For business owners working too hard for too little
StopFirefighting.Start gettingPAID PROPERLY
A structured programme for micro & small business owners who are busy, underpaid, and tired of carrying it alone. The Lockgate Method fixes the structure underneath, so consistent revenue and proper owner pay stop being the exception.
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 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 programme block. Each block includes four 1-2-1 sessions. No contract. Cancel at the start of any block with no penalty. Most owners complete all six gates in 14–21 sessions. You only pay for what you use.
Both tiers serve small businesses up to £2m turnover. Pricing reflects your stage, not the value of the work.
Early Stage
Under £300k turnover
- All six gates, in the sequence that makes them work
- 45–60 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 block. No penalty.
£395 + VAT PER PROGRAMME BLOCK
Growth Stage
Turnover between £300k and £2m
- All six gates, in the sequence that makes them work
- 45–60 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.
- Complexity and team dynamics are factored in. The programme adapts to where your business actually is.
- Cancel at the start of any block. No penalty.
£695 + VAT PER PROGRAMME BLOCK
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 8–16 weeks. If it doesn't work for you, I'll refund every penny. No argument.
— David Egerton., The Business Elder
Insights
From the Field.
Revenue
5 min read
Apr 2026
Why you billed £300k last year and still paid yourself last
Most trades owners are running a busy business that doesn't actually pay them. Here's why — and how to fix it.
Read →Strategy
5 min read
Mar 2026
More leads is almost never the answer for a trades business
The most expensive mistake small business owners make is spending on marketing before the foundations are solid.
Read →Operations
4 min read
Feb 2026
Why we don't touch your marketing until Gate 3 is done
The Lockgate Method is deliberately sequenced. Here's the logic behind why foundations always come before promotion.
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: micro and small business owners in trades and services. Revenue £50K–£1M. Team: sole trader to 10 staff. Geography: Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, North London. Minimum 12 months in business.
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: Early Stage £395 plus VAT per 4-week cycle. Growth Stage £695 plus VAT per 4-week cycle. Strategy Call £195 plus VAT. No contract. Cancel at start of any cycle with no penalty.
Contact: david@davidegerton.com | 07969 516614 | https://davidegerton.com