Back in 2022, we said yes to a client project that, if you look at the numbers alone, didn’t make much sense.
Precious metals.
Complex WooCommerce, Business Central, KYC, bullion rules, custom integrations… the works.
We poured over 3,000 hours into it.
We charged about $150k over two years.
Do the math – it doesn’t add up.
At times, it felt like we were giving away way too much. Long nights, endless troubleshooting, patching integrations that should have been out of scope. My ego hated it.
But here’s the thing:
I’d still do it again.
Not because undercharging is a good strategy (it’s not – and we’ve since fixed our pricing).
But because that imperfect “yes” gave us leverage:
- It became one of our proudest case studies.
- We learned how to handle integrations that 90% of agencies wouldn’t even touch.
- It built trust with a client that pushed us to the limits of our technical creativity.
- It gave us credibility – when I say “we’ve done this for X” people listen.
And it taught me something important:
Not every deal is about the short-term dollars.
Sometimes the ROI is relationships, learning, and proof that you can handle problems nobody else can.
The trick is knowing when to say yes.
Because if you say yes to everything, you burn out and sink.
But say yes consciously – with clear guardrails – and those imperfect projects can be the ones that shift the trajectory of your business.
Takeaway: Sometimes the worst deals on paper give you the best leverage in the long run. Just make sure you’re choosing them, not being dragged into them.
