Claude Check-In: What's Working, What's Not – Ep 79

Claude Check-In: What's Working, What's Not – Ep 79

Everyone says AI has transformed their business. Very few can actually prove it.It's another Claude Check-In on British Business: The Bottom Line, and this time Matt and Charlie get properly honest about where AI has helped, where it hasn't, and where it has quietly wasted their time.They open with a stat that sets the tone for the whole episode. Around 75% of businesses using AI report productivity gains, but only 12% report an actual rise in revenue. So is everyone really more productive, or does it just feel that way?Matt shares a genuine win, using AI throughout the process of restructuring his India operation and stripping out an intermediary, saving thousands a month straight to the bottom line. Charlie built an entire new business from scratch with Claude, website, stock system and all, that has so far added almost nothing to revenue. Knowledge return, not revenue return.Along the way they call out shiny object syndrome, the founders who claim their whole operation is automated, why AI written content sticks out like a sore thumb, and whether LinkedIn is dead or just needs a rethink.Takeaways:📊 Why 75% feel more productive but only 12% see more revenue🧠 Using AI as a consultant versus chasing shiny new projects💰 Matt's real win: thousands a month saved off the bottom line🚧 What is still broken: token limits, lost context and starting from scratch✍️ Why AI written content still sticks out, and what to do insteadFollow Matt:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mrmattholland/👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrmattholland/📱 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattholland❌ X - https://x.com/mrmattholland1Follow Charlie:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theworkwearexpert👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-smith-1a55295b/

Should We Let Weak Businesses Fail? – Ep 78

Three in every five UK businesses started in 2019 were gone within five years. So here is the uncomfortable question, should the country actually let weak businesses fail?In this one Matt and Charlie go back and forth on whether the state should step in to prop up struggling businesses, or whether the market should just be left to decide. They get into the high street versus online, the VAT and energy costs hammering hospitality, and why the model that worked ten years ago will not always survive the next ten.Along the way they cover accountability over excuses, knowing when to kill a part of your business that is not working, and why picking one model beats trying to do two things at once.Takeaways:📉 Why roughly three in five new UK businesses fail within five years⚖️ State intervention versus letting the market decide🔥 How VAT and energy costs are squeezing hospitality🔄 Why business models have to evolve or get left behind✂️ Knowing when to kill the part of your business that is not workingFollow Matt:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mrmattholland/👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrmattholland/📱 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattholland❌ X - https://x.com/mrmattholland1Follow Charlie:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theworkwearexpert👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-smith-1a55295b/

The 90 Day Delusion – Ep 77

Progress is easy to miss when you're always chasing the next thing. In this episode Matt unpacks a big lesson from a business retreat in Malaga: most founders are running four projects at once and doing all of them averagely. He calls it the 90 day delusion, and it might be the reason your best ideas keep dragging.Takeaways:📈 Why you can't see your own progress when you're always looking forward🎯 The 90 day rule for running projects one at a time, start to finish🚫 Learning to say no and push decisions back down to your team⏳ The 10% rule: everyone can free up time for the work that actually matters🧠 Why protecting your thinking time is the real job, not the operatingFollow Matt:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mrmattholland/👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrmattholland/📱 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattholland❌ X - https://x.com/mrmattholland1Follow Charlie:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theworkwearexpert👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-smith-1a55295b/

Why Are You Actually Doing This? – Ep 76

A founder asked Matt one question over dinner and he couldn't answer it: what's your North Star?This week Matt and Charlie get into purpose. Not goals, not targets, but the actual reason you get out of bed and do this. Why are you really running your business?Matt makes the case that your North Star isn't fixed. It shifts as you grow, often without you noticing. His used to be providing for his family. Now he reckons it's something else entirely, and he's honest about still working it out.Backed by a 2025 YouGov survey for VistaPrint: 80% of UK small business owners say they're happy, with most of that coming from freedom and doing work they care about. Money landed further down the list than you'd expect.Takeaways:🧭 Why your North Star is about purpose, not a profit target🔄 How your "why" quietly changes as the business grows💷 Why money keeps slipping down the list once you're comfortable🪞 The dinner question every founder should sit with🌱 Why Matt now thinks personal growth is what's really driving himFollow Matt:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mrmattholland/👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrmattholland/📱 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattholland❌ X - https://x.com/mrmattholland1Follow Charlie:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theworkwearexpert👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-smith-1a55295b/

The Real Cost of the Employment Rights Act – Ep 75

The government's own impact assessment puts the cost of the Employment Rights Act at up to £5 billion a year, with small firms hit hardest.In this episode, Matt and Charlie walk through what the Act actually changes on the ground. Statutory sick pay from day one. The unfair dismissal qualifying period dropping from two years to six months. Zero-hours reform, fire-and-rehire restrictions, and a stack of new admin duties landing in stages over the next year.They talk about the real-world impact, not just the headline figures. The bartender who calls in sick after a night out. The pub landlord covering the cost. The warehouse manager trying to staff a shift he can no longer cancel. And the productivity question nobody in government seems to want to answer.It is a blunt, honest take on hiring, firing, and why Matt is now leaning towards offshoring rather than carrying more risk in the UK. Plus why a good HR partner has gone from nice-to-have to essential.Takeaways:🤒 Why day-one sick pay changes the maths on every hire⏱️ The two-year rule dropping to six months and what it means📋 The new admin and compliance burden landing on small firms🚪 Why fire-and-rehire and zero-hours reform make staffing harder🌍 The uncomfortable case for offshoring over UK hiringFollow Matt:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mrmattholland/👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrmattholland/📱 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattholland❌ X - https://x.com/mrmattholland1Follow Charlie:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theworkwearexpert👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-smith-1a55295b/