Hey there,

Before I lived in Paris, I lived in Amsterdam and learned several business lessons along the way.

When I first arrived in the Netherlands, I trusted a law firm to handle my immigration process, which included setting up a business entity in the country.

Long story short, I got scammed into creating a business structure that was not at all appropriate for my situation.

Between the seemingly endless paperwork to undo the damage and the cost of their initial (and unnecessary) services, I estimate my losses to be between €3,000 and €5,000. That’s nearly $6,000 USD.

It’s been several years since this happened. I’ve reflected on it a lot, and now I know a few things about how not to run my business.

So I’m sharing them with you as red and orange flags to watch for before hiring a marketer. While these lessons can apply across industries, they’ll hit harder when framed through marketing. After all, that’s what you signed up for, right?

I know my clients come to me because they’re not trained in marketing like I am. That’s one of the reasons we hire contractors in the first place. But just because I know more than they do doesn’t mean I’m going to propose a service they clearly don’t need.

When I present my services—and even after I deliver them—I want clients to understand where they were before working with me and where they are after.

Sometimes that means breaking things down: What is SEO? Why does a brand voice guide matter? Can you just run Google Ads before improving your website?

Yes, it takes time. And sometimes clients genuinely don’t care to learn. But I at least give them the opportunity to say that.

I didn’t get that opportunity with those lawyers. I was treated like someone who wouldn’t eventually realize they’d been taken advantage of.

When I eventually found out what had happened, I immediately took action. I found another lawyer who actually helped me, I journaled about it extensively, and I did what I had to do to recoup the time and money I’d lost.

And, of course, I let the law firm know—by leaving a negative review on Google—just how badly they had mishandled my immigration process and business standing.

I wasn’t surprised to see the law firm respond to my review in a very expected, diplomatic, circling-the-drain kind of way. I didn’t expect a refund. I simply wanted to warn other immigrants and entrepreneurs about their practices.

This brings us to the question of handling criticism. As a recovering people pleaser, I’ve learned that receiving criticism isn’t about trying to please everyone. It means engaging with genuine feedback on your work, even when it’s delivered in stern language.

Sometimes people’s reactions to criticism come from deeper wounds or past experiences. But at the end of the day, as a business owner, I’ve learned to take criticism in stride—and still take it to heart.

There’s nuance in all of this. Not every experience is black and white. But this is the standard I hold in my own business, and the one I encourage you to expect from anyone you hire.