The First Client I Lost, and What It Taught Me About Trust
- Christine Morgan
- Sep 11, 2025
- 2 min read
Looking back, one of my biggest early mistakes as a business owner wasn’t about the work, but about how I managed the relationship.
One of our very first customers asked us to build a custom app. We scoped it at 200 hours and made it clear it was a time-and-materials project. We explained that the scope might evolve, and the hours might too. When things got more complex, we documented a 20-hour change order and received written approval over email.
We delivered on time. It worked well. But when we billed the final hours, which included the approved change, everything shifted. The customer didn’t remember approving the extra 20, and those last five hours beyond the revised estimate became a real sticking point.
What stung most is that they didn’t tell me. They accepted the work, paid the invoice… and never reached out again. A relationship I believed could grow into years of partnership disappeared in silence.
What I’d Do Differently Today
If I had the chance to redo that engagement, I would:
Send a formal change order requiring signature — not just an email
Remove the final five hours from the invoice without hesitation
Prioritize the long-term relationship over short-term accuracy
Because the truth is: we worked far more than 225 hours. We simply didn’t bill for everything. That first project should have been about setting the tone through:
✔ Clear communication
✔ Shared expectations
Trust Is Earned in the First Engagement
Even with time-and-materials, it’s important to:
Stay as close to the original estimate as possible
Proactively communicate every change
Absorb a bit of extra time early on — to show you’re invested
You can adjust the approach with future projects. But that first impression? It’s defining.
Your Turn
Have you ever lost a client you thought was happy?How do you handle changing scope in a way that builds trust instead of eroding it?
I’d love to hear your perspective.
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