What One Thing?

07 How I Scaled from Zero to 16 Staff in 5 Years | Hazel Woodward | What One Thing

Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter

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 scale, you’ll find practical strategies you can apply today.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • How to win your first clients without a marketing budget
  • Pricing for profit (and fixing early mistakes)
  • When and how to hire your first employee
  • Scaling from 3 to 16 staff using SOPs and processes
  • Hiring international team members without losing culture
  • Working with an investor for strategic growth

Resources & Links:

Listen on Your Favourite Platform:

  • Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-one-thing/id1819926559
  • Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/6mrmJ6HsKoH4LhNU39gpbs?si=26630e0f2dd04b9e

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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

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#UKBusinessPodcast, #SmallBusinessGrowth, #BusinessLessons, #EastMidlandsBusiness