Grumpy Matt, The Power Of Humility, Chesney Hawkes, Supplier Discounts & More!

This is the newsletter that almost didn't happen when a very grumpy Matt slammed his laptop shut on Wednesday night!

Author

Matt Haycox
August 18, 2023

MATT’S CHATS:  It’s ok to have a bad day, even a bad week! And I tell you the most important characteristic when negotiating on the back foot.

SEXY STAT: New stock market listing sky rockets Chairmans wealth.

NEWS ROUND-UP: All the latest business news fresh from the Matt Haycox Daily website including the Latest News on Broadcaster Michael Parkinson, AI Powered Business Modal, Wilko’s collapse, and the world’s first FLYING CAR!

PODCAST: This week, join us as I interview the iconic Chesney Hawks, famously known for "The One And Only." Take a leap back to the 90s, explore Chesney's beginnings, and catch a glimpse of what the future holds.

BIG PICTURE: Talk is cheap. All that matters is your actions!

TEAM TALKS: Big win and top tips from my team that you can implement today!

ASK ME ANYTHING: Go on, I dare you! This week I am talking about the pro’s and con’s of University.

SHARING IS CARING: Tell your friends. There’s rewards in it too!

THE LAST WORD: One last thing before we go…

Want more Matt? Matt Haycox Daily is now available as a podcast. From getting this Friday newsletter in audio form, to hearing quick daily tips or the latest news stories, make sure you check it out and subscribe. (PS. It's a different podcast to The Matt Haycox Show so make sure you have both!)

You were nearly getting a very different column from me this week!

Honest as always, but this time it was about to be VERY short.

I have been having a stinker of a week both in terms of quality of work I have had on, lack of sleep, extra stress from unnecessary problems and everything else imaginable. I laid in bed on Wednesday night, out of time to write this to meet my deadline and stared at the screen - exhausted and stressing further as I was due to wake up in 5 hours and angry that I was likely to miss my deadline for the first time.

I wrote 3 different columns, didn’t really like any of them, shut my laptop in a mood and went to sleep.

The next day I spoke to Molly, who works on this newsletter with me, and told her I had been super stressed, had no time to write anything, that we would have to send the newsletter out on Friday afternoon as it wouldn’t be ready on Friday morning, and all I had to write was ‘I am in a bad mood. I have had a bad week. Enjoy the rest of the newsletter but that’s all from me’!

She actually said to me “You should do it. I like that. Tell the truth. People should see all the sides of life and business, not just the glossy shit.”

Now as you know I have no issue telling the truth and am more than happy to share that with you - but I still didn’t want to have a crap column and I pride myself on trying to bring value to you.

So yes, we are late sending this today, but I have managed to sleep on my flight from London back to Spain, feel slightly less grumpy and much more able to write! So you get the truth of my grumpy week anyway, but I can also carry on to share some other stories and the good stuff too!

So if like me, you have a bad day or week from time to time - it’s ok. We can’t always bounce out of bed at 5am with a smile, jump in the ice bath, host an Instagram live, make a million dollars and save the world! Sometimes we just want to be on our own, curl in to a ball and cry, and wish for it all to end!

It happens to all of us. So don’t sweat it, it will pass. Just make sure you are identifying any issues that are causing the stress so that you can solve them going forward and try and reduce future issues.

But as you know it isn’t always stress for me and I am normally beaming ear to ear even when things are a little tough.

The main thing i love about my job is the variety.

No 2 days are the same with the kind of customers who come to me for loans or investment - yes they all want money but its always different circumstances, different businesses, different assets, and different problems.

It’s like the business equivalent of going on a first date every day - you never have to get past the honeymoon stage!

But the other thing I love is it gives me the chance to ‘people watch’ all the time - and we all love people watching right?!

When money is involved - and specifically when it is owed, and can’t be repaid - you get to see so many different sides of people. So many lies, so many excuses and so many strange behaviours. People who are scared. People who are aggressive. People trying to unwind or hide things. People digging themselves a deeper hole.

