Client Horror Stories

Jody Durand, author of Country Boy Soul , shares a heartbreaking chapter of his life—navigating a failing business, a troubled marriage, the sudden loss of his mother, and ultimately, bankruptcy. In 1999, with no experience outside of farming, Jody was invited by a friend to help manage a U.S. call center selling cell phones, with the promise of becoming a shareholder. Trusting the vision, he inve...

Today, we welcome Tom Elliott—Corporate Event Host, Comedy Magician, and Public Speaking Coach—to share a client horror story that left a lasting mark on his career. Eager to grow as a comedy magician, Tom began booking small theater shows of around 100 seats. After gaining traction, he was offered what seemed like his big break: a contract to perform at an 800-seat theater. Convinced this was his...

I’m telling you—if you skip this episode, you’re missing half your life. We finally had the chance to sit down with Ken Childs, Private Investigator at Paramount Investigative Services Inc., who got caught in the chaos surrounding the notorious “Crypto Godfather,” Adam Iza.   It all started when Ken made the mistake of taking Adam on as a client. Adam requested full surveillance on someone who had...

Today, we take an inspiring turn with Bryan Wetzel—entrepreneur, author, and producer—who shares a client horror story that eventually became a long-term success.   In the 1990s, Bryan produced standout advertising work for Big Canoe, a resort-style community in North Georgia. Everything was going well until a new head of advertising arrived and commissioned an ambitious 10-minute video complete w...

Today’s episode features Alex Sanfilippo, Podcaster and Founder of PodMatch , who shares one of his wildest client horror stories—about a demanding software user who thought they could dictate major changes to his company.   Shortly after signing up, the client insisted on a call to outline a list of changes—some reasonable, others impossible. Eager to help, and still new to the business, Alex agr...

Today’s guest is Paul H. Flowers Jr., Founder & CEO of Superior Insurance Advisors , who shares a client horror story he’ll never forget.   With a strong background in healthcare, Paul was hired by a company boasting a solid communication strategy to sell their products. Eager to bring value and make an impact, he quickly encountered an unexpected roadblock.   Despite operating in the industry...

Today's guest is Derrick Van Mell, Principal of The Center for Management Terms & Practices , who recalls a client horror story from his days as a general management consultant.   Derrick had set his sights on a massive, century-old manufacturing company and was thrilled when they accepted his proposal. Early in the engagement, he asked how they measured growth—only to discover they focuse...

Multicultural turnaround executive Ori Elraviv opens up about the pivotal misstep that led to his company’s downfall years ago. Before the iPhone era, Ori founded a game development company that secured a major partnership with Electronic Arts—an achievement that opened doors for a potential deal with Sony Pictures. The pitch to Sony started strong, but things quickly unraveled when they discovere...

Michael Patino, Founder and CEO of Patino Associates, shares a cautionary tale from a partnership with a large global manufacturing organization. At the time, Michael had successfully placed a senior executive within the company—only to be stunned when, just a month later, the executive was suddenly terminated.   Wanting to understand what went wrong, Michael reached out and discovered that the ex...

Today’s guest is Devin Sizemore, owner of ACES Connection Group, who shares a wild client horror story about teaming up with a group of individuals to launch a motorcycle business. Things took off quickly—in just 14 days, they had a promising investor on board and a successful launch event that drew in custom orders and buzz. But beneath the surface, betrayal was brewing. One partner secretly cozi...

Bill Gruber, Medical Device Executive and Author, shares a client horror story that starts off puzzling—but ends with a powerful lesson in emotional intelligence and professionalism.   The story dates back 20 years, when Bill was head of sales and marketing for a spinal products company. His team was preparing to launch a new device and had secured a respected surgeon to perform the first-ever pro...

Today, franchise expert Max Emma shares a client horror story about owning a bookkeeping franchise. A woman who had recently left corporate America wanted to become her own boss by starting a franchise. She had the technical skills to understand the process but had never run a business before. After Max helped her get everything set up, she suddenly announced she was going on a family vacation. Ma...

