Today, I planned to write something educational about video marketing—but after a few recent events, I felt compelled to talk about something else: trust.
As people, we’re naturally skeptical. As kids, we were skeptical about what we were told to eat. As teenagers, we questioned the people we hung out with. As adults, we’re cautious about who we build relationships with.
Running a creative business is no different. Trust matters—between clients and the business, between vendors and the team, and within the team itself. But trust isn’t automatic. It’s earned. It comes from your actions, how you communicate, how consistent you are. If you keep showing up, year after year, and doing what you say you’ll do, trust builds. The way my business is run, it’s not a high volume operation, but rather a closely knit partnership between myself and my clients.
That’s why a recent situation stung a bit. I won’t get into all the details, but here’s what happened.
We’ve worked with this client for five years. It’s one of those projects we genuinely look forward to. We had our usual kickoff call—talked about the project plan, timeline, budget. Everything seemed great.
A few weeks passed, and I noticed the agreement hadn’t been signed. I followed up. Then came the email: a short, transactional message explaining they had to go with another vendor due to budget constraints.
That kind of message never feels good. But this time it hurt for a few specific reasons:
- We’ve consistently worked with them, always got great feedback, and truly believed there was mutual respect. They do amazing work in the community, and it’s been an honor to help tell those stories.
- I thought the trust we had built meant we’d at least be given the chance to find a solution together.
Maybe something else was going on. Maybe budgets really were the issue. But that email didn’t just say “we’re going another way”—it felt like I had never been seriously considered for the project at all. I was treated like a replaceable vendor, not a partner. And honestly, it felt like the decision had been made before our planning call even happened.
If the budget really was tight, why not just reach out and say:
“Hey Joe, things are a little tight this year. Is there any way we could make something work? We’d love to keep working with you.”
That kind of conversation leaves the door open. It treats people like people. A true partnership tries to find a way forward, even if it doesn’t always work out.
It made me reflect on something I wrote last year about safety. Am I doing everything I can to make sure my clients feel safe enough to have honest, sometimes difficult conversations with me? I hope so. After this happened, I followed up with an email—not just to express my disappointment, but to make it clear that I value the relationship, and I’m always available if they want to talk.
But the truth is, I’m not sure where things stand now. Is the trust broken? Do they still believe I’ll deliver? And can I trust them to be upfront in the future?
There are a few takeaways for me:
- Never assume a recurring client will always stay. People change, leadership changes, and priorities shift. Even strong relationships need to be nurtured.
- Set expectations—both for yourself and others. And when things change, communicate. Don’t just assume the other person knows.
- Revisit your personal goals. Mine this year has been: stick with the mission. That helped anchor me through this.
I’m also thankful I had just read A Pause Practice by my friend and coach Michael Gebben. It gave me some clarity when this all went down. (Here’s the link if you’re curious: A Pause Practice)
For any creatives, business owners, or entrepreneurs reading this—just know that things won’t always go smoothly. Even when you do everything right, you might get sidelined. That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It just means relationships—especially professional ones—are complex.