It’s like being sat on the pavement, in a comfy chair at your favourite holiday cocktail bar, drinking a mojito and getting to watch strange person after strange person walk past the bar! And I am getting paid for it!

But for all the strange behaviours, for all the different characteristics I see, there is always 1 that is missing. And I believe it is actually the only one that matters when it comes to trying to build a bridge with a lender, and make a bad situation better.

HUMILITY.

When you owe someone money and have defaulted on a loan - you are in the wrong. It’s that simple! It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. Someone may have let you down further along the chain and it has had a knock on effect. The world may have come to a halt with COVID. A recession may be kicking in.

I get it, non of it is nice and it all has an effect on your ability to perform.

But you still owe the money! You have signed a contract to perform in a certain way, by a certain date - and you haven’t done it.

Whatever it is that has led to your problems, you have to put yourself in the shoes of the lender and understand that they too have their own commitments and they need to honour those too - or they will end up in their own position of default.

There will always be some lenders who have a predatory business model and look forward to their customers defaulting - but the vast majority (like myself) just want the problem sorted, the money repaid as planned, and for everyone to move on.

This can only happen with clear communication and transparency. Being aggressive, passing the blame, making threats against the lender just serve to alienate them. And ultimately will get the borrower a worse deal by dragging something out.

If you want someone’s cooperation and favour - then you need to be acting with humility and seeing things from their side.

Almost as many times as I have been a lender, I have also been a borrower. And it hasn’t always gone to plan for me either.

The only way I have been able to solve problems, get favourable outcomes and maintain relationships with people is by acknowledging my faults, acting with humility, and working with that lender to put their needs ahead of my own.

By doing so, I have been able to do future deals with people, even when things have gone wrong in the past.

This logic applies to all relationships - not just lenders and borrowers.

You know when you have done wrong. When you have breeched a contract or not performed. Don’t make your automatic reaction one of aggression or excuses. Pick up the phone, apologise, acknowledge your mistakes and commit to doing whatever you possibly can to resolving the solution.

It may not make for great ‘people watching’ but it’ll make you a better human and guarantee you a much better outcome!

Speaking of people watching, I think thats what I am going to go do now to relax and fully recover from my stressful week!

Enjoy the newsletter and have a great weekend.

Making its stock market debut on the Nasdaq exchange, Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast’s shares soared from $22 to $37 on their first day of trading. That gave the company, which is still loss making, a staggering valuation of $85bn which is almost more than the combined value of Ford and GM.

Chairman Pham That Vuong’s net worth was boosted by an eye watering $39bn. The drinks are on him this weekend!

“We’re all going to die, the planes going down”
Chesney Hawks

Every week I sat down on my podcast The Matt Haycox Show to chat with inspirational and exciting guests who have a story to tell. And this guest certainly doesn’t disappoint with the stories!

In this week's episode, I had the privilege of sitting down with the one and only Chesney Hawks, the renowned 90s popstar. We take a trip down memory lane, discussing his musical origins, the inspiration behind his top hit "The One And Only," and his remarkable journey to fame. Chesney also shares a chilling near-death experience at 37,000 feet and offers a glimpse into what the future holds for him. Join us for a captivating blend of nostalgia, resilience, and artistic insight in this must-listen podcast episode.

In this episode we talk about:

✈️ His near death experience at 37,000 feet.

 🎤 We throw it back to the 90’s and discover where it all started.

💰 His spontaneous splurges that raised eyebrows and adrenaline levels.

😳 The rollercoaster of emotions when that 'supportive' network suddenly vanished into thin air.

🕺His down-to-earth advice on juggling gut feelings with staying real, without diving into diva territory.

And much more!

If you haven’t subscribed yet then please do and leave a 5* review. The better your reviews the better the future guests. Win : Win!

Talk is cheap. All that matters is your actions.

Don’t talk about it, do it!

No one achieved anything from their chit chat!

I have some incredibly talented individuals in my team across all of the different businesses in my group, with skill sets in everything imaginable from digital marketing to finance, negotiation to design, law to operations, and more! But you get access to their latest strategies, ideas and life hacks without having to put them on your payroll! Let’s see what they have been up to this week and how it can help you!

