Dr Lewis Haydon · Business mentor, coach and investor
Fed up of hearing about what you should be doing from advisors who don't actually own businesses? I was too. There is another way.
Want my help?
Book a virtual coffeeFor owners scaling from about £250k turnover to £1m, and on to £20m. Not start-ups.
Business mentoring from £800 a month, plus VAT. Every price is published.
Evidence, not opinion · The research behind the advice →
01 / Owner payoff
The payoff you deserve
More dividends, time back with your family, life goals paid for. Not just more profit on paperOur best month ever, on the back of last month being our best month ever.Business owner, client
02 / Operations
Runs without you there
Managed by your team, not by you. Results include owner hours halved, with income upHe’s worked with members of my team too, which has made a real difference across the business.Business owner, Google review
03 / Owner · investor
Done it, still doing it
I own and invest in businesses. 100+ businesses coached since 2012I have been working with Lewis for a number of years, previously in another business and more recently in a business I set up last year.Business owner, Google review
04 / Method · DBA
Evidence, not opinion
My doctorate researched what makes owners succeed. 100+ podcast episodes keep the study goingA unique ability to get a true understanding of what people need to move to the next level.Founder and CEO, client
Fig. · The numbers behind the mentor
2×
Gross profit doubled
Owner result R-01 · anonymised · team performance and margin
50%
Fewer hours for the owner, income up
Owner result R-02 · anonymised
100+
Businesses coached
Since 2012 · owners from £250k to £20m turnover
3
Coaching awards in a row, two for client results
Midlands Best Client Results 2021 · UK Best Client Ratings 2022 · UK Business Coach of the Year 2023
63,000+
Followers on TikTok
@dr.lewishaydon · October 2026
66,000+
Hours watched
TikTok and YouTube, all time · October 2026
1,782
MentorBusiness.com members
Free and paid · 25 October 2026 · the platform I built
100+
Mentor Business Podcast episodes
Owners and their advisers, on the record
Fig. · Client results: teams and companies
5×
Revenue: £200K to £1M+, and one business to four
“Lewis has helped foster my entrepreneurial spirit and, just as importantly, helped me see the wood for the trees.”
Matthew Weston · Google review, Vantage 365 Group
Record
Best month ever, two months running
“A level of growth in revenue, profit and structure over the last twelve months we could only have hoped for.”
Darren Legg · client, Enhance Mobility Group
Grown
The business, and more of the owner’s week on what only he can do
“He asks the questions you’ve been avoiding, gets you to commit to an answer, and checks that you did what you said.”
James Merrix · Google review, Appoly Group
2nd
Office opened, run by its own team
Expanded into new markets, with a full team running it rather than the owner.
Client result R-03 · anonymised
Who it’s for
What you get · mentoring from an owner
From someone who owns businesses now: what worked in my own, not theory. Not for start-ups.
Birmingham, UK
Based in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. Planning days in person at your office, across the Midlands and anywhere in the UK; monthly sessions in person or on Zoom for owners anywhere. I work best with owners of established businesses, from about £250k turnover scaling to £1m and on to £20m, who are still doing everything themselves. Not start-ups.
Owners and entrepreneurs come to me for business coaching, for business leadership coaching for them and the team around them, and for the personal development that growing a business asks of you. If you're in London or further afield, we work online.
In-person coaching across Birmingham and the West Midlands
I own and invest in businesses, and I've coached 100+ more. Everything I'll ask you to do, I've had to do myself: build the management structure, delegate and hold people to account, fix cash flow, and grow it without everything going through you.
This isn't just business coaching. It's mentorship from someone who's sat where you're sitting, and still does. Like a business coach, but I actually own businesses.
Build, own, invest
I own and invest in medical technology, manufacturing, care and supported living, marketing and sales, and accounting and finance businesses. So I deal with what you deal with: the wage bill, cash flow, hiring the right people, a manager who isn’t managing, a customer who pays late.
When I mentor you, I bring what has worked in my own businesses, and what hasn’t, so you don’t lose a year finding out the hard way. I’ll show you how I did it, then hold you to doing it in yours.
What you get from a mentor who owns businesses
Not a cheerleader. Someone at your table who asks the hard question, and holds you to the answer next month.
“Excels in asking the right questions… and ensures that you are accountable.”
Business owner, Google review
The management structure, delegation and accountability that let you grow it without everything going through you.
“He helped me build the foundations of my businesses, giving structure, clarity and importantly accountability.”
