Business Coach London - Jake Smolarek - Jake sitting at the desk next to MacBook Pro and looking at the camera - Business Coach UK

Jake Smolarek

CEO Coach

As featured in „The Times, Business Insider & Yahoo”

27k+ hours spent coaching
18+ years of coaching experience
1600+ happy clients
177+ testimonials

as featured in

A CEO Coach Who Doesn’t Accept Excuses

History doesn’t remember life’s triers. In ten years, your subordinates won’t be waxing lyrical about how much effort you put in, or what a great guy you were; they’ll remember you for your business results. So, unless you’re delivering, you’re not succeeding. And it’s not just yourself you’re letting down—it’s your people, too. That’s why you need a CEO coach right now. And it’s why you arrived here.

I’m a CEO Coach Who Won’t Accept Anything Less Than Your Best

My name is Jake Smolarek, and my speciality is life and CEO coaching. But as you’ll find out when reading this text, I’m not like other executive coaches. For a start, I don’t accept excuses. Even if a failure wasn’t your fault, you’re accountable for it. If you have an issue with that, you will probably be drawing that substantial salary of yours!

My approach to executive coaching involves training you how to look within yourself for answers. Answers to why you’re unable to negotiate the obstacles between you and success. Answers to why your leadership skills aren’t delivering tangible results for the people who look to you for guidance. And answers to the age-old question: What was I put on the Earth to do?

My brand of CEO coaching leaves nowhere to hide. You’re paid for delivering results, so I expect you to deliver them during our one-on-one coaching sessions. Remember: I’m a life and business coach; not your Mother or a member of your workforce trying to impress you to secure a promotion. I’m here to squeeze every last bit of potential out of you.

So, if you need a kick up the a** and someone to tell you the home truths no one else will, you’ve come to the right place. Our journey together starts with free consultation, during which I’ll look for valuable insights into you, your aspirations, your strengths, and your weaknesses. And if you still wish to proceed, I’ll create a personal success program predicated on delivering results in every aspect of your life. Book that all-important consultation today.

Success Stories

Real Clients. Real Success. Real Results.
From feeling stuck professionally to landing a role far beyond what he expected. This is Egis’s story:

“Within the first couple of months of coaching, I achieved several incredible outcomes. I found an amazing, well-paid job, far beyond what I had expected, all with Jake’s support. I also entered a happy relationship, moved into the flat I had always dreamed of, started travelling the world, and gained a deeper understanding of myself. The journey has been truly transformative.” 

Egis — Business Change Manager at London’s Leading Law Firm

book your complimentary initial consultation session!

What Is CEO and Executive Coaching & How Executive Coaches Help?

You’ve obviously got some business and leadership skills, or you wouldn’t have been bestowed the title of CEO. The reason I use the term ‘title’ is because when you step into my London office, your title means nothing to me. I’ll judge you on your merits, and I’ll be brutally honest about why you’re not succeeding.

My role as an executive coach is to give you the guidance, insights, and focus you need to fulfil your potential. Obviously, we’ll concentrate on how to deliver the best possible business results, but we’ll also address your personal development and what you need to do to become a better leader.

CEO Coaching Methods that works

My method of CEO coaching begins by exploring what it is, ultimately, you want to achieve. Perhaps it’s to retire a millionaire. Maybe your goal is to become the most successful CEO in the history of your company. Once we’ve discovered your life’s vision, we’ll take a holistic approach to helping you achieve your version of success.

However, unlike many other CEO coaches, I will hold you accountable. We will never discuss excuses and reasons for your failures in my office. Why? Because you’re a CEO, and it’s your job to take responsibility for shortcomings in your company—wherever they lie.

Why Is CEO Coaching Important?

CEO coaching is only important if you know that you’re not delivering the results you know you’re capable of. But what results am I talking about? It might be that your company isn’t delivering, and you’re rightly taking the blame. Perhaps you’re looking for results in terms of your personal successes.

As your dedicated executive coach, it will be my job to help you fight your entrenched biases and self-doubt in an effort to paint a picture of what success means to you. Along the way, I’ll help you achieve a number of goals to ensure we gradually work towards a better, more successful you.

I won’t have all the answers, but that’s not why I’m here. Whether you need to increase your company’s annual revenue to learn how to attract top talent to your organisation, I’ll focus on addressing the obstacles that are stopping you from getting the job done. I’ll be your confidence coach. Book your free initial discovery meeting today to find out how I can help you.

