The Lockgate Method ®
Six Gates. One Order. It Doesn't Start With Marketing.
Before we work on what needs fixing,
we start with what you actually want
from this business, and your life.
Most advisors start with what's broken. Lockgate starts with where you're trying to get to. Six gates, in order: your life and your numbers first, then your customer, your offer, your route to market: and only then, marketing. Skip the order and you end up fixing something that was never the real problem.
Why most small businesses stay stuck
You built something you believed people would want. Even potential clients nodded in agreement. But nobody checked if the demand was real and urgent enough, or if you stood out for the right reasons. So selling it is hard work. Every job takes chasing. Every quote takes convincing.
The instinct is to fix that with more marketing. It wins you a couple more orders, not enough, and not consistently. So you tweak and adjust and tell yourself next month will be different. It rarely is. Messaging and marketing were never going to fix a problem they didn't cause.
Is this programme right for you?
THIS PROGRAMME IS FOR YOU IF:
- You have been in business at least six months and have some customer revenue.
- You are working hard but not winning enough of the right work, or not converting what you win into consistent income.
- You have tried at least one thing to fix it — a coach, an agency, paid ads, a new website — and it did not produce what you needed.
- You are paying yourself inconsistently, or less than the business should be paying you for the hours you are putting in.
- You know something needs to change but you cannot identify precisely what to fix first or in what order.
- You want structured work with real outputs — more of the right clients, better margins, and a business that gives you back some of your time — with someone alongside you every week, not general advice and a quarterly check-in.
- You are ready to act, not just consider it.
THIS PROGRAMME IS NOT FOR YOU IF:
- You have fewer than two paying customers and paying £495 +VAT is more than you can afford right now.
- You want to be told your current approach is right, even if the numbers say otherwise.
- You are not open to changing your offer, your positioning, or who you serve, even if the evidence points that way.
- You are looking for motivation, mindset work, or a quick fix.
- You want someone else to do it for you. This programme is done with you, not for you.
- Your business has grown well past the point where these foundations apply. Have have a product or service that is selling well, you have a management layer in place, delegated decision-making, and the gap is more execution, leadership and scale, not clarity or validation. (However, A Fractional Lockgate advisor might be the right option)
SIX GATES. RIGHT ORDER.
NO SHORTCUTS.
Every client works through the same six gates in sequence. The sequence is not optional. Each gate must be completed before the next one opens. Like a canal lock, you cannot skip levels. This order was not designed on a whiteboard. It has been built, tested and adjusted through real client work. Where a step didn't hold, it was rebuilt, not smoothed over. Skipping foundations is one of the most common mistakes small business owners make when trying to fix their business. Not because they don't care. Because they are in a hurry to get to sales, and sales feels like progress in a way foundations never do.
GATE 1
North Star
What do you actually want from this business and your life? Not the version you tell people. The honest answer. Everything built in the programme that follows starts here. Without this, every decision that follows is built on assumption. The output is a signed North Star Manifesto — a personal leadership document, not a business plan.
Deliverable: North Star Manifesto (signed)
GATE 2
Diagnosis
An honest assessment of where the business actually is. Numbers, structure, offer, pricing, capacity, runway. Not where the owner thinks it is. If the numbers reveal insufficient runway, the output is a stabilisation plan before any other gate proceeds.
Deliverable: Lockgate Diagnostic. Immediate priorities summary plan.
GATE 3
IDEAL CLIENT
Who is the type of client this business exists to serve? What is their specific pain? Where are there more of them? Gate 3 defines this precisely before anything else is built on top of it. The quality of everything that follows depends on getting this right.
Deliverable: ICP, Minimum Viable Sector, Brand Messaging Assets
GATE 4
Revenue and Pricing
Can this business actually grow to support the real life the owner wants? We drill into the pricing model, the margins, and the revenue reality until the answer is clear.
Deliverable: Revenue Model and Pricing Review. Owners Profit Forecast built
GATE 5
Build and Go-to-Market
This is where the work becomes visible. Website, landing pages, go-to-market assets, CRM review, whatever is needed and nothing that isn't. The client leaves Gate 5 knowing exactly what tools need to be in place and with a clear plan to move forward.
Deliverable: Go-to-Market Plan, Scorecards. Minimum website or Landing Pages created
GATE 6
Growth and Execution
The foundations are set, now the focus shifts to running it. The 60-day embed: two monthly 90-minute sessions. The tools are in place or being finalised. This is where it stops being a programme and starts being how you achieve consistent growth and run the business.
