2025 Year in Review: Built, Banned & Bouncing Back!
Happy New Year everyone ? Hope you all had a well-earned break?
While many of you were resting..
I was quietly building. And debugging. And occasionally talking to my PC and laptop like it could hear me.
2025 was the year everything changed for me:
- An HMRC audit (fun times!)
- META Platform bans (plot twist nobody asked for) just as I was about to launch two of my newest apps I was creating an online buzz… Before I had web/apps finished.
- A full pivot into building 5 AI-powered SaaS apps myself — no dev team, just me, AI, and an alarming amount of coffee!
- I’m the least “techy” tech person you’ll ever meet… which is exactly why I know if I can do this, anyone can. If I can vibe-code my way to 5 complete SaaS products, so can you.
It’s been intense, messy, occasionally chaotic — and the most creatively productive year of my business life.
Mastering MBA (effectively Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi’s GHL) while also attending AI training almost every night Mon – Fri between 4pm and 9pm most nights mid-week every night.
PLUS Built (5 AI-Powered SaaS Apps From Scratch)
Created a growing ecosystem of AI-powered SaaS tools — yes, you read that right. Not one but 5.
Who needs Zuckerberg when you can build your own playground?
5 complete SaaS platforms at various stages, built by someone who’s the least “techy” tech person you will EVER meet:
The first to launch currently in BETA version is:
WALK. MATCH.™
WalkMatch.com (https://walkmatch.com)
FULLY LIVE walking, wellness & activity-matching app (NOT dating, I repeat, NOT dating).
Features payments, sponsorships, and built with safety and privacy-first in mind. Owned ad system inc sponsorships, online ads, donations, memberships monthly/annually and annual discounts.
And we’re running a FREE offer for early found members: WALK. MATCH.™ Get ELITE FREE for 3 months offer!
Because who
CV Upgrade™
CVUpgrade.co.uk (www.cvupgradeai.com)
Currently LIVE IN BETA recruiter-grade AI CV Grader, Upgrader and interview prep platform. Helping recruitment agencies and job seekers look good, and fill vacant positions, one CV at a time.
FREE while in BETA mode (it’s not responsive yet)
APP 3 LAUNCHING SOON! AUDIT PROTECT™
AuditProtect.biz (https://auditprotect.biz) –
MVP currently being tested.
LAUNCHING SOON to help UK SMEs get MTD-ready ahead of 2026.
Because that HMRC audit taught me things.
Many, many things.
APP 4 Digital Pulse™ AI
PROTOTYPE/R&D social listening concept (built again with privacy-first).
Currently in the “let’s see if this works” phase overcoming lots of rules and regs for this one.
Journey & Traffic App™ – IN DEVELOPMENT: route-specific traffic & weather updates. For those of us tired of generic “there’s traffic somewhere” alerts that you’re nowhere near where you can plan your journey/routes in advance without scouring multiple websites for overnight road closures, traffic jams during peek times and unwanted hassle when all you want is to get to a meeting, stress and hassle free and arrive on time or go snowboarding, climb a mountain or a munro. Rest and be thankful! Without any nightmares or landslides en-route to adventuring in the stunning Scottish Highlands.
Also hit 18 business & coaching awards in 14 years, including a global AI award. Plus built 5 SaaS apps in 3 months. Not bad for someone who once thought “coding” was a typo.
AND THEN ON BLACK FRIDAY A META BOT SENT ME INTO A SPIRAL – BOOM!!!
META Banned
On Black Friday (because of course it was Black Friday and unbeknown to me FB bots are out of control looking for bots/spammers/scammers) and sadly they made a mistake and think I’m a bot!
Meta decided to gift me with:
X A banned personal profile
X Nuked business pages
X Deleted ad accounts
X Years of audience building: poof
X Thousands in ad spend: vanished
X 30+ groups: gone
All thanks to an AI META bot mistake – with zero meaningful human review.
The irony? I’m literally building AI apps that are designed to enhance humans, not replace them.
Turns out platform dependency isn’t just risky — it’s playing Russian roulette with a robot holding the gun.
But guess what….? I’m bouncing Back!
As Tony Robbins one of my coaches and mentors says: “A new level equals another devil!
And Eileen Wilder mentions this too before progress comes chaos. Always.
Here’s what an HMRC audit and a Meta ban teach you: Own your sh*t.
Own your platforms. Own your data. Own your audience. Own your future.
As Dean Graziosi one of my other mentors and coaches says “It’s on ME!!!”
And our old “we’ll just run your ads for you” model? It’s dying faster than my patience during my audit.
The Not-So-Pretty Bits:
- HMRC audit was/is stressful (understatement of the year), but a massive wake-up call how exposed UK SMEs are as MTD approaches, and I’m organised! So I dread to think how impactful MTD is going to be for biz owners who aren’t. My Ai SaaS web/app offers another layer of self-scrutiny to help with compliance, that accountants do not offer. This is not designed to replace accountants this is not a self serve tax platform this compliments what accountants do.
- AI builds weren’t always smooth — buggy code, broken platforms, and me yelling “WHY WON’T YOU WORK?!” Cost time = Money, and taught me valuable lessons
- Turns out building 5 SaaS apps in the third and final quarter of the year, all while running a business is… ambitious. Who knew? ?
What’s Coming in 2026
- Doubling down on designig AI web/apps and coaching SME’s how to do this DIY.
- High Growth Lab — Teaching AI inc apps & automations, online courses on demand, AI workflows, and group plus 1:1 coaching.
- MBS platform emails, mailshots my warm list and funnels, to reduce platform risk.
- Helping UK companies to prep for MTD & HMRC scrutiny. Because nobody else should have to learn this like I did, the hard way.
- Building a fully owned ad & data ecosystem across my own platforms. Zuck-proof, bot-proof, me-proof.
Treating AI like a second MBA — £850,000+ invested so far in my 35 year career with world-class coaching. My motto and I learned this from my Mum. If you’re going to do something, anything do it properly (or spectacularly, no in-between). If anything is worth doing its worth doing it right but I am also a great believer that you don’t wait til its perfect – GET it out there something is ALWAYS better than nothing. Progress over perfection. Throw yourself out the plane and grow your wings on the way down is a brilliant saying I will never forget from Dean Graziosi.
And here’s where I can help you with your next move..
Your Move
If you’re a business owner tired of:
Platform risk (looking at you, Meta ?)
Outdated “just boost it” marketing models
Being one algorithm change away from disaster
Not understanding what MTD means but knowing it sounds expensive
…and you want to build AI-driven systems, own your tech stack, and future-proof your business in 2026 too?
Drop “LAB” in the comments or DM me.
Let’s build something the bots can’t ban.
P.S. – Yes, I’m still slightly bitter about the Meta thing. Working through it. Therapeutically. By building more apps.
To find out more contact Corrie-Dee Whaite on Tel 01294 559480 or Mob 07411 170758 TODAY. Or book a Zoom call via my online calendar for a FREE 1:1 zoom call CLICK HERE:
