Last week’s episode of Dragons' Den featured a fascinating pitch from husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Helen and Phil Lord, founders of Rehome.

Their business idea is a compelling one. Rehome is an online marketplace that allows homeowners, designers and retailers to sell high-end kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms that would otherwise go to waste. Founded in 2015, the platform aims to give quality interiors a second life while saving buyers significant money.

On the surface, it sounded like a strong business. The founders explained they had built a platform generating around £2 million in annual revenue.

However, as often happens in the Den, the Dragons began digging deeper into the numbers.

When the financials raise questions

Despite strong revenues, the business had previously made losses of more than £500,000 and had only recently begun breaking even.  When the Dragons asked why, the answer was revealing; significant spending on website development, advertising, licensing and consultancy costs.

The founders also explained that the platform itself is licensed, meaning they pay ongoing fees because they do not own the underlying technology.

The Dragons’ reactions were clear. They questioned whether the business had been spending money in the right places and whether those investments were truly helping the business become profitable.

In the end, entrepreneur Deborah Meaden stepped in with an offer of £100,000 for 15% of the business, which the founders accepted.

But the exchange raised an important issue that goes far beyond one television pitch.

A moment that made me wince

Watching the programme as a marketing consultant, I found myself inwardly cringing.

Not because of the founders – building a business is difficult, and many entrepreneurs rely heavily on external advice while they scale.

But because the spending described suggested that they may have been paying very significant amounts for marketing and digital services without seeing the return they needed.

And that’s where the concern lies.

When marketing consultants, agencies or developers charge substantial fees without delivering measurable value, it damages trust in the entire profession.

Marketing should drive growth – not drain budgets

Marketing is an investment. It should help businesses:

• attract the right customers
• build brand awareness
• generate leads and sales
• support sustainable growth

But it should never feel like a black hole where money disappears without clarity on the results.

Good marketing advice should always focus on:

• Strategy first - Before spending money on websites, campaigns or advertising, there needs to be a clear marketing strategy aligned with business goals.
• Transparency around costs - Clients should understand what they are paying for, why it matters and how success will be measured.
• Return on investment - Marketing activity should be monitored and adjusted to ensure it contributes to revenue and growth.
• Ownership and control - Businesses should retain control of key assets such as websites, domains and data wherever possible.
• A reminder for business owners  - If there’s one takeaway from this Dragons’ Den moment, it’s this - just because someone calls themselves a marketing expert doesn’t mean they’re delivering real value.

Business owners should feel confident asking questions such as:

• What will this activity actually achieve?
• How does it support my wider business goals?
• What metrics will show it’s working?
• When should I expect to see results?

If those questions can’t be answered clearly, it may be time to rethink the advice you’re receiving.

Ethical marketing matters

Most marketers care deeply about doing the right thing for their clients. The best consultants act as trusted partners who guide businesses to make smart decisions about where to invest their marketing budget.

When done properly, marketing should be empowering for business owners – not overwhelming or unnecessarily expensive.



And that’s something our profession should always strive to uphold.