Business owner, Google review
Cash flow, margin, and what the business should pay off for you as its owner.
“Ensures that you are accountable for finding the right actions to ensure growth.”
Business owner, Google review
A business worth more, because it doesn’t depend on you. Bring in a managing director, grow it, or sell it.
“The advice, guidance and structure Lewis has given me has been invaluable.”
Client, Google review
Real results
I’m not here to promise overnight wins. Here’s what owners I’ve mentored have done: more margin, more profit, and companies that run without their owner in every decision.
Fig. · Owner results · Anonymised at the owners’ request
R-01 · Profit
2×
Gross profit doubled
By focusing on team performance and product margin.
R-02 · Owner time
−50%
Owner hours cut in half
While net income went up.
R-03 · Expansion
2nd
Office opened, run by its own team
Expanded into new markets with a full team running it.
R-04 · Turnaround
Turnaround
From struggling to fast growth
Better systems and a proper structure.
R-05 · Exit
Exit
Strategic exits delivered
Planned and delivered, with strong dividend yields for the owners.
R-06 · Investment
Hands-off
Investments run by the team
Multiple investments managed with full autonomy and stable cash flow.
Anonymised at the owners’ request. Named case studies, with their permission, are on the way.
What clients say
“Having Lewis’ knowledge and support this year has undoubtedly helped us to achieve our best month ever, on the back of last month being our best month ever, and a level of growth in revenue, profit and structure over the last twelve months we could only have hoped for.”
Darren LeggBusiness ownerEnhance Mobility Group“Lewis offers a wealth of knowledge and excels in asking the right questions to make you, the business owner, evaluate the processes in your company, and ensures that you are accountable for finding the right actions to ensure growth. Lewis Haydon is an integral person to the success of my business and to my own personal growth as a business owner.”
Elaine BowmanBusiness owner · Google reviewPeak Accounts and Management Systems Ltd“I spent several years working with Lewis, and happy to say he has become a great friend. He helped me build the foundations of my businesses, giving structure, clarity and importantly accountability when it was needed. Highly recommend.”
Joshua PowellBusiness owner · Google review“I’ve worked with Lewis as a coach and strategist while running a software agency. He understands owner-led businesses well, in particular how hard it is to stop doing the work and start running the company. Sessions are direct. He asks the questions you’ve been avoiding, gets you to commit to an answer, and checks that you did what you said. Since we started, the business has grown and I spend much more of my week on the things only I can do. If you’re the bottleneck in your own business, give him a call.”
James MerrixOwner, software agency · Google reviewAppoly Group“£200K to £1M+ in revenue, and one business to four. That’s where Vantage 365 has gone since I started working with Lewis. We’re now a group made up of Vantage 365 Group plus dedicated Consultancy, Training and Support businesses. Lewis has helped foster my entrepreneurial spirit and, just as importantly, helped me see the wood for the trees. He’s someone I can share ideas with, talk problems through with, and occasionally just vent to. And it’s not only me he’s supported; he’s worked with members of my team too, which has made a real difference across the business. If you’re an owner who knows there’s more in you and your business, I’d highly recommend him.”
Matthew WestonOwner, Vantage 365 Group · Google reviewVantage 365 GroupThe scorecard · 10 questions · 3 minutes
Ten questions an owner of an established business should be able to answer: does it run without you, is anyone accountable, does profit follow turnover, and does it pay you properly. Scored instantly across five areas, with what to do first in each.
Take the free scorecard
Because you get a mentor who’s in the same seat as you. I own businesses now, so I’ll challenge you, keep you accountable, and help you build a business that grows without everything depending on you.
Between sessions, you get wrap-around support on Teams, WhatsApp and by phone. I’m a business owner too, so I know the things that keep you up at night. With weekly mentoring and above, training for your team is included; my prices are on the website, and chances are I’ve already sat at the table of an owner in your sector.
Book a virtual coffee
100+ businesses coached, across
Clients stay private, so these are the sectors, not the names. But sector knowledge isn’t what makes the difference. What does is that I own and run businesses myself, so I’m not advising from a textbook.
How I compare
Fig. · Price in context · Employer costs 2026/27 · Plus VAT
Weekly mentoring costs about the same as a junior hire. The difference is you get someone who owns businesses, sitting at your table every week.