I recorded a podcast this week with rugby legend James Haskell, and one of the first things he said to me was some advice from his father “No one is ever going to give you a pound!” What he means by this is that if you want something in life you have to go out there and ask for it, or do it, for yourself. No supplier is ever going volunteer a discount to you but most have a bit of extra margin they have available to share with you if you can do something for them. Give them more volume, pay them faster, give their product better placement in your business, or if you are very lucky maybe even just offer to stay with them and not take your business elsewhere. Don’t ever think that a brand is too big to negotiate with, or be too proud or embarrassed to ask the question. A day spent calling round your suppliers to haggle for some discounts or rebates, even just a few % here and there, could add up to many thousands of pounds over the year for you.

My interview with Peter Bleksley reached 1.1M views on TikTok!

Molly Hill says “Creating a TikTok video that goes viral requires a combination of creativity, relatability, and strategic sharing. We started by selecting a captivating and ‘click baity’ thumbnail with a quote- it clearly resonated with a wide audience! The thumbnail and the 1st 3 - 5 seconds of the video are the most important for getting people to watch and stick with it. Keeping the video short, engaging, and visually appealing, with eye-catching visuals is key to catch the users attention. When posting anything to social media, it’s important to incorporate humour, emotions, or surprise elements to evoke a strong reaction from viewers. We made sure to use popular hashtags and topics to increase the discoverability of this video. Timing is also crucial, it’s better to post during peak hours when your target audience is most active, Matt’s being between 7:30-8pm UK time.”

It looks like it worked anyway!

I love answering questions, solving problems, and interacting with my subscribers and followers - so this is a Win: Win for me! And for you guys too.

Every week now I will be including a section where I answer a question or solve a problem that you have. Hopefully about business, but I will try with whatever you throw at me!

Stuck for questions? Here is an interview I had with Talk Radio discussing the pros and cons of University - very topical now as A-level results were out this week. Would I recommend it? Watch here to find out. (P.s. if you don’t already follow me on Instagram then make sure you add me when you watch this video!)

So ask away, and hopefully I will feature you in a coming newsletter. (It will be anonymous if you prefer so don’t be afraid to ask what is really on your mind.)

TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND GET REWARDED! 💰 🛥

When I love something I always share it with my friends! And if you do too then this newsletter has got you covered! Share it with your mates and wider connections and get access to exciting rewards. Even though our full reward programme is still in the works, any referrals you make now count towards it. Plus, one of the rewards is a weekend in Dubai with me for an incredible business immersion experience and yacht dinner. Spread the word and join us in Dubai!

(PS my current biggest refer is Elena, can you beat her?! She does have 108 cousins though so plenty of people to go at!)

I got a lot of comments last week about my column. People I knew saying they enjoyed the content and that they were pleased I had decided to cut back my spending!

I will write about it in more detail in a future issue, but I think it’s important to clear up on this while it is fresh….. I wasn’t suggesting not spending. I was talking about optimising my personal finances so I can generate as much income as possible in the most stress free manner I can.

I want that income so I have money to spend! I love spending! After all, that one of the reasons I go to work, take risks, and subject myself to stress!

But I think it is important to only spend on the things that matter to you. To spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut the costs mercilessly on the things you don’t care about. I love red wine and spend a lot on it. I don’t give a shit about cars and happily take an Uber everywhere I go. I don’t care mjuch for very expensive clothes, but I will spend anything on things that give me more free time.

etc etc, you get the point. Tell me your thoughts. Tell me what you like to spend on, or what you regret wasting on. And I will cover it in a future issue.

If you got this far then thanks for staying with me! I get great pleasure and personal benefit when I write these newsletters as its a perfect opportunity for me to really think deep on the things I write about, and to learn more in my quest to bring you a summarised version of everything you need to know to succeed. They say the best way to learn is to teach, so I am glad we both get to benefit from this together. Don’t be too shy to email me if there are any topics you want me to cover or go deeper on in future issues.

Before you go, PLEASE PLEASE tell us more about yourself! Help us tailor the content to make it more relevant to your needs.