Warning: Got burned by a retainer client in Austin last month

I landed a $5k monthly retainer with a local boutique in Austin and they ghosted me after the first payment. Their site tanked in rankings because I had already built out their content strategy. Has anyone else dealt with clients pulling the plug right after you deliver the heavy lifting?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_kevin19h ago

Damn, that sucks man. I was listening to a podcast about this exact thing a couple weeks ago, apparently it's getting more common with people hiring freelancers and then dipping. They called it "strategy theft" or something like that. People think they can just grab your ideas and run with them, not realizing the actual work and maintenance is what keeps things running. You built the content strategy which is the backbone, and now their site's gonna fall apart without you keeping it fresh. Honestly, you might be better off without a client who pulls shady crap like that. Put that content plan in your portfolio and use it to land someone who actually pays what they owe.

kevin21817h ago

You see that kind of dishonesty everywhere now, @the_kevin, not just with freelancers.