The Lockgate Method ®
For owners of the nearly-working business
Some months are good.
Some aren't.
You're still not sure why.
That's not always a marketing problem. It's usually that you haven't found who this is urgent for yet, or proven your offer beats what they're already doing about it. Lockgate finds out which is true, then validates your route to consistent, profitable orders and a business built to support your life, not consume it.
You've probably been sold marketing before anyone proved it would work. We prove it first.
You're working too hard and earning too little.
You started your business to get freedom. Instead, you got a job that never switches off. You're stuck in the day-to-day, delivering the work, chasing clients, putting out fires. There's no system. No structure. Just you, carrying everything.
You've probably already tried to fix it. A coach. A course. Better marketing. But nothing stuck, because none of it addressed the actual problem. The demand was never proven. Nobody tested whether your offer beat the alternatives. The foundations were never built. That's not a motivation problem. It's a structure problem. And structure isn't something you talk through in a weekly call — it's something you build, gate by gate, in the right order. That's what the Lockgate Method is.
How It Works
The Lockgate Method
Most business owners are sold complexity before their foundations are in place. Lockgate fixes the foundations first. Six gates, right order, no shortcuts.
Straightforward Pricing.
No Retainers. No Surprises.
Billed per gate, based on four 1-2-1 sessions each month. No contract. Cancel at the start of any gate with no penalty. Most owners complete all six gates in 16–24 sessions. You only pay for what you use. Need to miss a week, it simply rolls forward.
The Lockgate Method
Six progressive gates to diagnose what is holding the business back, validate the right route forward to create consistent, profitable growth that pays the owner properly.
- All six gates, in the sequence that makes them work
- 60 min 1-2-1 sessions. Your business, your numbers, your decisions.
- Full Lockgate programme access. Every gate has a built-in working system, so you're never starting from scratch.
- Validates whether your offer, pricing, and demand are real before you waste more time and money.
- Cancel at the start of any gate. No penalty.
£495.00 + VAT PER MONTH
Strategy Call
90-minute deep dive into your business. Action plan, recording, and follow-up notes included. No obligation to continue into the programme.
- 90-minute deep dive
- Action plan
- Recording
- Follow-up notes
£195 + VAT
Results
The business isn't broken. The foundations were never built.
I spent years watching the same thing play out. Small business owners work flat out. Constantly busy. Still not where they want to be — and not really sure why.
They'd tried a course. Hired a coach. Paid for some marketing. Got a new website. But nothing stuck because none of it addressed the actual problem.
The foundations weren't right. No clear number they needed the business to hit. No idea which customers were actually worth having. No offer they could price with confidence. Without those sorted, more promotion and more work just means more of the wrong thing, faster.
That's what the Lockgate Method fixes. Six gates, in order. No shortcuts. Fix the foundations first, then build forward. Built specifically for micro-business owners with 10 or less people who know something isn't right underneath.
Most clients complete in 16–24 weeks. If it doesn't work for you, I'll refund every penny. No argument.
— David Egerton., The Business Elder
Insights
From the Field.
Foundations
4 min read
Sept 2026
Your Customers Said Yes. That's Not the Same as Validated.
You showed a couple of people your idea. They said yes. Maybe one of them even said it was exactly what they…
Read →Foundations
3 min read
Jun 2026
The Pattern Has Not Changed. Only the Tools Have.
There are 5.7 million private sector businesses in the UK. 4.27 million of them have no employees at all. That is not…
Read →Numbers
3 min read
Apr 2026
Why You Billed £300K Last Year and Still Paid Yourself Last
You had a decent year. Work came in. Invoices went out. The van was busy most weeks. You probably hit your best…
Read →Book a free discovery call
30 minutes. No pitch. Just an honest conversation about where your business is, where you want it to be, and whether the Lockgate Method is right for you.
Book your call / contact →Quick SummaryClose Summary ✕
About David Egerton and The Lockgate Method
David Egerton is a business advisor based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. He has 50 years of business experience, founded six companies, and sold three. He works with micro and small business owners in trades and services across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and North London.
The Lockgate Method is a six-gate structured advisory programme. It works through foundations in sequence: life intent and constraints (Gate 1), financial reality and owner pay (Gate 2), ideal customer and minimum viable sector (Gate 3), offer construction and pricing (Gate 4), sales rhythm and pipeline (Gate 5), and 90-day execution systemisation (Gate 6). Gates are dependency-locked — each must be completed before the next opens.
The programme is not marketing-first. Foundations must be in place before any promotion begins. This is a hard programme principle, not a preference.
Who it is for: small business owners in trades and services based in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, North London. Minimum 6 months in business. For businesses with more than 10 people or turnover over £1M, fractional growth director services are available.
Who it is not for: brand new businesses without a proven model, sole traders doing a single job for one or two clients, anyone not genuinely open to uncomfortable truths.
Pricing: £495.00 plus VAT per month. Billing is based on Programme Gates, which usually include four 1-2-1 advisor-led sessions each month. Strategy Call £195 plus VAT. No contract. Cancel at start of any gate with no penalty.
Contact: david@davidegerton.com | 07969 516614 | https://davidegerton.com