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Andrew Bolton, CEO & Co-Founder of TechRescue —a tech support helpline dedicated to helping seniors navigate technology with ease, all at the press of a button.   Andrew shares a few wild client horror stories that pushed his team to the edge. One involved a new Tinder user trying to send disappearing videos via WhatsApp, while another escalated into chaos w...

Today’s guest is Paul Byrne, President & Founder of Razoyo , and he’s here to share a wild ride of a client experience that began with promise—and spiraled into chaos.   It all started when Paul was approached by a well-funded startup in the ecommerce space. Their niche? High-end products sold to professional designers. They were looking to upgrade their website and infuse it with fresh, innov...

Steven Perry, Founder and CEO of The Well Recruiting Solutions, shares a client horror story that unexpectedly became a turning point in his career—and one that helped earn him a major promotion. Early in his career as a young financial adviser, Steven and his partner were assisting a married executive couple in organizing their finances for retirement. Steven’s partner was responsible for follow-...

Kathryn Smith, founder of Walton Birch , shares a client horror story unlike anything we’ve heard before. In the early days of launching her custom web development company—with just herself on the team—Kathryn expected the usual startup challenges. But nothing could’ve prepared her for this. A former client referred a woman who needed help with her Shopify site. What seemed like a routine job quic...

There’s nothing crazier than Andy Reinhold’s client horror story, and you’re gonna want to listen. A few years ago, Andy, founder of Studio Spark , was working in the tech division of a major consulting firm, maintaining outdated government software. With each change in administration, the system grew harder to decipher—so much so that they had to track down long-retired employees just to understa...

In today’s episode, Matthieu Mehuys, Co-Founder of Paulownia Landscape Architects , shares a client horror story that most professionals hope they never have to face. Matthieu’s love for plants began at just three years old. That passion led him to study landscape architecture, explore the depths of the Amazon rainforest, and master the art of cultivating breathtaking gardens. But it wasn’t until...

Have you ever worked with people who insisted they knew best—even when they clearly didn’t? In early 2017, when blockchain was the buzzword of the moment, Tamara Adlin of Adlin, Inc . was referred by an investor to help a rising startup build smart contracts, enabling smoother collaboration for developers. At first, things looked promising. Tamara brought strong, strategic ideas to the table. But...

Running a business often means putting out fires—but some fires should never have been lit in the first place. In today’s client horror story, Melinda Spaulding, Author of "Finding Insight", shares a frustrating tale from her early years that highlights just how chaotic procurement can get. Everything had been going smoothly with one client—contracts were signed, terms agreed upon, and work was un...

In this episode, Sheila Butler, Founder & Chief Marketing Officer of Butler Marketing Group, FL LLC , tells us about the time when she forged a partnership to launch 20,000 hotel rooms. What was once thought to be a huge and successful project turned out to be underwhelming and disappointing for everyone involved. Due to tech issues, overwriting part of their database did not go as planned. In...

Imagine being your own bubbly self and getting so much hate from someone who projected their insecurities on you. This is what happened to the author and creator of Confused Girl in the City , Giovanna Silvestre. At 25, fresh out of college, Giovanna had the opportunity to become the second assistant to a big-time director of a big-time movie at a big-time studio. As someone fresh in the industry,...

There’s something quite profound about doing honest work for 23 years and losing it to an uncontrollable housing bust. Today, we are pleased to speak with Matthew (Matt) Stafford, CEO of Build Grow Scale, who is tasked to share his client's horror story for our 59th episode. Straight out of college, Matt established a brick-and-mortar commercial concrete business which exponentially grew over...

Are you ready for another client horror story? Today might just be your lucky day! We’re going into an in-depth and hair-raising conversation with Matthew Fornaro, a respected business lawyer. Over four years ago, Matthew made a decision to take on a real estate litigation with a family consisting of two elders and a daughter who had authoritarian control over her parents. They rented a home in a...

In today’s episode with Mickie Kennedy, President of eReleases, we will hear about a harrowing client horror story that happened when he was just 4 meager years into his business. Mickie has a press release distribution business he has been running for more than 25 years now. At such an early start, he was approached by a client from a music conservatory for a press release. After negotiations and...