I Borrowed From 80 Different Lenders Before It All Collapsed | Matt Haycox

Everyone borrows. Almost nobody borrows from eighty different people Repurposed from Jigar Sagar's podcast The Hidden Code, this one is about money - how you get it, how you keep it, and what happens when the people lending it to you all want it back at once. Matt takes it from a kid asking his mum whether the doctor was a millionaire, to running the biggest strip club group in the UK by 28, to a perfect credit rating in June 2008 and personal bankruptcy by September. He walks through what the borrowing actually looked like: 24-month terms instead of ten years, 20% instead of 8%, 200 finance agreements across 80 lenders, and every one of them personally guaranteed. Then the harder part - why the lenders wouldn't restructure, what he learned about leverage that he still uses, and how the man who owed £45 million ended up being the one deciding whether other people are worth lending to. Jigar also gets him on Dubai: why it's a terrible market to borrow in and a brilliant one to raise in, whether the new bankruptcy laws have changed anything on the ground, and why Matt would still put 85% of what he owns on the line today. **Chapters** 0:00 - Coming Up 0:18 - Intro 1:02 - Too Many Businesses to Have One Title 2:17 - Growing Up in Leeds 4:00 - "Is He a Millionaire?" Matt's Only Metric of Success 8:02 - Leaving University for a Failing Uniform Business 10:50 - What You Could Learn About Business Before the Internet 14:32 - Getting Into the Bar Trade at 21 18:18 - Buying Bars With Cheques That Hadn't Cleared 21:02 - Why Bars Don't Make Money and Strip Clubs Do 24:03 - Where the Courage Came From 26:07 - 200 Finance Agreements From 80 Different Lenders 32:20 - Cross-Collateralised: Signing Personal Guarantees on Everything 33:28 - Bankrupt by September and How the Comeback Started 37:15 - What to Do When Your Business Runs Out of Cash 40:43 - Why Matt Moved to Dubai 44:18 - Does the UAE's Bankruptcy Law Actually Work? 47:14 - Why Dubai Feels Safer Than Europe 52:58 - Would He Take the Same Risks Today? 55:10 - Dubai as a Network 56:07 - Rapid Fire: Raising Money, Red Flags and Bankruptcy 01:00:24 - Final Thoughts: The One Industry He'd Bet On Now  ======================== **Connect with Matt Haycox, No BS Business Podcast Host & 8-Figure Entrepreneur.** I’m Matt Haycox, entrepreneur, investor, and your straight-talking guide to building a business that actually works. I’ve raised over £750M, built (and rebuilt) 8-figure companies, and learned the hard way what it really takes to win. On *No Bollocks with Matt Haycox*, I cut through the bollocks to bring you raw conversations with 7–8 figure founders, investors, and experts who’ve been there, done it, and got the scars to prove it. No hype, no theory, just actionable strategies you can use today to start, grow, and scale your business. Whether you’re stuck in your 9–5, building your side hustle, or trying to hit your first £100k month, this is your go-to podcast for **entrepreneur tips, startup growth strategies, raising capital, building a personal brand, and avoiding the costly mistakes most founders make**. 📩 **Get Matt’s free business newsletter** for weekly strategies, mindset shifts, and behind-the-scenes lessons → https://nobollockswithmatthaycox.beehiiv.com/subscribe ▶ **Instagram** – https://www.instagram.com/thematthaycox/ ▶ **YouTube** – No Bollocks Podcast - YouTube ▶ **LinkedIn** – https://www.linkedi...