Hmmmmmmm...
I was contacted to help develop a small business in a certain sector, as that is my speciality. I was contacted out of the blue from a forum that I used to write on helping people out with questions, pointing them in the right direction, giving them contacts and such.

The person that contacted me was having supply problems so I pointed him in the right direction, but he happened to live just a stones throw away, so we arranged a meeting. We began starting to sort out his problems, I gave him guidance, I helped him set up his back of a fag packet business, sort his website - only basics, but he didnt have a clue.

He had obviously been impressed with what I was able to do, really relatively simple things, but putting it all in order and sort of managing him. When he introduced me to the people that were financing him, they wanted to do the same - quick buck and all that, so I got drawn in.

I negotiated percentages of any orders, 15%. Any proper orders they made that's how I would make my money, I also took a small cut from the factories on the side(India and china).

The large orders never came, I had the 'nice' guy from the initial contact go behind my back after he found out the supplier I was working with. I had the other two people constantly requesting small changes, after small changes, going back on what they had asked for. Forgetting what they had initially asked for, it was a never ending circle.

It finally got so much of a ball ache that I was barely sleeping, I was awake until stupid hours dealing with suppliers wanting to know when their orders were coming in. Then the one chap finally did confirm an order. About 20k USD worth, it came in, it was late, it wasn't completely correct. Chap was happy, I got paid. But then after a month I got an invoice for the duty and vat. In my companies name, I was no longer speaking to said people, I'd washed my hands of the whole thing, it was too much and not enough money, they were cocking about and not playing nicely. So I was landed with a few grands worth of debt. They took me to court, I won, They took it to another court, they didnt comply with certain orders (court orders) so now it stands as a mark against me. I can't afford to fight it anymore.

It really broke me, I guess it also taught me a lesson to not trust people at face value, nor believe empty promises. Not to see a fist full of money and get excited. Not to work for people without payment upfront. Not to be desperate.

And not to deal with people that actually scare you!
(feedingtimeatthezoo day 1 of his bikini diet started, Sun 5 Aug 2012, 14:33, Reply)