Deliverable: 60-Day Growth and Execution Embed
Inside the Lockgate App
Every client gets access to the Lockgate app — included in the programme. Here's what it looks like.
How the programme works
Your sessions
Each 1-2-1 session is 60 minutes long and runs weekly in the early days. Your business, your numbers, your decisions. No generic advice. You complete agreed actions between each session.
Session cycles
Billed per month, based on Programme Gates, and usually four 1-2-1 advisor-led sessions. 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.
Real outputs at every gate
Each gate produces a document or framework. You leave with something tangible, not just notes from a conversation.
EVERY CLIENT GETS THE LOCKGATE APP. INCLUDED.
Every activity, output, and decision is captured inside the Lockgate client app as you work through the gates. Nothing gets lost between sessions. Your progress is tracked, your outputs are stored, and everything feeds forward into the next gate.
Why we built a task tracker into the programme →The Execution Phase
From Gate 4, some clients move to bi-weekly sessions. The time between is used to build: AI-assisted go-to-market strategy, website, landing pages, content. The programme shifts from advisory into active delivery.
Investment
Billed per month, based on Programme Gates which include four 1-2-1 sessions. 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.
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
Book a discovery callStrategy 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
Book a Strategy Call100% Money-Back Guarantee
Not satisfied at the end of any gate? We'll refund that gate fee in full. No questions asked. The programme ends there. You keep everything you've worked on up to that point.
More than 10 people behind you or turnover over £1M? Consider if having a Lockgate advisor in a fractional role could be the perfect fit for your business. Available from just 4 hours weekly. Availability and suitability is discussed at your discovery call.
What changes when the foundations are right
Neil, NJG Building Solutions
Strategically pivoted from generalist builder to kitchen extension specialist. Moved away from competing on price across too many job types and built a clear positioning that attracts the right clients.
Martin Gladdish, Read My Work
Took on part-time contract work to create financial breathing room while rebuilding with clarity. Removed the runway pressure that was distorting every decision.
Common questions
How is this different from business coaching?+
This is an advisory programme with structured outputs at every gate. You don't leave sessions with advice and notes — you leave with documents, frameworks, and decisions made. The method follows a fixed sequence. That's not how coaching works.
Do I have to complete the gates in order?+
Yes. The sequence is non-negotiable. Each gate depends on the one before it. Skipping foundations is usually why businesses end up needing a programme like this in the first place.
What sector do you work with?+
The programme is not sector-specific. It is designed for micro and small business owners — from sole traders up to 25 employees. The common thread is not what you do. It is where you are: stuck, under pressure, and running on belief rather than validated foundations.
How long does the full programme take?+
Most owners complete all six gates in 16–24 sessions. If your numbers or situation are more complex, allow toward the higher end. The pace is yours. The order is not. Gates do not close until the outputs are genuinely done.
What if I'm already past the early stages?+
The entry point is always a Discovery Call (45 minutes) or a Strategy Call (90 minutes) for a deeper dive. That conversation establishes where you are and what needs fixing first. Every client works through the gates in sequence — no shortcuts. But if the foundations are already solid, you move through the early gates faster. The pace is yours. The order is not.
I've already worked with a coach or consultant. Is this the same thing?+
No. Most owners who come to this programme have already tried coaching or paid for advice that didn't move the needle. This is structured advisory work with hard commercial outputs. If it produces the same result as what you've already tried, you'll know within the first cycle.
Do I need to be based in Hertfordshire?+
The primary geography is only Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and North London where there is a need to visit your business. For Lockgate, its runs remotely with weekly zoom calls. If there is a need to get together for an in-depth 1/2 day session, are you willing to travel to Hemel Hempstead? Otherwise, the primary consideration is the suitability. Book a Strategy Call and we'll establish whether it works for you.
What is the Strategy Call?+
A 90-minute deep dive into your business. You get an action plan, a recording, and follow-up notes. It costs £195 + VAT. There is no obligation to continue into the programme. It is the right place to start if you're not sure whether this is for you.
What if it doesn't work for me?+
At the end of any four-week gate, if you're not satisfied, we'll refund that gate in full. No questions asked. The programme ends there. You keep everything you've worked on up to that point.
Is this billed monthly?+
Roughly, yes. Billing is based on Programme Gates of four sessions, which for most clients lands close to a month. If you need to skip a session, the gate, and thus billing, simply shifts by a week, you don't pay for a session you didn't have.
If something needs to change, the Discovery Call is the right place to start
45 minutes. Free. No obligation. We'll look at where you are, what's getting in the way, and whether the Lockgate Method is the right next step for you. If a deeper dive makes sense, we'll talk about that too.