If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or founder wrestling with the promise of a “business that runs without you,” this episode is essential listening.

Lewis Haydon, owner of eight businesses (with nine and ten in motion) busts the myth from the trenches. Yes, you can systemise. Yes, you can hire. But once people enter the mix; employees, customers, partners, you’re dealing with variables you cannot fully systemise drive, accountability, decision-making speed, resilience, emotional regulation, and the contagious effect of leadership energy.

This is not theory. Lewis breaks down what actually happens when you step back, why some businesses flatline without founder leadership, and how to build an organisation that can operate without you day-to-day while still requiring your leadership to grow. You’ll learn how to use leverage (people + systems) without abdicating leadership, how to spot and fix the real constraint in your company, and how to create a culture that doesn’t collapse when the next wave hits.

Whether you’re aiming for optionality, preparing for an exit, or just tired of guru promises, this episode gives you the unvarnished playbook for building a business that works, without confusing “self-operating” with “self-growing.”

Takeaways:

• A business can operate without you; it rarely grows without your leadership.

• Systems track actions; they don’t create ownership or drive, leaders do.

• People are variables: drive, accountability, decision-making speed, resilience, and emotional contagion can’t be fully systemised.

• Leverage = people + systems; abdication = stagnation. Don’t confuse stepping back from tasks with stepping out of leadership.

• Seasonality and waves are real, when markets shift, leadership must set pace, standards, and direction.

• Focus on the next constraint (Theory of Constraints) to unlock cash flow before adding complexity.

• Operational roles can be delegated; growth engines (vision, strategy, market moves, key sales) need active leadership.

• If you want an eventual exit, build operations that don’t depend on you, but expect buyers to install leaders to replace your growth role.

• Culture isn’t a poster; it’s behaviour under pressure. Emotional regulation at the top sets the tone across the org.

• Final hard truth: step up, don’t step off.

Chapters:

00:00 – Can a business actually run without you?

00:02 – Credibility check: 8 businesses (9 and 10 incoming) & the real question behind “passive” companies

08:00 – Leverage: turning 24 hours into 48 via people and systems; the ecosystem effect

12:00 – Operate vs grow; why self-operating often becomes self-stagnating

18:04 – Why we share this free (and why sharing helps the mission)

18:50 – Myth summary + client stories: boredom, drift, and the cost of stepping off

24:00 – Variables you can’t systemise drive, accountability, decisions, resilience, emotional contagion

30:00 – Leadership vs absence: speed, judgment, and culture under pressure

35:00 – Practical playbook: find the constraint, fix it, then scale systems and hires

38:00 – Final hard truth: step up, don’t step off

Keywords:

business that runs without me, self-operating business, scaling a company, founder leadership, accountability in teams, systems and processes, business leverage, emotional contagion leadership, resilience at work, decision-making speed, Theory of Constraints, preparing a business for exit, culture under pressure, scaling without burnout, entrepreneur mindset, small business growth, UK entrepreneurs, managing directors, CEO leadership

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lewishaydon.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or founder stuck inside daily operations, this episode is essential listening.

Lewis Haydon lays out a simple, practical system to pull you out of the weeds and put you back in the CEO seat. No fluff, just the exact steps to stop being the bottleneck, install accountability, and create leverage so the business runs without you. You’ll learn how to identify real constraints, set role scorecards, replace yourself in meetings, build decision filters your team can use without you, and protect CEO time for strategy and growth.

This is from the trenches guidance for operators who want freedom without letting performance drop.

Takeaways:

• Map your weekly bottlenecks, if it repeats, it gets delegated or systemised.

• Install a role scorecard (3–5 KPIs per seat) so green stays off your desk; red comes with an owner and a fix.

• Replace yourself in meetings, leaders run them; you get concise summaries and make high leverage moves.

• Create a decision filter (2–3 principles) so 80% of decisions happen without you.

• Protect CEO time, two half-days a week on strategy, systems, hiring, and growth (not inbox firefighting).

• Think context over content, solve today’s constraint, not someone else’s playbook.

• Your job title is Chief Energy Officer; pump energy, don’t be the doing department.

