Straight-Talking Coaching From a Real Operator

40+ years running businesses, plus board-level experience - practical, commercially grounded coaching, not generic leadership theory

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Transform your future with business coaching

Gain control of your business

You deserve to have full control to make your own choices and set your own priorities. Get your business working for you, not the other way around.

Boost financial results

Invest your time in only the highest-value activities that drive your business forwards, increasing your financial rewards.

Improve your quality of life

Whether it's the school run or travelling, free yourself from the burden of running your business so you can focus on what matters.

BUILT BY EXPERIENCE

Ready to make sharper decisions and lead with more control?

James works with owners who want sharper decisions, less firefighting, and a team that runs well without them chasing every detail.

That comes from 40+ years actually building, running and advising businesses — real operator experience, not theory.

Practical, commercial, straight-talking.

WHAT CHANGES

Less time firefighting. More time leading.

Clients see fewer decisions bouncing back up the chain, meetings that end with clear action rather than more discussion, and teams that solve problems instead of escalating them.

Over time, that adds up to a business that runs with less friction and a leader with more room to think.

LEAD WITH CLARITY

The best version of your leadership is closer than

Picture a business where decisions land the first time.

Where your team solves problems instead of escalating them.

Where you lead with total clarity instead of carrying every call alone.

I've been where you are and I know how far the right thinking partner can take you.

Let's find out what your leadership looks like at its best.

Call James Akin-Smith Book a Discovery Call

How you will achieve this

Start your coaching journey, gain control of your business and enjoy the life you dreamt of when you started your business.

Eliminate the chaos and build the foundation for your growth.

Create stability through profitable revenue growth.

Develop powerful systems to create more, with less.

Recruit, onboard, train and retain a high-performance team.

Build a well-oiled machine delivering for you and your customers.

You choose the next path on your entrepreneurial journey.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

The shift from firefighting to leading doesn't happen by accident - it happens through a clear, structured process

You don't need another idea about leadership...you need a different way of working.

One where decisions get made faster, problems get solved at the right level, and you're not the only person carrying the weight.

That shift doesn't happen by accident.

It happens through the right coaching relationship, built deliberately over time.

Speak with James Connect on LinkedIn

Explore Programmes

Different challenges call for different support - here's where to begin

Some CEOs need an ongoing partner for the big decisions. Others need a single session of real clarity before a major call.

Below are the ways to work with James - choose the one that matches where you are right now, or speak to him directly if you're not sure which fits.

One-to-one Business Coaching

A premium business and personal growth programme. How fast do you want to grow?

Alignment Consultation

Get clarity on your business and personal goals and a 12-month plan of strategies to achieve them.

Executive Coaching

One-to-One coaching for professionals to advance your career and learn new skills.

OUR GUARANTEE

Transform your business with confidence

It's essential that you achieve real results for you and your business. That's why we back our coaching programmes with a money-back guarantee. As long as you follow the proven systems and complete all of the work and actions agreed upon in your sessions, our coaching programmes are guaranteed to deliver the transformative outcomes you deserve. Ask your coach for the full details.

Learning centre

Explore a wealth of invaluable business coaching resources, including articles, ebooks, and videos, to empower your entrepreneurial journey in our comprehensive Learning Centre.

Insights | Growth | Coaching

What Is a Business Growth Consultant and Do UK SMEs Actually Need One?

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Success Stories

Bury St Edmunds Estate Agents Secured a 29% Revenue Increase

Discover how Mark Ewin Estate Agents achieved a 29% revenue increase and 35% profit boost through strategic coaching and structured growth. Transform ...

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Business Mastery

18 Frequently Asked Questions About Business Coaching

The most frequently asked questions around business coaching and how to implement the ActionCOACH systems into your business.

Download

Don't take it from us

Business coaching can make your dreams possible...

You should definitely hire a business coach, if only for the fact that you have a mentor to bounce ideas off, a clear plan in place, and someone to hold you accountable. In our first year, we increased our business by 35%. It goes to show that the work you put in is worth it. I now have the flexibility to work from home and, most importantly, have the choice to be at home with my family.

David Rosskelly, Business Owner, Tru Office

When I started, it was just me and a single employee. Within 12 months, my net profit had tripled. Since then, we’ve grown to a team of 12 and gone on to acquire additional companies. It’s a completely different business, and it’s transformed our family life too. None of this would have been possible without ActionCOACH UK.

Louise Seagar, Business Owner, The Inspiration Agency

Finding the right coach has been transformational, and I highly recommend it. I now genuinely feel like a CEO. I have people managing the operational, administrative and client sides of the business, so I’m no longer involved in the day-to-day. I’ve gone from working 80-hour weeks to 40-hour weeks. I’m working smarter, not harder.

Claria Melia, Business Owner, Equitory

There is no way we would have achieved what we have without the coaching and the learning we gained through ActionCOACH UK. It gave us the foundation to grow the business to £50M. We simply would not have been able to achieve that, or grow at the pace we have, without ActionCOACH UK.

Matt Morall, Business Owner, ABEC

As an architect, we’re not taught anything about business during our years of education. You’re left to figure it out as you go along. After 15 years in business, we realised we still didn’t really know what we were doing. ActionCOACH UK gave us the business knowledge and structure we’d been missing from day one. Since working with them, our turnover has increased by 100%, we have our weekends back, and we no longer have that constant pressure of worrying about getting to the end of the month.

Robert Gilmour, Business Owner, Gilmour Architect

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MEET JAMES

About James Akin-Smith

James spent 40+ years building, running and exiting businesses before he ever coached one. That's the difference he brings - he's carried payroll, made the calls nobody else could make, and knows what it costs to get them wrong.

Today he works with owners and leaders who want sharper decisions, less firefighting, and a team that runs well without them chasing every detail. He's direct, commercially minded, and won't waste your time telling you what you want to hear.

If you're carrying more than you should be, or making decisions without anyone to properly test them against, that's exactly where James comes in.

Why CEOs work with James

James has built, run and sold businesses himself, then spent years advising boards and CEOs, bringing real operator judgement to every session, not theory.

Book a discovery session Speak with James