My approach to executive coaching will focus on helping you do the following:

Become a Better Leader

Through my executive coaching sessions, you’ll learn how to adapt your leadership approach according to the needs and challenges of the people you’re leading. We’ll cover a range of issues, from your communication skills to how you interact with other executives on your level.

Become a Visionary Thinker

You can’t deliver consistently impressive results as a CEO if you don’t have a vision. I’ll help you navigate the blind spots and obstacles that are preventing you from thinking big. Changing the way I looked at myself and my vision for success was a game changer for me, so with my help, you’ll embrace change like I did and learn to dream big.

Make Personal Growth Your Vision

My form of executive coaching involves developing a growth mindset. In practice, this means embracing change instead of avoiding it. It involves always looking for ways to progress towards achieving your ultimate vision.

By its very nature, this process can be uncomfortable. But you’re part of an elite group of business professionals, so it’s your job to use change as a tool for success. With my proven framework for growth, I’ll show you how.

Make Better Decisions That Deliver Tangible Results

Top leaders are able to roll with the punches; they’re able to face down the most unimaginable pressure and setbacks and come out the other side with a plan.

It’s not enough to simply survive—you have to make the kind of decisions that will turn potentially disastrous situations into opportunities. Once you’re able to deftly navigate these momentous events, you’ll become stronger and more resilient than other CEOs.

What Does a CEO Coach Do?

My approach to executive coaching in London probably differs greatly from the approach favoured by other CEO and career change coaches.

In the most basic terms possible, the core of my job involves helping my clients improve their leadership qualities and their ability to pursue their goals and vision in life.

Effective coaches will always seek to develop a personalised strategy that involves the following goals:

  • Assess your strengths and weakness
  • Develop your ultimate vision of success
  • Set the goals required to take your company (or yourself) to the next level
  • Develop a long-term plan to maximise your potential as a CEO
  • Make unconditional accountability an intrinsic part of who you are

When you walk into my office or join a Zoom call, it will be just me and you. I’ll be direct and brutally honest. Let’s face it; neither of us will have time for anything less.

Why It’s Time to Hire an Executive Coach

Losing focus at crucial times? Struggling to deliver the consistent business results your company needs and expects? Some executives know exactly what they need. Others realise there’s something missing in terms of what they’ve achieved.

When there’s an obvious shortfall between your capabilities and your list of accomplishments, the obvious solution is to identify the mental obstacles that are preventing you from becoming the best version of yourself.

You may benefit from executive coaching if one or more of these scenarios applies to you:

  • You’re in a transitional phase of your CEO career
  • Your company isn’t delivering the results it once was
  • There are significant challenges within your business that require root-and-branch change
  • You’re not fulfilling your potential due to blind spots and leadership failures
  • You lack the vision required to take your company and your people forward
  • You’re in a speedy growth stage of your career
  • You require help to formulate a strategy for personal development

Test drive my executive coaching approach by booking an initial consultation session and find out if I can help you improve as a leader and an entrepreneur.

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My Approach to Executive Coaching

As I mentioned earlier, I’m an executive coach who doesn’t listen to excuses or reasons for failure. When you waste time thinking about who’s to blame, you’re missing the opportunity to work out how to succeed the next time around.

Everyone has their own set of unique challenges to overcome. But all too often, people pick the wrong times to fight. They don’t choose their battles, or they take on long-term goals they’re just not ready to deliver.

A Japanese proverb goes something like this:

“It’s better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.”

When you’re the brightest and most capable person in the room, you’ll be the master of all you survey. Another facet of my approach to business coaching involves making sure you’re always in the right room. If you can’t find that room, you may be in the wrong job! And if that’s the case, you can rely on me to tell you—no matter how much it bruises your ego.

Your unique situation is just a leg of your ultimate journey in life. To achieve your ultimate vision—whether that’s becoming the nation’s best-performing CEO or retiring at 50 with a billion pounds in the bank—you have to map out your journey in advance.

I recommend using my Vision GPS. It’s a system that’s focused on getting you where you need to be. And just like the GPS in your car, it will recalculate your route when you hit roadblocks or when the rules of the road change.

Start by defining your vision, which isn’t always an easy process. Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to set achievable goals (G) that you can target each day, week, or month. Think of these as markers on the road to success. And once you have your destination and markers set, you’ll need to create a plan (P) to get there. Which roads will you take?