Chapters:

00:02 – Why you’re stuck in operations (and what to do instead)

04:30 – Recognising you’re the bottleneck: hard questions that force clarity

08:30 – Context over content: tailor tactics to your constraints

12:30 – Constraints, cashflow, and leverage: digging new “rivers”

15:43 – The System (Step-by-Step)

16:00 – Step 1: Map weekly bottlenecks

18:00 – Step 2: Install a simple scorecard (3–5 KPIs per role)

20:30 – Step 3: Replace yourself in meetings; promote managers to lead

23:00 – Step 4: Build a decision filter aligned to vision/values

25:00 – Step 5: Protect CEO time for strategy, systems, and growth

28:30 – Final mindset: from doing to directing; dividends over day-rate

Keywords:

get out of daily operations, founder bottleneck, role scorecards, KPIs for small business, leverage for entrepreneurs, decision filter, replace yourself in meetings, protect CEO time, scaling operations, building A-player teams, leadership rhythm, operations system, context over content, business constraints, chief energy officer

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lewishaydon.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or founder wrestling with guilt about “switching off” or chasing some perfect work-life split, this episode is essential listening.

Lewis Haydon rips apart the myth of work-life balance and lays out a healthier, higher-performance alternative: integration. This isn’t hustle porn or fluffy LinkedIn advice. It’s a from the trenches breakdown of how real operators think, work, involve their families, and build cultures that win without apologising for being switched on.

Lewis challenges the guru narrative head-on: the most successful people don’t switch off, they manage presence, choose purpose, and move with speed. He shows why bringing your family into the mission (instead of “protecting” them from it) teaches authentic work ethic, ownership, and pride. And he draws a clear line between course selling influencers and entrepreneurs actually building and scaling companies.

Takeaways:

• Stop chasing “balance” design integration. You’re one person; work and life aren’t separate buckets.

• It’s not only okay to think and talk business around family get them involved. That’s authentic education.

• The danger isn’t work; it’s not being present. You can ignore your kids just as easily with Netflix as with email.

• Culture > slogans. A-players, speed, and five-star customer experiences beat feel good “balance” posts every time.

• Replace “work” with purpose. Purpose led people don’t retire from meaning.

• Be careful who you take advice from operators over gurus. Look for people doing the thing, not selling it.

Chapters:

00:01 – Work-Life Balance Is a Lie: why the narrative creates guilt for founders

06:00 – Family Integration: involve your kids, model real work, build pride

12:00 – Culture, Customer Experience & Speed: why A-players win

19:45 – Mid-Episode Note: why sharing the show matters for the mission

20:31 – Elite Mindset vs Guru Advice: presence, purpose, and practical standards

28:00 – What To Do Instead: four ways to replace “balance” with integration

35:00 – Final Word: stop apologising for being switched on

Keywords:

work-life balance myth, founder burnout, family business integration, presence over productivity, A-player culture, customer experience, speed of execution, purpose-driven business, entrepreneur mindset, scaling a business, leadership for founders, ownership culture, real-world entrepreneurship, operator's vs gurus, integration does not balance

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lewishaydon.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠

If you're a business owner, entrepreneur, or founder who thinks “holidays are slow” and sales will magically return on their own, this episode is essential listening.

Lewis Haydon, trusted business coach and mentor to growth-focused founders, breaks down why September is the real accelerator pedal and how to turn the post-holiday “hangover” into your biggest revenue surge of the year. This is not about waiting for the market; it’s about taking control with disciplined marketing, aggressive follow-up, and a team that’s trained and ready to ride the wave.

You’ll learn the seasonal buying psychology that makes back-to-school a prime window, the exact outbound and reactivation plays to deploy, and how to build agility into your SME so you never miss another demand spike. Whether you’re a solo founder or leading a small team, this is a field guide to ramping hard now.

Takeaways:

• September is a “fresh start” trigger, buyers recommit, and budgets get reallocated before year end.

• Ramp every channel: outbound, reactivation, and multi-platform content, don't coast and “wait for Q4.”

• Train the team before the wave hits: skilled reps multiply results; untrained reps cap your upside.

• Build organizational agility: roles are 80% core, 20% flex so you can shift into sales at peak moments.

• Reactivate old leads with a “finish the year strong” campaign and tighten sales scripts with call reviews.

