Speaking
Business speaker for owner audiences, who ACTUALLY owns businesses.
Your audience hears from someone in the same seat as them: I own and run businesses, I’ve coached owners of 100+ more since 2012, and my doctorate studied how people in business cope and persist under pressure. No hype. Stories, evidence, and something to do on Monday morning.
Talks for business owners
Each talk is built from businesses I own, owners I coach and the evidence behind both, not from a textbook.
Why owners are paid last, and how to change it
Turnover goes up, the wage bill goes up, the tax bill goes up, and the owner’s own pay is what gives. This talk is about the order money leaves a business, and how owners put themselves back in the queue.
Owners leave knowing what their business actually pays them, and the first change to make.
A business that grows without you
If everything still runs through the owner, the business has a ceiling and the owner is it. Structure, people and the numbers that let an owner stop being the bottleneck, from businesses I own and owners I coach.
Owners leave with the one decision only they should still be making, and a plan for the rest.
Cope and persist: what my doctorate found about people in business under pressure
My doctorate looked at how people running their own business cope and persist under pressure, and why some keep winning clients when others stall. Uncertainty does damage before anything goes wrong; honesty and a plan are what help.
Audiences leave with a practical way to handle uncertainty, for themselves and their teams.
I’ve been the supplier who wasn’t paid
Customers have gone into administration owing my businesses tens of thousands for work already delivered. What that taught me about cash flow, concentration risk and not letting one customer become the whole business.
Owners leave knowing what any one customer owes them, and what to do about it this week.
Where I’ve spoken
- BBC Midlands Today, live in the studio, November 2026: what Poundland means for staff and suppliers. What I said
- BBC Radio WM, October 2026: what the wait for the Budget cost business owners. What I said
- NatWest Boost: speaking to business owners.
- Investor panel at a Dragons’ Den-style pitch event, STEAMhouse, Birmingham, 2026.
Entrepreneur keynote speaker, panels and workshops
- Keynote, 20 to 45 minutes, for conferences, members’ networks and owner events.
- Panels and fireside conversations, where the audience gets an owner’s honest view.
- Workshops for owners and leadership teams: your numbers, your constraint, your next step.
- Investor panels at pitch events and competitions.
In person anywhere in the UK, or online.
Why book a business speaker who owns businesses?
Owners can tell within a minute whether the speaker has ever signed a payroll. I do, every month, in businesses I own. That’s why audiences listen: the advice has been tested on my own money first.
- UK Business Coach of the Year, with a Doctor of Business Administration from Aston University.
- Owners of 100+ businesses coached since 2012.
- Seen live on BBC Midlands Today and heard on BBC Radio WM.
- Host of the Mentor Business Podcast, so I know how to keep a room, or a microphone, interesting.
A motivational business speaker, without the hype
Motivation that lasts comes from a plan the owner believes in, not from a speaker shouting. My talks end with one thing to do this week, so the energy in the room turns into a decision in the business.
FAQs: booking Dr Lewis Haydon as a speaker
How much does it cost to book Dr Lewis Haydon as a speaker?
It depends on the format, the length and where the event is. Tell me the date, the audience and what you want them to leave with, using the form on this page, and you’ll get a straight answer.
Does he speak outside Birmingham?
Yes, anywhere in the UK in person, and online for audiences further away. I’m based in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham.
What formats does he do?
Keynotes, panels, workshops for owners and leadership teams, investor panels at pitch events, and fireside conversations.
Is he a motivational speaker?
Not the hype kind. Audiences get stories from businesses I own and evidence from my doctorate, and leave with something to do on Monday morning. If that motivates them, good.
Can the talk be tailored to our audience?
Yes. Every talk is built around who’s in the room: owners, managers, a sector, or a members’ network. We agree what they should leave with before I write a word.
Has he spoken on TV or radio?
Yes: live on BBC Midlands Today and on BBC Radio WM, talking about what the news means for business owners. See the press page.
Book me to speak
Tell me the date, the audience and what you want them to leave with. It comes straight to Lucy, my PR, and me. For press and TV, see the press page; for podcasts, the podcast guest page.
Next step
Own a business yourself?
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.