Answers to the questions owners of established businesses ask, from a business mentor who owns businesses.https://lewishaydon.com/en-gbhttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/business-coach-vs-mentor/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/business-coach-vs-mentor/Business coach vs mentor: a coach helps you find your own answers, a mentor has done it and tells you what worked. Which an owner needs, and when.Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/best-business-coaches/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/best-business-coaches/The main types of business coaching and mentoring in the UK compared: what each costs, who it suits, what to ask and the red flags to watch for.Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/business-exit-planning/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/business-exit-planning/Business exit planning for owners: when to start, what buyers really pay for, the five things to fix first, and the exit routes compared, by an owner.Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-much-does-a-business-coach-cost-uk/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-much-does-a-business-coach-cost-uk/UK business coaching usually costs £250 to £3,000 a month. What each type of coach costs, what you get, and how to tell if it's worth it for your business.Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-split-testing/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-split-testing/What is split testing? How A/B testing works, what a small business should test first, how to run a split test, and how many people a valid test needs.Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-start-email-marketing/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-start-email-marketing/Email marketing for small business: why it isn't dead, how to build a list from people who know you, how emails win leads, and where to start this week.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-a-crm/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-a-crm/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.Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/high-performing-teams/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/high-performing-teams/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.Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/sales-vs-marketing-how-to-align-sales-and-marketing/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/sales-vs-marketing-how-to-align-sales-and-marketing/Andy Bounds and Peter Boolkah on sales and marketing alignment: why teams blame each other, what customers want, and how to fix the handover.Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-pay-yourself-as-a-business-owner/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-pay-yourself-as-a-business-owner/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.Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/fractional-cmo-for-business-growth/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/fractional-cmo-for-business-growth/What a fractional CMO does, when hiring one makes sense, how it compares with an agency or a full-time hire, and how to choose one in Birmingham or beyond.Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/customer-ladder-of-loyalty/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/customer-ladder-of-loyalty/The customer loyalty ladder explained: the seven stages from suspect to raving fan, why each rung matters for growth, and how to move customers up it.Fri, 16 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/business-swot-analysis/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/business-swot-analysis/How to do a SWOT analysis for a small business in six steps: what strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats mean, and how to turn them into a plan.Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/best-ai-tools-for-business/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/best-ai-tools-for-business/AI for business, sorted by job: the tools for content, productivity, marketing, sales and analytics, what each saves you, and how owners pick one.Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/write-a-business-plan/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/write-a-business-plan/How to write a business plan: the 10 parts every plan needs, from market analysis to financials, the six types of plan, and why owners need one to grow.Tue, 21 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-get-more-clients-without-paid-ads/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-get-more-clients-without-paid-ads/Business coach Peter Boolkah on how to get more customers without paid ads: find where they are, master one channel, hire well and invest in content.Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-pacesetting-leadership/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-pacesetting-leadership/Pacesetting leadership explained for owners: what it is, when setting the pace yourself works, why it burns teams out, and what to do instead as you grow.Tue, 15 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/best-leadership-qualities/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/best-leadership-qualities/The qualities of a good leader from an owner's side of the desk: the leadership traits that build a team, and a business, that can run without you.Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/time-management-tips/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/time-management-tips/Time management tips for business owners: audit your week, protect what matters first, delegate what others can do and stop being the emergency fixer.Tue, 25 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-increase-sales/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-increase-sales/How to increase sales: go back to existing customers, fix conversion before marketing, get referrals, protect your price and measure every stage.Tue, 18 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-servant-leadership/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-servant-leadership/Servant leadership for business owners: what it is, its principles, the pros and cons, and when serving your team builds a business that runs without you.Tue, 11 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-a-buyer-persona/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-a-buyer-persona/What is a buyer persona? A profile of your best customer: who decides, what problem they have and why they buy. How to build one from your own data.Tue, 18 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-create-a-sales-pitch/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-create-a-sales-pitch/How to write a sales pitch: start with the customer's 'after', ask before you present, show you've done it before, and agree a next step.Tue, 04 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/top-sales-closing-techniques/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/top-sales-closing-techniques/Sales closing techniques for owners: ask for the decision, surface concerns, agree next steps and protect lifetime value. Why 'always be closing' costs you.Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/sales-kpis-for-high-performing-sales-teams/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/sales-kpis-for-high-performing-sales-teams/Sales KPIs for business owners: start with the outcome, track the inputs that drive it, keep it to a handful of numbers, and review them every week.Mon, 13 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/secrets-to-mastering-cold-calling/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/secrets-to-mastering-cold-calling/Cold calling tips for B2B owners: call the right people, open with their problem, ask more than you pitch, and agree a next step. The old way is dead.Thu, 12 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-the-point-of-personal-branding/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/what-is-the-point-of-personal-branding/What is personal branding? For an owner, it's what people trust you for: your values, your proof and how you show up. Why it wins work and attracts people.Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-improve-sales-skills/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/how-to-improve-sales-skills/How to improve sales skills as a business owner: sell by solving, ask better questions, follow up, and build a sales process your team can run without you.Wed, 23 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/sales-funnel/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/sales-funnel/The six sales funnel stages, from awareness to repeat business, how a funnel differs from a pipeline, and how to find the stage that's costing you sales.Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/top-sales-podcasts-that-inspire-greatness/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/top-sales-podcasts-that-inspire-greatness/The best sales podcasts for business owners and sales teams in 2026: ten shows still publishing, who each one suits, and how to get value from them.Mon, 21 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://lewishaydon.com/blog/when-and-why-you-should-be-hiring/https://lewishaydon.com/blog/when-and-why-you-should-be-hiring/How to hire employees for a small business: five signs you're ready for a new hire, and the hiring process from defining the role to the interview.Mon, 12 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT