The Downfall of Poor Business Decisions: A Cautionary Tale
Recently, I found myself reflecting on a previous employer, a company that had once thrived under the leadership of an exceptional individual named Bill. After a successful tenure in the industry, Bill decided to retire and enjoy the fruits of his labor. I could not be happier for him; he earned every bit of his retirement. However, the changes that came after his departure were anything but cheerful.
Bill sold his company to a new group of owners who, unfortunately, had a very different vision. In their pursuit of slashing costs, they discarded the very elements that contributed to the company’s success—its name, its programs, and most importantly, its talented staff. This is where I come into play.
For two years, I had the privilege of collaborating with Bill as he took a chance on my budding SEO agency. His belief in me allowed my business to flourish. Together, we crafted strategies that were both effective and transformative, and I appreciated his understanding that good results take time and effort. However, the narrative took an unexpected turn after he sold the company.
Shortly after the transition, I received an invitation for a meeting with the new owners. In preparation, I meticulously organized all the SEO metrics and strategies we had developed. During our call, I presented my insights and answered their questions, believing the session went well. But the positive momentum came to a halt when they inquired about my fees. Initially, we started at $700 a month, but as the business grew, my rate increased to $1,000—still reasonable considering the industry standard.
To my surprise, they dismissed my offer, proposing $200 a month instead. At that moment, I realized there was no point in continuing the conversation and chose not to respond further.
Fast forward to today, and I’ve been monitoring their progress—or rather, their decline. The new owners embarked on a reckless rebranding, altering URLs and destroying existing content, decisions I anticipated would lead to trouble. A quick crawl using Ahrefs only confirmed my predictions: the company’s keyword presence plummeted from over 3,000 to a mere 250.
Curiosity got the best of me, and I checked their Google Analytics, finding I still had access. The results were alarming—the company’s revenue from organic search had dramatically decreased. Watching this business spiral downwards has been strangely gratifying, especially given the lack of regard shown to those who helped build
