Rich Smith, Founder & CMO at Rich M. Smith Growth Studio, shares the story of a client relationship that started normally, took an unexpected turn when the company hired a new VP of Marketing, and eventually escalated into a full-blown professional nightmare. What began as a fractional CMO engagement ended with Rich being pushed out of the company, completing work outside his original scope, and later being disinvited from an industry conference because the former client reportedly refused to attend if Rich was there.

Along the way, Rich learned some hard lessons about maintaining relationships with decision-makers, recognizing when a new executive sees you as a threat, and knowing when to walk away from a contract—even when you’re technically entitled to stay.

The experience also changed how Rich structures his consulting agreements. Today, he includes a 30-day termination provision in ongoing consulting engagements, giving both sides a clear way out if the relationship stops working.

And there’s a second client story buried inside this one: a reminder that maintaining a relationship with the person who hired you doesn’t always mean going around the person you’re actually working with. Sometimes the real decision-maker isn’t the person who signed the check, but the person who determines whether you keep getting paid.

Morgan Friedman
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