The final part of my Vision GPS system is ‘S’ for systems. Whether you need time management coaching to make better use of your time or a series of checklists to ensure you’re on track to hit your goals, these are issues we can approach together.

My Clients Say

Before my coaching sessions with Jake, I was in a terrible position. My relationship was in a bad state, my feelings and sense of self-worth were very low, and I was barely able to stay emotionally stable. I hated my job and my whole life. However, since working with Jake, I’ve become much stronger; my self-belief has gone through the roof, and I know how valuable I am. I have found a company I love to work for, and my relationships with others are much more profound and exciting.

Tina Patel – Lawyer

When I began working with Mr Smolarek, the business was under considerable strain. Too many decisions were coming back to me, and several key roles were not working as they should. He helped me look at the organisation with much greater clarity. We made some difficult changes, strengthened the structure and put better people in the right positions. Within a quarter, margins had doubled.
UPDATE: I first worked with Mr Smolarek in 2020 and continued for over five years. He still visits our London headquarters periodically to offer an independent perspective.

Daniel Williams – Director & Co-owner

When I started coaching with Jake, I was in the darkest depths of my relationship, my business, and my entire life. I was a walking shadow, and I couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel… However, Jake helped me to turn everything around and put me on the right track. His coaching helped me to change how I can see the world. The impact it has had on my business and personal life is priceless. His business ideas are so easy to implement and at the same time very powerful!

Ben C. – Business owner (Surname withheld for privacy)

Jake’s work as a business coach has had a tremendous impact on both my business and my life. Working with him helped me focus on my vision, goals and the actions that actually mattered. In just a few months, I made more progress than I had in the previous five years. I became much clearer about what I wanted and far more decisive about what needed to happen next.

Neil Coker – Founder and CEO

The only thing I can say is a huge thank you, Jake! I already had the right tools in place to create a good income, but Jake added a few missing pieces to my plan and helped me grow my coaching business much faster. In just a few weeks, he helped me see what I was missing, make better decisions, and improve how I was positioning and developing the business. It wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it.

Denise Green – Peak Performance Coach

Jake helped me change my life when I felt lost. I decided to work with him because I wanted to change my career path. With his genuine personality and sense of humour, I instantly connected with him. He helped me find my new way, and I am now doing what I always wanted to do, but wasn’t brave enough to try. Jake believed in me when I doubted every action and feeling I had. He pushed me to my limits, so I had to break them, and to my surprise, I did.

Tom Bayliss – Writer and editor

Working with Jake changed the way I thought about my business and the decisions I was making. Even after the first few sessions, I could see things more clearly and approach problems differently. He helped me improve my sales and communication, challenged some of the assumptions that were holding me back and pointed out opportunities I had not considered. Over time, I became more productive, made better decisions and had more freedom in how I ran the business.

Phillip Larsen – CEO

I had a good job and was earning well, but I wanted to build something of my own. I found Jake online, booked an initial consultation and told him I had no idea what that business should be. Through our conversations, I became interested in online advertising. Jake encouraged me to take it seriously and helped me turn it into a business.
UPDATE 2026: Seven years later, I still run the agency full-time. I deliberately kept it small and specialised, working with freelancers and focusing mainly on advertising for cleaning businesses across London and other UK cities.

Magda Kowalczuk – Agency Owner

By the time I was introduced to Jake, I had already built a successful fashion business, but I was carrying too much of it myself. The company was growing, the pressure was increasing, and I had very few people around me who truly understood what it meant to run a business.
Jake helped me think more clearly, challenge my assumptions and make better decisions. Over time, the business became larger, more profitable and far less dependent on me.
UPDATE: I first worked with Jake in 2019. In 2026, I sold the business in a lower nine-figure deal and began considering what I wanted to build next.

Barbara Johnson – Fashion Entrepreneur

I started working with Jake in 2020 when I was 22 and trying to turn my fitness work into a proper business. He helped me understand the commercial side, including sales, branding, marketing and positioning. Within about six months, I was earning £10,000-£14,000 a month and had built a six-figure business. Jake gave me structure, challenged my thinking and helped me focus on what actually moved the business forward. His guidance made a real difference in how quickly I progressed.
UPDATE: By the second quarter of 2026, I had grown the business to eight figures in annual revenue.

Rakesh Patel – Fitness Entrepreneur

Jake, thank you. You genuinely changed my life for the better. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was really moving forward and doing what I had always wanted to do. You helped me believe that I could make it happen, and then actually start doing it. That confidence carried into my business as well. I started making clearer decisions, taking opportunities more seriously and building with much more purpose than before.

