He Lost Everything... Then Built a £1 Billion Lending Empire

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In 2008, Matt Haycox (Instagram) found himself in the wreckage of his life—broke, bankrupt, and unable to support his one-year-old daughter.

Just the day before, he was running strip clubs, hotels, and finance companies across the UK.

Now, he had nothing: no money, no business, no backup plan, only a crushing mountain of debt and a little girl depending on him to figure it out.

What came next wasn't luck, motivation, or an overnight miracle.

Matt mastered them the hard way, and they changed everything.

By the end of this story, you’ll walk away with three powerful takeaways you can apply today to clarify your voice, your story, and your brand.

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Most men would have wasted months licking their wounds.

Matt didn’t have that luxury. He understood something most people never grasp — sitting in the ashes changes nothing. If his daughter was going to eat, he needed to move. Fast.

First, he faced the brutal truth:

Nobody was coming to save him. No bank. No partner. No government. No magic.

The only assets he had left were invisible:

• His knowledge of raising money.

• His network of people who trusted him.

• And his own refusal to stay beaten.

Matt returned to the basics. He didn’t start by building an empire. He started by finding one person who needed funding — and a way to deliver it.

Broker deals.

Earn trust.

Stack wins.

“Motivation out of necessity,” he later called it.

This is not the rah-rah motivation found in fake gurus. This is a genuine instinct for survival.

Real “feed your family or die trying” urgency. T” urgency. The first deals were small.

But they proved something vital: his skill set wasn’t bankrupt.

Watch the full podcast:

Over the next two years, Matt rebuilt not just a bank account but an entire system.

He became the man who knew where the money was when everyone else was panicking.

When businesses couldn’t get loans from scared banks, Matt showed them a way.

He didn’t just broker deals anymore.

He started lending his money.

The collapse had taught him to see problems differently.

While most lenders obsessed over paper policies, Matt looked at people.

At potential.

At resilience.

At business owners like himself who just needed a shot.

Out of that philosophy, Funding Guru was born — a company built by a man who understood what it meant to stand on the edge. Over the next decade, Funding Guru grew into a juggernaut:

• £500+ million lent to British businesses.

• Deals funded when no one else would.

• A reputation for speed, flexibility, and ruthless realism.

At the same time, Matt built The Matt Haycox Group — a powerhouse that now invests in tech, hospitality, marketing, and real estate.

He even launched Dominate Online, an aggressive digital agency focused on lead generation and ROI.

Every move was fueled by the same lessons that bankruptcy had tattooed into his bones.

The three BIG takeaways

Lesson 1: Own Everything.

Matt never blamed the economy, bad luck, or shady competitors.

“If you lose because of one supplier, one client, or one channel, it’s your fault for being fragile.”

The faster you own it, the faster you fix it.

Lesson 2: Your Network Is Your Net Worth.

Every major deal, every comeback, every breakout move in Matt’s career came down to one relationship.

He spends half his working hours building and maintaining real human connections.

Not networking events. Not Instagram followers.

Real allies. Real opportunities.

Lesson 3: Speed Over Perfection.

He didn’t wait to “feel ready.”

He didn’t overplan.

He moved immediately, even when it was messy, even when it was scary.

Because in a crisis, action beats anxiety — every single time.

Today, Matt Haycox isn’t just “back.”

He’s bigger than ever.

• He has invested in over 100 businesses.

• His companies have funded close to £1 billion in loans.

• His podcasts and newsletter reach entrepreneurs all over the world.

• He lives according to his own terms, becoming wealthier, wiser, and sharper.

And he still keeps the same brutal truth pinned to his chest like armor:

“The only thing I lost was money — I still had my knowledge, my skills, my network, and the will to win.”

The real wealth was never the strip clubs, the hotels, or even the millions. It was who he became when the easy things were stripped away. When the world knocked him flat, Matt Haycox didn’t rebuild his old life.

He built something better.

And so can you — if you’re willing to bet on the only assets that truly matter.

Until next Friday,

Roman

The Nomad CEO

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