Small business coach
Small business coach for owners doing all the work, paid last
Our 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 Group
You built it. You still sell it, run it and fix it, and when the money’s shared out, you’re paid last. I coach owners of established small businesses to change that: get paid properly, take the work off you, and grow sales without it all going through you. From someone who owns and runs businesses today, not someone who used to.
5.0· 23 Google reviewsFrom £800 a month plus VAT. Month to month, no fixed-term contract. Every price, with what to compare it to.
Not just one session a month: wrap-around support all month, my private number for when you need me, and the backing of the senior leaders in the businesses I own, who are living the skills your business needs, plus MentorBusiness.com. You’re not going it alone. A partner to call on, with entire organisations behind me to support you, so when times are tough you sleep easier knowing someone’s in your corner, and someone to celebrate with when you break through.
Most owners choose weekly mentoring, with training for their team included. Want something different? Request a tailored quote.
Book a virtual coffeeWhatsAppFor owners of established small businesses from about £250k turnover. Not for start-ups.
The short answer
What does a small business coach do?
A small business coach helps the owner run the business, rather than be run by it: what the business pays you, where your week goes, who does the work you shouldn’t, and where the next sales come from. Then they hold you to what you said you’d do. Most owners already know a lot of what they should be doing. As I put it on the podcast: “Knowing you should do it and actually doing it is the point.”
Gets you paid first, not last
“They pay themselves last. It sounds noble, but it’s a growth killer.” We work backwards from what the business should pay you: a salary for stability, dividends as the reward, and money kept back to reinvest. Then we look at what needs to be true in the numbers to get there. Because “the business owner can only pay from the profit.”
Takes the work off you
“If you’re working 50, 60 hours in your business, you don’t own a business, you own a job.” We find the work only you should be doing, build the systems for the rest, and then the people to run them. “Stop thinking operator and start thinking architect.”
Grows your sales and marketing
Sales and marketing are my strongest suit: I win my own clients, run the marketing in businesses I own, and own shares in a sales and marketing lead generation business. More on sales coaching and marketing coaching.
Holds you to it
The plan is the easy part. The coaching is what happens in the weeks after it.
What you get · small business coaching
- Paid first, not last: what the business should pay you, and the plan to get there.
- The work only you should do, and the systems and people for the rest.
- Sales and marketing from someone who wins his own clients.
- Someone holding you to what you said you’d do, every session.
- Me, every time, not an employed coach.
Accountability
“You show me your diary each week and I’ll show you where you’ll be in six months.”
Accountability
An accountability coach for small business owners
Everyone knows how to lose weight: eat less, move more. So why do people pay for a personal trainer? Because knowing isn’t doing. Running a small business is the same. You know you should be working on the business, chasing the overdue invoices and having the conversation with the person who isn’t pulling their weight. An accountability coach makes sure it happens.
I start with your diary. “You show me your diary each week and I’ll show you where you’ll be in six months.” Then each session starts with what you said you’d do last time. If you haven’t done it, we find out why, because “the only thing that correlates to results is behaviour.” Try the free owner time audit to see where your week goes now.
Coach or mentor?
Small business coach or small business mentor?
A coach asks the questions that help you find your own answer. A mentor has done it, and tells you what worked. “A mentor is somebody who’s been there and can save you 10 years of your life.” I do both, because owners of small businesses usually need both: someone to make them think, and someone who has sat in their chair. There’s more on the difference between a business coach and a mentor.
Whoever you choose, check they’ve done it. “Only take directions from people who’ve been where you want to go.” I own and invest in businesses today, I’ve coached 100+ owners since 2012, and you get me in every session, not someone I employ.
Small business coaching results
What small business owners say
Mike FosterBusiness owner · Mike Foster FitnessLewis really helped me take my business to the next level, I was struggling to grow my business and my numbers were declining. With his help and guidance he has helped our business make an extra £5-10k a month in revenue to start with, and our social media following has helped us reach new people all over the world. If it wasn't for Lewis' help I think the business may have gone under, but since working with him the business has really flourished.