Romario Ramirez – Business owner, Speaker & Artist

Jake is a great coach. Our conversations challenged the way I was looking at several problems and reminded me that there is always more to learn. He is very observant, experienced and good at seeing what may be difficult to notice when you are too close to a situation. I am genuinely grateful for the support and perspective he gave us during a difficult period. I can see why business coaching suits him so well.

Steven P. – COO of a large corporation (Surname withheld for privacy)

When I started working with Jake, the business was doing around £6 million in turnover, but too much still depended on me. Jake helped me see that I had become the bottleneck and pushed me to change the way I was running the company. We improved delegation, brought in the right support and put better systems around the business. Once I stepped back from things I should not have been doing, the company grew into eight figures. Jake helped me see what needed to change and held me to it.

Michael Chadwick – Founder

At a certain level, it becomes difficult to get completely honest feedback. Jake gave me that. He challenged some of my assumptions, said things others around me were unlikely to say and helped me look at several decisions more clearly. What I valued most was the directness. There was no need to impress me or agree with me. The conversations helped me sharpen my thinking, delegate better and make cleaner decisions.

Oscar A. – Founder & CEO (Surname withheld for privacy)

Jake coached and mentored me through the early stages of my online business. He gave me confidence, helped me understand what I needed to do and supported me while I built my online fashion company. His guidance made a real difference in those early years, especially when I was still learning how to think about the business and make decisions with more confidence.
UPDATE: I started working with Jake in 2017. Now in 2026, the business is generating more than $40 million in annual turnover.

Jane Ho – Online Entrepreneur

I can highly recommend Jake Smolarek as a business coach. He must be one of the best in the business. He helped me take my business to the next level and become much clearer about the decisions I needed to make. I did not always like what Jake had to say, but he is tough, fair and very direct. Looking back, some of the things I least wanted to hear were exactly what I needed. He helped me see what I was missing and approach the business with much more clarity.

Susan Mason – Business Owner

I worked with Jake for more than 5 years. When we started, I was still employed and building my business from scratch. He helped me make the decisions I needed to make, including leaving my job and going full-time with the business. Over the years, I grew the company from zero to around £2 million in turnover. Jake was there through every stage, helping me with decisions and growth. He was always direct, and I knew I would get his real opinion. Working with him made a huge difference to me and the business. I would highly recommend him to any serious business owner.

Paul Jackson – Business Owner

Jake challenged the way I was looking at the business and pushed me to make a few decisions I had been avoiding for too long. Some were uncomfortable, but they changed the way we led the company and how the business was structured. Within less than twelve months, turnover grew from around £80 million to £140 million. Jake has a very good eye for what is actually getting in the way and is not afraid to say it.

Sean McKenzie – Founder and CEO

Jake is a fantastic business coach who gets to the heart of the problem very quickly. He helped me take some drastic steps (they were needed!), which made a huge difference to both my business and family life. In practical terms, I now work less, earn roughly twice what I used to and have considerably more time with my kids. What I like about Jake is that he can be straightforward when needed. He is not afraid to ask difficult questions when the situation calls for them. An outstanding return on investment. Thank you, Jake. See you again soon.

Peter Barnes – Entrepreneur

Jake is one of those people I call “my people”. He was the business coach I needed when I was trying to get clear on what I wanted to build and how to move forward. His feedback helped me clarify my objectives and build a very profitable online business. He challenged me when I needed it and gave me practical tools I still use in both business and life. I am in a much better place today because of the work we did together. Thank you, Jake.

Robert Yau – Online Entrepreneur

Fulfil Your Potential: Book a Free CEO Coaching Discovery Session Today

I’m one of London’s best executive coaches because I’ve experienced the highs and lows of leadership and business. I’ve emerged from health issues and countless setbacks to set up several successful businesses. I decided to help CEOs in London and the UK because I’m passionate about helping people fulfil their potential.

Higher levels exist within you. All you need to access them are the resources, motivation, and strategies needed to change your mindset.

If you’re prepared to embrace change, listen to uncomfortable truths, work hard, and make accountability part of your everyday life, I know I can help you improve as a CEO. If all that’s true, I’m confident I’m the right life coach for you. To learn more or to book your initial coaching session, contact me today by simply filling out the form below.

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Davies Street, Mayfair,
London W1K

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Mobile: +44 7738 514 600

email

[email protected]

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