January 23, 202618 min
What AI and acid-washed pig hides have in common
Alert some swearing.Why your job is safer from AI than you think. And why we all want to believe you can get all the results with none of the effort.
Episodes
193
Latest episode
Jan 2026
Language
EN
About the show
Bullshit-free tips on the realities of owning a business delivered with dry humor. Creative director-turned entrepreneur Ian Whitworth built a $30M national business by always doing the opposite of what private equity investors would do. His book Undisruptable is out now on Penguin Random House, including audiobook read by Ian.
Listen to episodes
August 16, 202512 min
Anti-confidence woman: Zoë Foster Blake’s Things Will Calm Down Soon
Part book review, part story. I really enjoyed Zoe Foster Blake’s novel Things Will Calm Down Soon, another stop on my Writing Less So I Can Read Books tour. Like few books I’ve read before, it captures the confusion and lack of confidence that is normal in new business owners. Which doesn’t mean you’re not good. The book is a peek behind the curtain of business when everyone else is out front putting on a grand show ofCrushin It.
June 17, 20257 min
The ROI of not chasing ROI all the time
I was meant to be at a conference today. I’m not because our industry association went into voluntary administration and closed down in March after fifty years. And our industry is the worse off for that. I am the worse off.A lot of ROI comes from not demanding ROI rightnow. This is the short-termism curse of big companies that have to report quarter-on-quarter growth for all eternity.We achieved that growth by doing the opposite of that.
April 11, 202512 min
The Joyce choice will make you a worse person long-term
No-one starts their career aiming to be a cheapskate exploitative boss that nobody likes. It all comes down to one career decision: will you work in a low- or high-margin industry?
February 22, 20257 min
A productive time in North Sumatra
A short report from Monkeys Surf Resort. May contain Bintang-influenced content.
December 9, 20246 min
External rays of happiness
Greg Hahn got fired from a global-prestige job in COVID. When he was weighing up which way to go, his wife knew what the best option was before he did. He opened his own business less than three months later. Barely three years on, it’s widely regarded as the best in the world. This week: the people around you can tell how you really feel before you. Listen to them. Links: The Jon Evans interview The Mischief manifesto Buy my book
December 3, 20247 min
Clean tech creates dirty stores: McDonalds male share-house vibes
How McDonalds touch screens create dirty stores. Lessons in unintended side-effects when you think you have a genius idea to cut costs and lift revenues. And now McDonalds are letting customers down on the things they've relied on for decades. "All that’s missing is a bucket bong on the straws-and-napkins counter." Links: Rory Sutherland on why Usain Bolt trains on Chicken McNuggets More Rory on why guys buy more burgers from touch screens Buy my book
November 25, 20248 min
Stand up to the Inspo Taliban. It’s OK to drink alcohol
Enough of people posting about how they gave up alcohol and how great they feel and you should do it too. Alcohol, in responsible amounts, makes so many people happy. Quit preaching to them about your new-found clarity. This week: the case for the defence for alcohol. "One reason Donald Trump is the next President of the United States is because a lot of normal people are tired of killjoys and do-gooders telling them what they shouldn’t be doing."
November 18, 20245 min
Trying to "fix" people is futile and a waste of your time
Here’s a way to make your work life easier, and save a heap of time and effort. Stop your futile efforts to bend people’s essential nature to your corporate will. So much time gets wasted on this, so much unnecessary friction. Here's an alternative approach that's much more productive and pleasant for everyone.
November 11, 20247 min
Avoiding the wrong clients for fun and profit
Some clients are just a soul-destroying, high-maintenance burden on you and your whole organisation. They do not appreciate all your efforts in the slightest. Working with them does not spark joy. You’re just doing it for the money. How would it be if you just waved those clients goodbye? You can do this and it will make your business and your whole life better. I know because we’ve tested this theory for you. Because we are privately-owned and can do these things without pressure from head offices or VC creeps. Learn how and why to reduce your target market in this week's story.
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