Why I rejected $12K MRR last week

I turned down 3 prospects last week for our agency. 

All of them were growing brands that wanted to pay us thousands of dollars, so why’d I do it? 

Because they thought SEO was going to be their golden ticket. 

Look, SEO is incredible and in my opinion, a must-have channel for any eCommerce brand. But it will not be your saving grace. 

Each of these brands were relatively small (<$50k/mo), which is one of the primary reasons I turned them down. Most of the brands we work with are in the $200k+/mo range, and our fees are built for that size. 

Yes, the retainers are quite expensive. I also do not want to work with every brand on the planet, I’ve made that clear before. And at the sub-$50k/mo rate, it’s too expensive for brands of that size to invest in without VC funding. 

Before you villainize me, I didn’t turn them down cold. You have to understand that I’m running a business also, and they weren’t the customers that I’m looking to work with. 

Second, I told them that at this point in their growth journey, their money is better spent on more paid ads so that they could scale further. 

For most eCom brands, SEO functions to 1) reduce your reliance on paid ads & cut your average customer acquisition cost and 2) add uncapped top-line revenue to your brand without massively increasing your costs. 

Truthfully, I was looking out for both parties. If we were to work together, they’d immediately be uncomfortable investing that kind of cash without a return for a few months. The relationship would strain quickly (money tends to do that), and both of us would walk away unhappy. 

I’m not looking to collect as much money as possible – I only take on brands that I believe we can help.

Until next time,

Kai Cromwell