did i just lose a good opportunity?

· noise r/entrepreneur · ↑ 104 · 💬 47 · 2026-01-20 · kw: better way to · open on reddit ↗

Tool

none

Issue

Service provider rejected a $50k project due to client's request for discounted initial rate with promise of higher future payments, creating uncertainty about lost long-term partnership opportunity ($150k annual potential) versus avoiding a bad-faith client.

Cost

$50k initial project; $150k potential annual revenue at stake

Recommendation

none

Date context

2026-01-20

extracted with

anthropic/claude-haiku-4.5 · 2026-05-08

Body

had a call with a potential client at inagiffy last week. project sounded interesting, scope was clear. But then they went like "we can't pay full rate right now but if this works out, we'll pay you way more on the next one " i said no. we don't do discounted first projects hoping for better terms later. they seemed surprised saying but this could lead to a long term partnership. maybe. or maybe they pay less now and ghost later. seen that too many times:) walked away from it. $50k potential project. now i'm second guessing. what if they were actually serious? what if that would've turned into a $150k annual client? did i make the right call? what would you have done?

Top comments (6)

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[score=58] RizzleP

You made the right call.

[score=11] WorkLoopie

As an agency owner- you made the right call. You can always break a sow up into phases or have payment terms. And chances are they would have been a terrible client. You dodged a bullet.

[score=8] Educational_Emu3763

Cannot express in words the depth of how you absolutely made the right call.

[score=3] kunalkhatri12

u/Rich_Direction_3891 You made the right call. Serious buyers don't test "long term" by underpaying upfront, they prove it by respecting scope and rate on the first engagement. If they couldn't afford $50k with clear value, the $150k future was almost bleak, certainly hypothetical, not a plan.

[score=5] Reii-SaaS

Honestly? I understand how you feel but you made the right call. “Pay less now, more later” is almost always a red flag. If they can’t respect your rate on the first project, they won’t magically respect it on the next one. Long-term partnerships start with fair terms, not promises.