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PODCAST

Client Horror Stories

Beloved by Clients

Tales from those on the front lines of dealing with clients. Tales of difficult clients, complex situations, relationship management - and how massive client management problems were solved, and what they learned. Largely those running agencies, but all across different professional services.

business management

All Episodes

00:49:04

That time when a real estate owner hid deals under...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/12/24

Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Angela Thomas, Scaling Expert & Founder of Angel Success Consulting, who has built a thriving business through dedication and grit. Angela specializes in training and developing businesses, and she was invited to conduct a training session for a real estate business owner. The first session was a success—payment went through smoothly, and the client was pleased with the results. Encouraged, the business owner requested another round of training, this

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00:30:05

That time when a client threatens to sue you for 17...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/12/18

Today, Greg Digneo, Founder of Content Guppy, shares a Client Horror Story that proves some people really are as wild as they seem. In the early 2000s, Greg and a friend launched a solar panel company with no prior experience. To their surprise, two of their university professors became their first customers, and the money they earned from those projects was more than they had ever handled since graduation. Their third client, however, was a different story. At their first meeting, he proudly

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00:44:40

That time when you discover a respectable executive...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/12/11

Kate Viana, Founder of Viana Communications, shares a Client Horror Story like no other. In 2021, after leaving a nonprofit to strike out on her own, Kate was thrilled when a Texas-based client reached out. She began by improving their website—despite having little experience and doing it for free—before transitioning into consulting work. Eager to expand her expertise, Kate offered to visit the organization in person. What she discovered was shocking. At her very first dinner meeting, leaders

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00:34:25

That time when a six-hour job turns into a six-month...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/12/04

Today, Aleks Krylov, President of Stern Gutters, shares a Client Horror Story that dragged on for months. In October of last year, a retired woman contacted his team to install gutter protection at her home. By the first week of November, the installation was complete, and the final bill was charged. Just days later, Aleks began receiving emails and phone calls from the client claiming the technician had caused damage—breaking a patio lamp and chipping paint beneath the gutters. The technician

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00:37:05

That time when you're tasked to present a product...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/11/27

Today's horror story is a little different—it focuses not on a client, but on our speaker himself: Ron Reich, Founder of RLB Training & Development. Years ago, while working at an HR consulting firm, Ron received a surprising call from someone in Dallas who told him he was "the opposite of what he said he was." Odd as it sounded, the call turned out to be life-changing—the man was offering Ron an opportunity to become a trainer and facilitator at Toshiba, a dream role he had long

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00:32:40

That time when you help an employee become the best...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/11/20

In today's Client Horror Stories episode, Wes Towers, founder of Uplift360, shares a time when his good intentions as a leader took an unexpected turn.After years of working closely with one of his team leaders, Wes noticed the employee had grown bored and uninspired in their role. Wanting to reignite their passion, he brought in a bold new project they'd never tackled before: building a niche dating website. Excited for the challenge, the team leader eagerly accepted.But just weeks into the

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00:58:29

That time when you invest your whole life (and...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/11/13

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 invested $120,000—money borrowed from relatives and secured against his future. Despite early red flags, like

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00:43:42

That time when you sell only 50 tickets in an...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/11/06

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 moment, he signed on and began selling tickets.But reality hit hard—only 30 tickets sold. Despite

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00:58:05

That time when the Crypto Godfather turned my case...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/10/30

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 stolen his laptop—an already sensitive case that soon spiraled out of control. Alongside Ken’s company,

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00:42:44

That time when a client drops you for taking them to...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/10/23

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 with helicopter flyovers, scripts, voiceovers, and a professional agency. Bryan secured all the talent and

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01:00:23

That time when a client demands feature changes like...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/10/16

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 agreed to explore them. But the demands escalated, with the client threatening to cancel their subscription if

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00:45:26

That time when you’re asked to sell a product and are...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/10/09

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 for 30 years, the company had never implemented a proper CRM—the backbone of modern client management

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00:40:39

That time the client asked for the truth and then...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/10/02

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 focused solely on their production schedule, ignoring their financial statements entirely. When Derrick raised

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00:37:03

That time when you singlehandedly bring down your...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/09/25

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 discovered the company had developed a similar program for Electronic Arts. Sony questioned whether Ori’s team

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00:33:55

That time when you’ve successfully completed your...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/09/18

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 executive had lied about holding a collegiate degree. The issue came to light after the individual

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00:42:42

That time when your business partner teams up with...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/09/11

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 cozied up to the investor, taking credit for work he didn’t do, while also plotting with another co-founder

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00:48:44

That time when the doctor berates your product in the...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/09/03

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 procedure on a human patient. Everything seemed on track—until they entered the operating room. The once

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00:26:17

That time when you train a franchisee only to have...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/08/27

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. Max was stunned—had he known, he would have advised launching after her trip to avoid losing momentum.When

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00:44:18

That time when you receive 150 angry emails in a span...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/08/13

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 when an angry customer sent 150 emails in just five hours—all because they were stuck on hold for too

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00:42:14

That time when a promising client project unraveled...

Client Horror Stories ·

2025/07/30

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, innovative ideas—and Paul and his team were up for the challenge. The initial collaboration was smooth, even

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87 results

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