Hi ,

This one still stings.

It was a small project, just a few hundred bucks.

Straightforward work: move a site from one server to another.

A couple of hours, tops.

But when we moved it, something broke.

Turned out the original developer had built the backend in a very server-specific way, not using standards, just shortcuts.

So the site was transferred successfully, it just didn’t work.

Not because of us, but because of the fragile setup we inherited.

We explained everything, clearly and professionally.

And I offered to fix it, transparently, hourly, and with their approval.

They were happy.

Grateful, even.

We spent a week combing through every single file to make things right.

And we did.

The site worked beautifully.

Then I sent the invoice.

That’s when they suddenly remembered only the original arrangement.

They conveniently forgot the second agreement.

They downplayed the time and effort.

And when I pushed back, they acted like I was the one being unreasonable.

Eventually, I got tired of the argument.

I told them, “Forget it. Keep the work.”

They replied, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you on future projects.”

And I’m proud to say I told them, there won’t be any future projects.

But there’s one part of that story I still regret.

I should’ve rolled the site back.

They hadn’t paid for the full job, and I had every right to give them what they had paid for, and nothing more.

But I didn’t.

Maybe I wanted to be helpful.

Maybe I just didn’t have the guts.

But that’s on me.

They walked away with a fully working site and paid for about ten percent of it.

That experience taught me two big things:

Don’t deliver final work unless you’ve been paid.

Put the systems in place before you need them, not after.

Out of hundreds of clients, I can count the bad ones on one hand.

And for that, I’m deeply grateful.

But these few taught me what I won’t do.

And more importantly, the kind of business I want to build and protect.

Relentlessly dedicated to your profitability,

Dr. Kayvon K

Simplifier & Profit Finder

Let's connect: LinkedIn

Clarity Call: TalkToKayvon.com

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