I get asked this on every sales call: "So what's the catch? Why is it only £197?"
Fair question. Trade marketing agencies charge anywhere from around £1,000 a month at the low end up to £3k–£5k+ a month at the higher end — but the ones charging £3k–£5k+ usually include Meta or Google ads management on top. That's a fundamentally different service to what the £197 Growth Engine is. My base isn't trying to compete with a full-service, ads-included agency; it's a different offer entirely. I've broken down how much a marketing agency actually costs UK trades if you want the full numbers. So why does the base — a full website, missed-call text-back, review automation, follow-up system and local SEO baked in — cost less than a decent Sky Sports package?
Here's the honest answer.
The Short Version
At £197 a month, I lose money on you for the first six months.
That's not a typo. A build of this scope — a full multi-page website, the SEO foundations, the automation setup, the review funnel, the follow-up sequences, everything — takes a huge amount of front-end work. At £197 a month, it takes about six months for me to break even on the time I've put in.
So why do it? Because I'm playing a longer game than the agencies charging £3k a month.
The Long Version (And Why It Should Actually Reassure You)
A lot of trade marketing agencies work like this: they charge you £1k–£3k a month, lock you into a 12-month contract, do the bulk of the work in month one, then coast for the other eleven. Some are worse. Some are better. I'm not saying every agency does this — but it's common enough that most tradesmen I meet have been burned by it at least once. When the contract ends, you're either stuck for another year or you walk away and they don't care — they've made their money.
It's a churn model. Get clients, extract money, don't worry too much if they stay because there's always another trade owner to sell to.
That's not what this is.
The £197 model only works for me if you stay for years, not months. Which means my whole business is set up around overdelivering for you. Because if I don't — if the leads don't come, if the system doesn't work, if I'm not responsive when you need me — you walk. And I've just spent six months of my time building something that made me nothing.
So my incentives are aligned with yours: make sure this works for you. Long-term. Not just for the first 90 days while I'm still getting your fee to cover the build cost.
OK, But What's The Actual Catch?
I'll be blunt: there's an upsell path.
Three, four, six months into working together — when the Foundation is dialled in, the leads are flowing, and you're seeing real results — I'll probably come to you and say: "Want to pour fuel on this?"
That fuel is Growth Engine Plus: a 90-day sprint of content days, Meta ads and hands-on scaling. It's a proper investment, and it's how I actually make my money — see the pricing page for the exact figures. If you're weighing up the Google Ads vs SEO decision for your own business, that's essentially the same question — just at a different scale of spend.
Here's the thing: by then, you'll know exactly whether I'm worth working with. You'll have seen the results. You'll have had months of me answering your calls, fixing your website when you asked for a change, watching your reviews stack up. And when I make the offer, you'll say yes — not because I pressured you, but because I'll have earned it.
Or you'll say "actually, I'm happy on Foundation, I don't want to scale that hard". And that's completely fine. You keep paying £197, I keep running your system, we both win.
The point: £197 isn't a loss leader in the sneaky sense. It's a trust investment. I lose money on it upfront because it's the only way to prove I'm not one of the agencies you've been burned by before. Once you know I'm not, we can have the "want to scale?" conversation like adults.
Why Not Just Charge £997 Like Everyone Else?
Fair question. Two reasons.
1. Most trades can't afford £997 upfront every month for something they haven't seen work yet. Not that they can't afford it eventually — but the barrier to trying it is too high. At £997, most trade owners would rather muddle through with the broken website they've had since 2019 than risk a grand a month on marketing that might not work.
At £197, that's not a scary decision. It's a "worth a punt for 30 days" decision. And we back that up with a 30-day money-back guarantee — if it's not working, you get your first month back, no questions.
2. £997 attracts the wrong clients. At £197, I get trade owners who are hungry, who want to grow, and who want to build a long-term relationship with someone who actually cares. Not people looking for a magic bullet or a marketing agency they can shout at when things don't work.
The £197 filter self-selects for good clients. And good clients turn into long-term relationships that make both of us money over the years.
How I Cover The Cost Of Losing Money For Six Months
Honestly? It's a bet. I bet that clients I sign up will stay long enough for me to make my money back and then some. Most do. That's why the business works.
I also don't take on tons of clients at once. I build every website personally. I set up every Google Business Profile. I write every follow-up sequence. That means I can only take on a limited number of Foundation clients per month. Which means each one has to actually stick.
Which means — back to the top — my incentives are aligned with yours: make the thing work for you. Every unhappy client that leaves in month three is a client I haven't even broken even on my time with yet. Three months of £197 doesn't come close to covering the front-end work I've already put in. That's the exact opposite of what I want.
What You Should Actually Take From This
If you're comparing marketing agencies right now, ask them one question:
"What's your business model? What are you optimising for?"
Most will say something vague about "delivering value" or "results-driven". Push. Do they make money from month-one setup fees? From long contracts? From churn? Or from long-term relationships where the client actually stays?
Because that answer tells you exactly what they'll do for you in month seven.
Kopa's answer is: we make our money when you stick around long enough that we can offer you Meta ads and content in 3–6 months. That's the plan. It's not a secret. And it's the only reason the £197 base works — because I'm counting on years, not months.
Ready To Give It A Punt?
If any of this resonates, get in touch. No pitch, no pressure. I'll walk you through the Foundation, show you exactly what's included, and tell you honestly if it's the right fit for your trade business. If it's not — I'll tell you that too.
