Why KILO dropped HVAC and locked Glass + Aluminium + Roofing
In April 2026 KILO targeted three niches: Glass and Aluminium, HVAC/Aircon, and Roofing. After 30 days of outbound across all three, the data was unambiguous: drop HVAC. The reason was not market size. HVAC is a R9.7B market with strong demand. The reason was distribution.
HVAC has captured distribution
SA HVAC owners pre-buy installation services through licensed-installer networks (Daikin, Samsung, LG approved-installer programs). Those networks already own the digital surface. Walking into that channel as an outside agency would have meant six months of education-selling for the first close. The unit economics did not work.
Glass and Aluminium has a wider gap
SA glass and aluminium installers compete almost exclusively on word-of-mouth and a Facebook page from 2016. The R450M float-glass market is growing at 7.1% CAGR, and the average job value is R30,000-R500,000+. The digital surface is wide open. KILO targets this niche because the work converts and the proof is there (Alu-Value in Krugersdorp is the live case).
Roofing has the widest gap
Roofing is the largest SA trade by market size (R18.5B, 5.7% CAGR) and the most underserved digitally. Storm season alone drives a 3-4x spike in roofer searches. Most SA roofers have no website and a single Google Business Profile that has not been touched in two years. KILO opened a Roofing Founding Cohort tier at R10,000 entry (vs the R20,000 standard) for the first three closes, then permanently retired.
What this means for prospects
If you are an HVAC installer in SA, KILO is not the right fit. Not because the work is impossible, but because the unit economics for both sides do not favour an outside agency in your channel right now. If you are a Glass + Aluminium installer or a Roofing contractor in SA, KILO is built specifically for you. The skills, the templates, the case studies, and the price all assume that context.
Will KILO take on HVAC work in future?
Maybe. If the SA HVAC distribution shifts (newer brands without captured installer networks, direct-to-consumer plays, retrofit market growth), the unit economics could change. As of mid-2026, no.
Will KILO take on trades outside of Glass+Aluminium and Roofing?
Case by case, with explicit founder approval. KILO has legacy clients in pool maintenance (Ridds Aqua) and combat sports (Pandamonium FC) from before the niche lock. Those continue. New prospect work stays inside the locked niches unless there is a strong case-by-case reason.
Why niche down at all?
Topical authority. Google rewards sites that are obviously the best answer for a narrow query set. A site that targets every SA trade competes against 4,000 generic SA marketing agencies. A site that is unambiguously the SA expert on glass-aluminium and roofing marketing has a much smaller ceiling but a much higher floor.
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