Episode 29: Avoiding Risky Clients: Lessons for Service Businesses

Episode Synopsis:

In this episode of Time Well Spent, we explore how spotting the right warning signs in new clients protects your business from big losses. You’ll hear about:

• The geolocation red flag: clients outside your normal area who may signal trouble 

• Early price pressure and refusal to discuss scope as major risk indicators 

• Why communication style during the first interactions matters more than you think 

• Designing protective policies like upfront deposits and scope agreements to shield your business 

• Real-world client stories where skipping the vetting process cost time, money or sanity 

• How to build a client-onboarding checklist to detect red flags before signing contracts 

• The importance of consistency: never bending your terms for someone who “seems nice” 

• When it’s smarter to walk away — even from paid work — because the client will cost you in stress and lost opportunity 

• How tracking past near-miss projects helps sharpen your instincts for future red flags 

Related Article: Lessons Learned From Risky Client Encounters