About the I Hate Numbers podcast

The I Hate Numbers podcast is a practical, jargon-free podcast for business owners, freelancers, charities, arts organisations, and social enterprises who want to feel more confident with their numbers.

This first episode explains why the podcast exists, who it is for, and why numbers matter so much in business. We talk about profit, tax, cash flow, decision-making, accountability, and the role numbers play in helping a business survive and thrive.

What you’ll learn in this episode

Why the I Hate Numbers podcast was created.
How numbers affect business decisions, profit, and control.
Why many people feel disconnected from their numbers.
How better financial understanding can reduce anxiety.
Why numbers tell the story of your business.
What future episodes will cover.
How getting closer to your numbers can help your business survive and thrive.

Why I started I Hate Numbers

I started this podcast because I have seen, over many years, how business owners can feel disconnected from their numbers. Many are brilliant at what they do. They create, serve, make, support, lead, and build. However, the financial side can still feel scary, boring, confusing, or pushed aside until tax deadlines arrive.

I am one of nine kids, and growing up in a large family shaped how I thought about control, money, choices, and opportunity. I did not start out planning to become an accountant, but I knew I wanted to do something that gave me more control over my life.

My career has taken me from teaching, into industry, and then into running my own business from a back bedroom. Over the years, I have worked with charities, arts organisations, social enterprises, small businesses, larger organisations, and international clients. Across all of them, one thing has stayed true: no business can get away from its numbers.

The aim of I Hate Numbers is not to turn business owners into accountants. It is to help business owners understand what their numbers mean, use them more confidently, and make better decisions.

Who the podcast is for

The I Hate Numbers podcast is for business owners and organisations who want practical financial support without jargon or nonsense. That includes small businesses, freelancers, private businesses, charities, arts organisations, and social enterprises.

If you want to improve your money mindset, make more profit, save time, understand tax, and feel more in control of your business future, this podcast is built with you in mind.

Each episode is designed to be practical, listener-friendly, and useful. We take real business finance questions and explain them in a way that helps you act, not just listen.

Why numbers matter in business

Numbers are not just pound signs, spreadsheets, or tax return figures. They are the words to your business story. They show what has happened, what is happening now, and what could happen next.

Your numbers help you understand what you are spending, what profit you are making, where cash is going, which clients are worth your time, and whether your plans are working. If profit is one of your key business goals, our episode on What Is Profit? Gross Profit and Net Profit Explained is a useful next step.

Numbers also create accountability. If you want to grow your audience, launch a product, win new clients, or improve your services, your numbers help you measure progress and make better choices.

Why people avoid their numbers

Many people avoid numbers because they have had bad experiences with maths, finance, school, tax, or accounting. Others only look at numbers when they have to file something, pay tax, or deal with compliance.

That is understandable. Recording numbers can feel tedious, and financial language can often make things harder than they need to be.

However, getting closer to your numbers does not have to mean loving spreadsheets or becoming a finance expert. It starts with understanding the story they tell. If financial reports feel confusing, our episode on Understanding Your Financial Statements can help you make sense of the bigger picture.

What to expect from future episodes

Future episodes will cover practical topics that affect business owners every week. We will talk about profit, tax, cash flow, bookkeeping, pricing, planning, financial statements, systems, business decisions, and the questions people often feel unsure about asking.

The aim is to make numbers feel less intimidating and more useful. Numbers should help you make money, keep more of it, save time, improve decisions, and build a business that supports the life and impact you want.

Practical steps for getting closer to your numbers

Start by looking at your numbers regularly, not only at tax time.
Focus on what the numbers mean, not just how they look.
Track profit, cash flow, costs, and client value.
Use your numbers to make better pricing and planning decisions.
Look for simple systems that reduce the boring parts of record keeping.
Ask better questions about your business performance.
Use numbers as a guide for future decisions, not just a record of the past.

Related episodes

Key takeaway

The I Hate Numbers podcast is here to help business owners connect with their numbers in a practical, useful, and confidence-building way. Numbers are not there to scare us. They are there to guide us.

When we understand our numbers, we can make better decisions, improve profit, manage cash flow, reduce anxiety, and build stronger businesses. Whether we run a private business, charity, arts organisation, or social enterprise, numbers are part of the story.

If you are ready to feel more confident with your numbers, start here, keep listening, and visit ihatenumbers.co.uk for more support.

Plan it, Do it, Profit.

“Your numbers are the words to your business story.”

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Episode Timecodes

00:00 – Welcome to the first episode of I Hate Numbers
01:00 – What the podcast is about
01:37 – Mahmood’s background and business journey
03:49 – Starting a business from a back bedroom
04:16 – Why every business needs to understand numbers
05:00 – How numbers help business owners make better decisions
06:35 – Why people often dislike or avoid numbers
08:20 – Numbers, accountability and business direction
09:05 – Future podcast topics and practical support
10:01 – Feedback, questions and next steps

About the Podcast

The I Hate Numbers podcast helps business owners understand accounting, tax, finance, profit, cash flow, and business planning in a practical way. We simplify financial topics so you can make better decisions and feel more confident with your numbers.

You can also watch more practical finance and tax support on the I Hate Numbers YouTube channel, or listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.

Further Support

📘 Book
https://www.ihatenumbers.co.uk/i-hate-numbers-book/

🎧 Podcast
https://www.ihatenumbers.co.uk/simplifying-accounting-and-tax-i-hate-numbers-podcast/

🌐 Website
https://www.ihatenumbers.co.uk

Welcome to the I Hate Numbers Podcast: Accounting, Business and Tax Made Simple