nope, you’re right, VHS won that branding fight). I could sing all the songs and recite the film word for word. I still can. Ask my husband.

How to be S**t at Business and Live to Tell the Tale is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Listen to the podcast of the twenty-first article in the series: How to be S**t at Business

It was 1996. I was in third year of university and living in a tenement flat in Aberdeen. I had glandular fever and was tucked up nicely in bed, shivering with fever, when I started to notice something strange.

What I discovered was shocking to my 20 year old self. Years later, I realised I’d witnessed one of the most optimised small-business operations I’ve ever seen.

How to be S**t at Business is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Listen to the podcast of the twentieth article in the series: How to be S**t at Business

For any founder, deciding to liquidate is the ultimate admission of failure. Being forced to liquidate, even worse.

There are millions of articles and blogs out there about starting businesses but very few about the end. Spectacular, sensational newsworthy failures, yes, but the process of company death? No. It’s taboo.

How to be S**t at Business is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Listen to the podcast of the nineteenth article in the series: How to be S**t at Business

It’s the easy subscription option to choose, isn’t it?

Convince me your effort is worthwhile before I give you any money.

It’s the unpaid summer internship to get the chance to learn.

It’s the unpaid trial shift you do just to prove you can.

It’s the speaking or photography gig you do for exposure.

It’s all design work you do as part of the pitch.

It’s the extra mile you deliver on a fixed fee project that make it less than profitable.

How to be S**t at Business is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Listen to the podcast of the eighteenth article in the series: How to be S**t at Business

It’s time to fess up.

First of all, I’ll skip over the bit where I dribbled strawberry jam down my nice clean jumper while writing this article. Lesson learned: wear a bib.

I’m going to share my guilty little pleasure with you.

How to be S**t at Business is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Listen to the podcast of the seventeenth article in the series: How to be S**t at Business

This may be the crux of my many problems. I started my business without a plan.

Not a f*****g clue what was trying to achieve beyond “being able to invoice someone legally”.

This is not a joke.

How to be S**t at Business is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Listen to the podcast of the sixteenth article in the series: How to be S**t at Business

One of the advantages of having been around the block a few times is that you usually experience things before they become popular and mainstream.

My personal credit crunch happened about 12 months before the global credit crunch, thanks to the sociopathic angel investor I wrote about in Let’s Start with the Sociopath.

It’s probably no surprise to you, then, that I got cancelled on the internet long before people realised that a digital pile on was an accessible weapon of mass destruction.

How to be S**t at Business is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Listen to the podcast of the fifteenth article in the series: How to be S**t at Business