Chapters:

00:01 – The Myth of Slow Holidays: Why September Is Actually Go Time

04:12 – The Energy Shift: Families, Buyers, and Business Owners Reset

08:20 – Riding the Wave: Why Agility and Team Flex Matter for SMEs

13:05 – Seasonal Buying Psychology: Fresh Starts and Budget Reallocation

18:40 – Tactical Plays to Deploy Now: Lead Reactivation, Multi-Channel Push, and Urgency

25:15 – Training Before the Wave Hits: Sales Scripts, Call Reviews, and Team Readiness

31:50 – The Pain of Coasting: Why Waiting Until Q4 Will Cost You Growth

36:45 – Final Hard Truth: Grab Momentum Now or Spend Four Months Catching Up

Keywords:

back-to-school marketing strategy, September sales surge, post-holiday sales, seasonal buying psychology, Q4 planning, SME agility, outbound sales, lead reactivation campaign, sales training, multi-channel marketing, LinkedIn outreach, TikTok marketing, Instagram content, budget reallocation, founder sales playbook, business growth, scaling from operator to CEO

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lewishaydon.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠

If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or founder who constantly feels busy but never truly productive, this episode is a must listen.

Lewis Haydon, trusted business coach and mentor to growth focused founders, unpacks the famous book Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy but through the lens of entrepreneurship. This isn’t about time management hacks or adding more to your already overloaded to-do list. It’s about executing your one daily power move that pushes your business forward and actually moves the needle.

Lewis introduces the concept of GSD Get Sh*t Done, showing why entrepreneurs don’t have productivity problems, they have priority problems. You’ll learn how to identify your “frog,” why it almost always ties back to revenue or leverage, and how to build the discipline and structure to win the day, every day.

This raw, no-fluff episode challenges the myth of working 70-hour weeks on the wrong stuff and instead gives you the framework to do less but achieve more.

Takeaways:

• The real meaning of Eat That Frog and why it’s different for entrepreneur.

• How to identify and execute your one daily power move.

• Why most entrepreneurs confuse being busy with being productive.

• How to build a power circle that fuels accountability and action.

• The hard truth: most entrepreneurs are busy but broke, success comes from leverage, not hours.

Chapters:

00:00 – Why entrepreneurs don’t have productivity problems

04:15 – The false badge of busyness: 70 hours of the wrong stuff

09:33 – The “power move” concept and why it beats a to-do list

14:50 – Daily execution: why waiting until Friday kills momentum

21:09 – Stop chasing hacks: GSD and leverage for real results

28:44 – Eat That Frog explained: the task that moves the needle

37:00 – Power moves, power circles, and scaling faster

44:55 – How to structure your day to protect your frog

53:10 – The truth: most entrepreneurs are busy but broke

Keywords (SEO):

entrepreneur productivity, eat that frog explained, business owner focus, daily power move, GSD get shit done, entrepreneurial priorities, how to scale a business, stop being busy start being effective, CEO productivity hacks, winning the day entrepreneurs

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠lewishaydon.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠

If you're a business owner, entrepreneur, or founder frustrated that your marketing is working but your sales aren’t closing, this episode is for you.

Lewis Haydon, a trusted business coach and mentor to growth focused founders, exposes the hidden truths behind why most conversion rates stall. This isn’t about adding more leads, gimmicky scripts, or high-pressure closes. It’s about fixing the real leaks in your sales process so that every lead counts.

In this raw, no fluff episode, Lewis breaks down the sales psychology behind why prospects say, “I’ll think about it,” why founders waste thousands chasing new leads instead of fixing their pipeline, and the exact shifts you need to make to multiply your sales without more marketing spend.

You’ll learn the conversion rate secrets no one talks about from framing and positioning, to mastering discovery, to controlling the close without pressure. Whether you’re running calls yourself or leading a sales team, this episode is a blueprint for turning more conversations into cash flow.

Takeaways:

• Why chasing more leads is killing your business (and how to fix it)

• How to pre-frame and position every sales conversation for higher conversions.

• The one discovery mistake that keeps founders stuck at 10–15% close rates.

• How to stop hearing “I’ll think about it” and lead prospects to clear decisions.

• Why conversion isn’t about scripts, it’s about control, trust, and clarity.

