Awards and recognition
UK Business Coach of the Year: awards, a doctorate and client results
Three awards in three years, all for what clients got and how they rated the work. A doctorate from Aston University on what keeps people who work for themselves going. And live on BBC Midlands Today. Here is what each one is, who gave it, and what it means for your business.
The awards · The doctorate · Credentials · On the BBC · Client results · How to check a coach
The awards
Business coach awards, three years in a row: for client results and client ratings, not for marketing.
2023
UK Business Coach of the Year
The national award, for the coach whose work stood out across the UK that year.
2022
UK Best Client Ratings
Rated by the owners I coached, across the UK.
2021
Midlands Best Client Results
For the results my clients’ businesses got, across the Midlands.
All three were awarded by ActionCOACH UK, the coaching franchise I coached in before going independent.
What the award means for you
The best coach inside a franchise, then independent.
A coaching organisation trains every coach in the same system, so every client gets roughly the same programme. I won the UK’s top award inside that system. Then I went independent, so I could coach the way the evidence and my own businesses say works: one plan, built from your numbers, for your business.
The other difference is ownership. I ACTUALLY own and invest in businesses today, so the advice comes from the owner’s seat, not from a manual.
See how I compare to coaches and coaching franchise companiesThe businesses I own win too
Independently judged, not handed out inside a coaching organisation: one of the businesses I own, whose leadership team I mentor, won Manufacturing Champion and was Highly Commended for Catalyst for Creativity, the innovation award, at the Black Country Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2026. It was also named Manufacturer of the Year at the British Healthcare Trades Association Industry Awards 2025.
Fig. · Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) · Aston Business School · 2025
A coaching system teaches you its method. A doctorate tests whether things actually work.
The doctorate
Doctor of Business Administration from Aston University: what it studied and what it found.
My doctorate at Aston Business School (Work and Organisational Psychology) studied boundaryless careers: people who work for themselves, with no employer to fall back on, and what keeps them going towards success, in money and in life. Business coaches in UK advisory practices, most of them owners of their practice, were the setting, because everyone had been trained the same way, which made the comparison fair.
The 15 in-depth interviews also covered how they get clients to results: which clients do best (those committed to changing, not just talking about it) and what works in the room (questions that make people think, being direct and challenging, and tailoring the approach to each client). A survey of 85 then tested what the interviews found. I phoned every one of the 85 myself when emails didn’t get answers.
Why it matters to you as an owner: it’s your career too. No salary, nobody to fall back on, and the business only pays when customers stay. The core idea is psychological capital: the hope, self-belief, resilience and optimism that keep you going when the business is hard. The thesis treats it as something you can develop, not a fixed trait.
It’s why my coaching is evidence, not opinion. I don’t take a framework on trust because it’s in a book; I want to see the evidence behind it.
More revenue
People with more psychological capital had reached and kept a higher monthly revenue band.
Clients kept longer
They kept their clients for longer on average, and worried less about losing them.
A better life
They reported higher satisfaction with life, not just better numbers.
Engaged work wins clients
Of three routes tested, only engagement in the work carried it through to more clients. Projecting hope at clients had a negative effect on revenue.
Source: Haydon, L. J. (2025). How UK Business Coaches Cope and Persist Towards Higher Levels of Objective and Subjective Success in Boundaryless Careers. Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Aston University. doi.org/10.48780/publications.aston.ac.uk.00048796
The thesis · DOI 10.48780/publications.aston.ac.uk.00048796
How UK Business Coaches Cope and Persist Towards Higher Levels of Objective and Subjective Success in Boundaryless Careers
- Awarded
- Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Aston University, March 2025
- School
- Aston Business School, Work and Organisational Psychology (Leadership and Management research unit)
- Supervisors
- Dr Claudia Sacramento and Dr Dulini Fernando
- Method
- 15 in-depth interviews, then a survey of 85 (42.5% of the 200 invited)
- Keywords
- Boundaryless careers · Business coaching · Psychological capital · Cope and persist
The findings in plain English · Read the full thesis (PDF, Aston)
Credentials
Business coach credentials: examined and recognised outside any coaching organisation.
Doctorate · 2025
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Aston Business School, Aston University. Examined by the university, not by a coaching organisation.
Fellowship
Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
The UK’s professional recognition for teaching and supporting learning in universities.
Membership
Member of the Association of MBAs (AMBA)
The international body for business school graduates and accredited business education.
On the BBC
Live on BBC Midlands Today, and on BBC Radio WM and BBC News.
- BBC News online · 10 November 2026 · Poundland crisis “could see all businesses suffer”
- AOL (BBC News) · 10 November 2026 · The same BBC article, republished on AOL UK
- BBC Midlands Today (live) · 9 November 2026 · What happens to staff, suppliers and local businesses when a big retailer goes into administration
- BBC Radio WM (live) · 6 November 2026 · What 12,000 people looking for work means for the small businesses expected to hire them
- BBC Radio WM · 27 October 2026 · The Autumn Budget
Client results
What really matters: what owners say happened to their business.