Darren LeggBusiness owner · Enhance Mobility GroupHaving 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.
James MerrixOwner, software agency · Appoly GroupI’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.
Fig. · What you’re left with
What changes when you stop being paid last.
- You know what the business pays you, and it’s going up.
- Your week has room for the things only you can do.
- The team handles the work that isn’t yours.
- You stop carrying the whole business in your head.
- The business grows without you doing everything.
Is it for you?
Which small businesses I coach
Established small businesses, usually from about £250k turnover, where the owner is doing too much of the work and getting too little of the reward. Owners come to me from very different sectors, and the problems are the same: the business runs through them, cash is tight even when sales are up, and the team waits for them to decide.
If you’re just starting out, one-to-one coaching isn’t the best use of your money yet. Start with MentorBusiness.com, the business mentoring platform I founded, and the free tools here. Come back when the business has outgrown you doing everything.
Price
How much does a small business coach cost?
Small business coaching with me is from £800 a month plus VAT, month to month, with no fixed-term contract. If you want to see where the business is stuck before you commit, start with a business gap analysis (£699 plus VAT); the fee comes off your first month if you carry on.
Not just one session a month: wrap-around support all month, my private number for when you need me, and the backing of the senior leaders in the businesses I own, who are living the skills your business needs, plus MentorBusiness.com. You’re not going it alone. A partner to call on, with entire organisations behind me to support you, so when times are tough you sleep easier knowing someone’s in your corner, and someone to celebrate with when you break through.
Most owners choose weekly mentoring, with training for their team included. Want something different? Request a tailored quote.
Is it worth it? Only if it changes a number you care about. We agree that number at the start: what the business pays you, the hours you work, or sales in the quarter. Read whether business coaching works, in owners’ own words.
The real cost
What is being paid last costing you?
Every month you stay the person who sells it, runs it and fixes it, the business stays the size of your week. The hours don’t come back, the dividends don’t come, and the family gets what’s left. “You haven’t been in business 30 years. You’ve been in business one year, 30 times.”
The owner who gets paid first runs a different business. The numbers say what it pays them, the team handles the work that isn’t theirs, and the week has room for the things only they can do, and for the life the business was meant to pay for.
First steps
First steps with me
- Write down what the business paid you last year, in salary and dividends, and the hours you worked for it.
- Take the free scorecard to see where the business is exposed, or the owner time audit to see where your week goes.
- Bring it to a virtual coffee, 30 minutes on Zoom, no charge, or WhatsApp me.
Questions
Small business coaching FAQs
How do I find a good small business coach?
Check three things before price. Do they own a business today, not one they sold years ago? Will they coach you themselves, or pass you to someone they employ? And can they show results from owners like you, in reviews you can check? The free choose a business coach questionnaire walks you through it.
Is there free business mentoring for small businesses?
Yes. GOV.UK lists free mentoring schemes, and local growth hubs run free support. If you’re just starting, those and MentorBusiness.com, the business mentoring platform I founded, are a better first step than paying for one-to-one coaching.
How often do we meet?
Monthly, fortnightly or weekly, depending on how fast you want to move. Monthly mentoring from £800 a month isn’t one session and silence: you get wrap-around support between sessions on WhatsApp, Teams and phone.
Do you need to know my industry?
No. Owners come to me from very different sectors, because the problems are the same: the business runs through you, you’re paid last, and sales are up and down. What matters is that you’re open to doing things differently.
Is there a minimum contract?
No. It runs month to month, with 30 days’ notice. If it isn’t moving the numbers we agreed, you can stop.
What is the difference between a small business coach and a consultant?
A consultant usually does a piece of work for you and leaves a report. A coach works with you, month after month, while you make the changes, and holds you to them. I’m a mentor as well: I’ll tell you what I’d do, because I’ve done it in my own businesses.
How I compare
See how I compare to coaches, coaching franchise companies, and consultants.
Sixteen things owners care about, scored green, amber or red, with the reason for every score, including where someone else is the better choice.
See the full comparisonNext 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.