A retainer that installs the architecture,
then steps away.
The plan is one thing. Building it is another. The Build is the execution arm of Design Pitch—a fractional COO engagement that embeds systems, runs the change, and tapers out when the business no longer needs us.
1.Authority Engine
2–3 strategic quality LinkedIn posts per week
1 monthly authority article
Media/PR placement
Video capture sessions quarterly
2.Search Optimisation
Monthly on-site optimisation
Structured content updates
Google Business profile management
Technical health checks
AI visibility testing
3.CRM setup refinement
Automation builds
Landing page optimisation
Form + tracking integration
Email sequence creation
4.Lifecycle Campaigns
Monthly email broadcast
Automated nurture sequences
Event follow-up campaigns
Referral prompts
5.Growth Dashboard
KPI reporting
Action roadmap
Tactical sprint plan
60-minute leadership sync
6.Asset Production
1 case study per month (when wins allow)
Social cutdowns
Web page builds
Proposal-ready PDFs
Execution that's designed to end.
Most retainers are built to last forever. Ours is built to end on time.
The Build is what happens when a business has a plan—usually The Blueprint, sometimes one we’ve inherited—and needs someone to make it real. We embed alongside your team for as long as the architecture takes to install. Then we taper out, because the goal is a business that runs without us.
We don’t bill for hours. We bill for outcomes. Each month has a defined scope, a named owner, and a clear measure of done.
When the systems hold, the messaging works, and your team is running it confidently—we leave. That’s the deal.
Built for the founder ready to install, not just plan.
You’ve either done The Blueprint with us, or you already know what’s broken. You don’t need a diagnosis. You need someone who can build.
The Build is for you if:
- You have a plan but no capacity to execute it
- Your team is good but stretched, and needs a senior hand to lead the change
- You’re not ready to hire a full-time COO, marketing director or ops lead
- You want one accountable partner, not five vendors with overlapping invoices
- You’d rather pay for outcomes than activity
It’s not for you if you want a permanent agency relationship (we’re built to leave), or if you want us to deliver without your team being involved (it doesn’t stick if we do it alone).
One team. Multiple specialisms. Outcomes you can name.
The Build flexes to what the business needs. Some months it’s heavy on systems. Some months it’s marketing execution. Some months it’s both. The retainer doesn’t change. The work inside it does.
Across an engagement, we typically cover:
Systems and operations — process design, tool selection and rollout, automation, internal documentation, handover protocols, the unglamorous infrastructure that holds a growing business together.
Marketing and communications — positioning, messaging architecture, content systems, lead generation, the pipeline that turns reputation into predictable enquiries.
Digital foundations — website, CRM, analytics, the digital plumbing that makes everything else measurable. Built once, properly, then maintained.
Team enablement—coaching the people who’ll run it after we’re gone. Documentation. Training. The hand-off planning that makes our exit a non-event.
Whatever the month looks like, you have one point of contact, one invoice, and one accountable lead—Mike—backed by a trusted partner network when specialist work is needed.
Three phases. One direction of travel.
Phase 1 — Install (months 1–3)
We embed. We work alongside your team to build the foundations the plan calls for. This is the heaviest phase — most of the architecture goes in here.
Phase 2 — Embed (months 4–6)
The systems are in. Now they have to hold. We refine, optimise, and start transferring ownership to your team. Frequency reduces. Documentation deepens.
Phase 3 — Taper (months 7+)
Your team runs it. We’re on call, not on-site. Quarterly reviews, on-demand support, and a clear exit point.
Most engagements run six to twelve months end to end. Some longer, some shorter. The shape adapts. The principle doesn’t: we’re building toward our own exit from day one.
A retainer that earns its place.
A monthly scope. Written. Specific. Signed off by you before we start. No drift.
A weekly working rhythm. One strategic session, ongoing async work, two optional drop-ins. Predictable enough to plan around. Flexible enough to respond to what the business actually needs.
A monthly outcome review. What we built, what worked, what we’re adjusting. Honest reporting, not vanity metrics.
One accountable lead. Mike runs every engagement. Specialists are pulled in from our partner network as the work demands. You don’t manage the partners. We do.
A clear exit plan. From month one. Updated quarterly. The question isn’t if we leave—it’s when, and what’s true on the day we do.
Designed to leave.
Every month we stay is a month closer to the month we don’t.
That’s the structural difference between us and an agency on retainer. Agencies have an incentive to deepen dependency. We have an incentive to build a business that doesn’t need us. It changes what gets prioritised, what gets documented, who gets trained, and how the work gets done.
When we leave, you don’t lose capability. You absorb it.
Honest answers to questions we get asked.
Do I need to do The Blueprint first?
Most clients do. It’s how we know what we’re building toward. If you’ve already done a similar audit elsewhere—or you have a clear plan you trust—we can start straight into The Build. We’ll review the plan first to make sure it’s solid.
What if I want you to stay longer than the plan calls for?
We’ll have an honest conversation about why. If there’s genuine work to do, fine. If it’s because we’ve made ourselves indispensable, we’ll fix that — that’s our failure, not a reason to bill you more.
Can you replace a full-time hire?
For the right businesses, yes. The Build typically costs 40–60% of a senior hire’s loaded cost, with broader specialism and no long-term commitment. It’s not always the right answer—sometimes a hire is. We’ll tell you which.
What if I just want done-for-you marketing?
The Build isn’t a marketing-only retainer—that’s a different shape, and there are good agencies that do it. The Build is for businesses that need systems, marketing and digital working as one. If marketing alone is the gap, we’ll point you somewhere better suited.
Do you work outside the A30 corridor?
Most of our work is between Launceston and Bristol. We’ll travel for the right engagement. The Install phase usually involves more in-person time; Embed and Taper can be mostly remote.
Two ways to start.
Book a discovery call
30 minutes. No pitch. We’ll look at where you are, what’s been planned, and whether The Build is the right next step. Book a call.
Or start with The Blueprint
If you don’t yet have a plan you trust, start there. Six weeks. £6,000. A clear-eyed view of the business and a sequenced plan you can execute—with us or without us.
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