Awards and letters after a name tell you someone is credible. Results tell you what working together does. These are owners’ own words, from their Google reviews.
Read every review£200K to £1M+ in revenue, and one business to four.
Matthew Weston, owner, Vantage 365 GroupOur best month ever, on the back of last month being our best month ever.
Darren Legg, owner, Enhance Mobility GroupHe asks the questions you’ve been avoiding.
James Merrix, owner, Appoly GroupIn a space full of big promises, his straightforward, practical approach stands out.
David Khan, Managing Director, OMS
Before you choose a coach
How to check a business coach’s awards and credentials
Ask who gave the award and what they gain from it. Many coaching organisations run their own awards, judged inside the organisation. My three coaching awards were, and I won them against the best coaches in that system.
Credentials nobody can award themselves carry more weight: a doctorate examined by a university, recognition from a professional body, an editor choosing you for the BBC, an industry body judging a business you own. And the strongest evidence of all is what clients say happened to their business, in their own words.
- Who gave it, and do they gain from it? An award from the coach’s own organisation is promotion as well as recognition.
- Was it judged outside the coach’s organisation? A university, a professional body, a newsroom or an industry body has nothing to sell you.
- Does the coach own a business today? Advice from someone who meets payroll this month is different from advice from a manual.
- Can you read what clients say happened? Results in owners’ own words, on a platform the coach doesn’t control, such as Google reviews.
FAQs
Questions about my awards and doctorate
Who named Dr Lewis Haydon UK Business Coach of the Year?
ActionCOACH UK named Dr Lewis Haydon UK Business Coach of the Year in 2023. ActionCOACH is the coaching franchise he coached in before going independent. He also won UK Best Client Ratings in 2022 and Midlands Best Client Results in 2021.
Is Dr Lewis Haydon still part of a coaching franchise?
No. He is an independent business coach and mentor, based in Birmingham, UK, who ACTUALLY owns and invests in businesses. There is no franchise system or one-size-fits-all model behind his coaching: the plan is built from your own numbers.
What is Dr Lewis Haydon’s doctorate in?
A Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from Aston Business School, Aston University (Work and Organisational Psychology), awarded in March 2025. It studied boundaryless careers: what keeps people who work for themselves going towards success, in money and in life. Business coaches in UK advisory practices, most of them practice owners, were the setting. The 15 in-depth interviews also covered how they get clients to results, and a survey of 85 tested the findings. The thesis is “How UK Business Coaches Cope and Persist Towards Higher Levels of Objective and Subjective Success in Boundaryless Careers”.
What credentials does Dr Lewis Haydon have?
A Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from Aston University, Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) and a member of the Association of MBAs (AMBA). His coaching awards are UK Business Coach of the Year (2023), UK Best Client Ratings (2022) and Midlands Best Client Results (2021).
How can I check a business coach’s awards?
Ask who gave the award and whether they gain from it. Awards run by a coach’s own organisation are judged inside that organisation. Credentials examined or judged independently, such as a university degree, a professional body or an industry award for a business the coach owns, carry more weight, and so do results in clients’ own words on a platform the coach doesn’t control.
What did the doctorate find?
That psychological capital (the hope, self-belief, resilience and optimism that keep people going) was related to a higher revenue band, longer client retention, less worry about losing clients and greater satisfaction with life. Engagement in the work was the route through which it brought in more clients.
Has Dr Lewis Haydon been on the BBC?
Yes: BBC News online on 10 November 2026; AOL (BBC News) on 10 November 2026; BBC Midlands Today (live) on 9 November 2026; BBC Radio WM (live) on 6 November 2026; BBC Radio WM on 27 October 2026. The full list is on the press page.
How much does it cost to work with an award-winning business coach?
Business mentoring with Dr Lewis Haydon starts from £800 a month plus VAT, and every price is on the pricing page. The first conversation is a 30-minute virtual coffee.
What it means for your business
What would your business look like with an award-winning coach who owns businesses in your corner?
The awards were for clients’ results. The doctorate is why I trust evidence over opinion. Owning businesses is why I know what it costs when a plan doesn’t work. Bring the one question you most want answered to a virtual coffee, and leave knowing your next step.
Next step
Ready for a business that pays off for you, and grows without you?
Bring your biggest question about scaling the business to a 30-minute virtual coffee, and leave with a straight answer.
Not sure I’m the right fit? Compare me with other coaches and mentors, honestly, including where others are the better choice. Want something built around your business? Request a tailored quote and I’ll call you to go through it.