Weekly mentoring £2,500 / month ≈ 1 junior hire £25k salary + employer costs = £28.6k / year
About
I’m a business coach and mentor based in Birmingham, UK, and I actually own businesses. I’ve coached owners since 2012, 100+ businesses across twenty-plus sectors, and I own and invest in medical technology, manufacturing, care and supported living, marketing and sales, and accounting and finance businesses.
I was named UK Business Coach of the Year 2023, after UK Best Client Ratings in 2022 and Midlands Best Client Results in 2021. One of the businesses I own was named Manufacturer of the Year at the British Healthcare Trades Association Industry Awards 2025. I host the Mentor Business Podcast, and I research what makes owners succeed in money and in life: that’s the “Dr”, and it’s why my advice is built on evidence, not opinion.
More about me · The research
What I’ve built
Businesses
I own and invest in medical technology, manufacturing, care and supported living, marketing and sales, and accounting and finance businesses. Everything I ask an owner to do, I’ve had to do in my own businesses first. One of them was named Manufacturer of the Year at the British Healthcare Trades Association Industry Awards 2025.
Podcast
100+ episodes of conversations with owners about what their business really pays off for them: the money, the time and the legacy.
Platform
MentorBusiness.comThe mentoring platform I founded: 100+ hours of mentoring from people who run businesses, on demand on the web and in the app.
App
PocketCoach.ai Business MentorMy mentoring on your phone: a weekly coaching check-in, tailored next steps and a cashflow calculator. Rated 5.0 on the App Store.
Podcast and video
Every week on the Mentor Business Podcast I take one question owners ask me, like how to pay yourself or who to hire first, and answer it with owners who’ve been through it, or on my own. Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Podcast
100+ episodes on how owners get paid, build a team that runs the business, and scale or exit on their terms. Hosted by Dr Lewis Haydon.
Latest episode · 16 October 2026
Split testing means showing two versions of one thing to two similar groups at the same time, and letting what people actually do decide which works, no…
Every episodeOn the blog
How to pay yourself as a business owner: start with your number, then work back through profit, margin, revenue and price so your pay is planned first.
How to build high performing teams: why good people leave around month six, what teams that perform share, and how owners stop being the bottleneck.
What a CRM is and why every small business needs one: what it does, how to build a simple CRM for small business, which to choose, and your first step.
Questions owners ask
A good one helps you get more from the business you already own: more profit, a team that runs it without you, and the payoff you built it for, whether that’s dividends or time back with your family. I do it with challenge, accountability and what has worked in the businesses I own, then I hold you to doing it in yours.
A coach asks the questions that get you to your own answers. A mentor has done it and tells you what worked. Most owners need both, and that’s how I work: the hard questions, and a straight answer from someone running businesses today when you need one.
Owners of established businesses, from about £250k turnover scaling to £1m and on to £20m. Not start-ups. Owners come from sectors including care, recruitment, construction, manufacturing, IT, property and accountancy.
Only if it shows in your own numbers: what you take home, the hours you work and how much of the business runs without you. Measure those. Coaching with me runs month to month on 30 days’ notice, so it has to keep earning its place.
I own and invest in businesses now, so what I bring has been tested in my own businesses this year, not in a success story from years ago. It’s built on evidence and data rather than opinion or a one-size-fits-all system: from my doctorate, the Mentor Business Podcast and the businesses I run. And my prices are on the website.
In the UK, one-to-one business coaching usually costs £1,000 to £3,000 a month; group programmes £200 to £1,000; executive coaching £200 to £450 an hour. Pay for the results you can measure in your own numbers, not the hours. In Birmingham, or anywhere in the UK on Zoom, my mentoring is from £800 a month plus VAT, and every price is published.
Business mentoring from £800 a month plus VAT, with tiers at £1,600, £2,500 and £3,500 a month. A planning day is £2,000 plus VAT. The 30-minute virtual coffee is free. Every price is on lewishaydon.com/pricing/.
No. Coaching runs month to month, with no fixed-term contract. If you want to stop, give 30 days’ notice.
Thirty minutes on Zoom with me. Bring your biggest question about scaling the business. You’ll leave clear on your next step: one you can take yourself, or the options for my support, if that makes sense.
At 71 Vyse Street in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, UK. Planning days happen in person at the owner’s office, across the Midlands and anywhere in the UK; monthly sessions run in person or on Zoom for owners anywhere.
Next step
Bring your biggest question about scaling the business to a 30-minute virtual coffee, and leave with a straight answer.
Book a virtual coffee