Chapters:

00:00 – Why More Leads Won’t Fix Your Sales Problem

05:30 – The Real Reason Prospects Say “I’ll Think About It”

15:00 – The Pain vs. Vision Drivers Behind Every Sale

22:45 – The Silent Killers of Conversion Rates

30:00 – The 3 Secrets That Actually Increase Conversion

40:15 – Final Takeaway: Control Over Closing

Keywords:

conversion rate, sales conversion, how to increase sales conversion, sales psychology, handling objections, sales close rate, business growth, lead conversion, sales coaching, sales process for founders, improve conversion rate

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠lewishaydon.com⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn

If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or founder feeling stuck, second-guessing yourself, or hesitating to grow this episode is essential listening.

In this brutally honest episode, Dr. Lewis Haydon reveals how the beliefs you hold especially the ones you’ve picked up from people who’ve never built anything are quietly sabotaging your business. From throwaway comments at family barbecues to the “jokes” you make about yourself, every word becomes a command to your brain. And it’s costing you.

This episode isn’t mindset fluff. It’s real, from-the-trenches strategy for rewiring how you think, speak, and lead so you can scale without self-sabotage.

You’ll learn:

- How offhand comments from others create mental ceilings.

- Why advice from “non-players” is silently eroding your confidence.

- The difference between personality traits and excuses—and how to stop hiding behind them.

- How language shapes execution, leadership, hiring, and growth.

- Why “I’m not a salesperson” is one of the most dangerous beliefs in business.

Whether it’s hiring, sales, confidence, or strategy, you’ll leave this episode knowing exactly what beliefs to cut, what words to stop saying, and how to speak like a CEO who’s actually going somewhere.

Takeaways:

• Words build or destroy confidence use them like a leader.

• “I’m shy,” “I’m bad at sales,” “I can’t manage people”, they’re not truths, they’re borrowed limits.

• Advice from someone who hasn’t done what you’re building is often protection, not perspective.

• Win-win or no deal: reframe every business conversation with clarity and confidence.

Chapters:

00:00 – Be Careful of the Shit You Tell Yourself

05:15 – The BBQ Comment That Planted a Seed

12:45 – Childhood Labels That Become Adult Limits

19:11 – Are You Taking Advice From People Who’ve Never Built Anything?

27:33 – Why Most People Hate Sales (And How It’s Holding You Back)

35:49 – Rewiring Your Internal Language

43:00 – Why Win-Win or No Deal Works Everywhere

48:30 – Final Hard Truth: Speak Like Someone Who’s Going Somewhere

Keywords:

entrepreneur mindset, limiting beliefs, self-talk in business, business leadership, startup growth, how to lead better, overcoming fear in business, rewiring beliefs, sales confidence, founder psychology, personal growth for business owners, team leadership, mindset for scaling

Find out more at ⁠⁠lewishaydon.com⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠LinkedIn

If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or founder staring at a dry pipeline and wondering how to win more customers fast, this episode is essential listening.

Dr. Lewis Haydon, business coach and mentor to growth-focused founders, breaks down the exact steps to take when you need customers right now. This is not about gimmicks, discounts, or burning cash on ads that don’t convert, it’s about practical, proven strategies that work whether you’re just starting out or scaling into the multi-millions.

Lewis shares the hard truths about why most businesses struggle with “customer problems” (hint: it’s actually a pipeline problem), and how to quickly activate low-hanging fruit while building a long-term growth engine so you never end up scrambling again.

You’ll discover how to re-engage past customers, generate referrals, form fast-win partnerships, and use direct outreach without coming across desperate or salesy. And more importantly, you’ll learn how to build a consistent system, so you don’t end every month in survival mode.

Key Takeaways:

• Why you don’t have a customer problem, you have a pipeline problem.

• How to re-engage past customers and referrals for fast wins.

• The short-term levers that bring in cash flow quickly.

• How to borrow trust with partnerships to land more clients.

• Why long-term lead generation engines separate CEOs from operators.

• The hard truth: if this keeps happening, it’s not a sales issue, it’s a CEO problem.

  
  

  Chapters:

00:00 – Why desperation kills sales

05:32 – The real problem: pipeline vs. customers

12:10 – How to re-engage past clients & referrals

19:58 – Short-term levers for fast customer wins

30:45 – Building the long-term growth engine

41:22 – The hard truth: this isn’t a sales problem, it’s a CEO problem

Keywords:

how to get more customers fast, how to find new clients, business growth strategies, pipeline building for entrepreneurs, sales growth for SMEs, scaling your business, lead generation for business owners, customer acquisition strategy, SME sales tips, founder to CEO growth

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Find out more at ⁠lewishaydon.com⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn