The powers of evil Construction delays turned a 3-month fitness studio launch with clear tasks + milestones into a 7-month marathon that couldn't grow momentum.

We sold out of founding memberships in 1 weekend--yay! 🎉

But construction delayed opening by 3 months. And we struggled to build on our community's excitement. Boo! 👎

When we met with our FB ads manager, the owner said she'd already spent $10,000 on marketing + hadn't had a full class in 2 weeks.

She meant me + my services. 🙃

Even my naive ass who didn't know my best friend had a crush on me for 3 years understood right away.

Thennn she missed her next invoice. And it was time to officially end our working relationship. 😞 💔

I wanted to puke the whole 2-week waiting period before sending the termination email.

💔 I believed in the brand + their mission. (still do.)

💔 I really like the owner! Thank goodness we're still friends on FB.

💔 And I did feel like I let her down. I followed the corporate marketing plan. I even made sales calls. But was there something else I could've done???

In an attempt to convey my genuine gratitude, I recapped what I did + what we created in the termination email:

And after comparing what we did to our contracts, I felt proud of what I did + what we accomplished together.

I (over) delivered on the scope + learned there are sooo many variables to any launch. 😮‍💨

Which meant my first paid social media project wasn't a complete failure.

And now, sharing when I spot trends, warning signs + opportunities is something I do with all my clients whether they ask for it or not.

Remembering this made me want to remind you: when you feel like you should be further along than you are, look at where you started.

The truth is you probably ARE further than you think you are. Even if you didn't get the results you were after, there's probably a lesson that you'll take with you into your next rodeo. (and folks 🙋‍♀️ who have been cheering you on the whole time.)

#fangirlallday,
Mary

p.s. And maybe another reminder would be to get yourself a contract that creates a solid container for your work together. Brionna at The Everyday Lawyer is the best I've seen! So generous + refreshing. Definitely check out her Contract Foundations Course which includes a freelancing contract template. (No affiliate link. I am a huuuge fan.)

p.p.s. This accidental end-of-project review worked so well that I turned it into an essential process in my client delivery. It helps me get amazing testimonials, upsell/retain clients I love working with + grow my offerings.