I've been SCAMMED, and I am not ashamed

This article is difficult to write, which might explain why I skipped a week and didn’t publish anything last week. Apologies for that.

Most people believe that once you have your brand in major retailers and stores, win awards, and are seemingly crushing it, you have everything figured out, can pay your bills effortlessly, and live an amazing, carefree life.

Many advised me against writing this, suggesting it might make me look weak and naive, potentially harming my business. But I’m tired of the "fake it until you make it" mentality. I want to shed light on the reality that most small businesses face.

Small businesses often don’t have the upfront money to cover manufacturing and shipping costs or for marketing efforts. They go above and beyond to get their products and compete with industry giants.

Often, this means having side hustles, especially if you have kids, which is my situation. Even though it’s frowned upon in the industry to admit you have other businesses, I've been quietly assisting clients with communication, manufacturing, production, marketing, and more.

On April 1st, I was supposed to start as the SVP of Community for a fintech company. We had a three-month contract to start with, offering great pay, amazing benefits, and a seemingly terrific team.

From day one, something felt off. My gut was telling me to be careful, but I needed the money to pay bills and continue growing, so I took the job. The first month went okay. I met the team, started working on strategies, assembled the necessary tools, and began building my team.

However, at the end of the month, the payment didn’t arrive. I waited a few days before asking about it, and excuses started to flow. First, they said the money was sent but would take time to show up because it was an international transaction. But every time I checked the bank account, the money wasn’t there.

When I asked again, they claimed issues with the bank and admitted the money was never sent, meaning they had lied from the beginning. Still, I continued doing my job.

By the 20th of the second month, I was close to receiving two months’ payment, but the lies continued and the money never appeared. I began to worry as I had bills to pay and commitments to fulfill. I had signed a contract with a fintech company; why would I suspect they wouldn’t pay me?

I continued working until the last month when the CEO, who used to text me at all hours (even in the middle of the night, because he claimed that’s when he worked best), disappeared. He stopped responding to my messages, emails, or any form of contact.

When I reached out to the rest of the team, I realized none of us had received any payment.

I stopped working.

To this day, I haven’t seen a dollar for my work and doubt the CEO will show up with an explanation and the owed money.

I’m sharing this story for two reasons:

1. To shine a light on the reality many of us live and nobody talks about.

2. To share with you all what I truly love doing and am skilled at.

Friends often tell me to promote my skills publicly and offer my services as a consultant, which I struggle with. So, consider this my way of telling you that if you ever need someone with expertise in communications or extensive experience in bringing an idea to life—from building a startup, drafting a business plan, designing a product, to selling it to retailers—please consider me.

I am building my business strong and won’t give up, no matter the obstacles. I would love to help others do the same.

Do I feel ashamed of being scammed? No.

Am I worried an investor might see me as weak and naive? No. I signed a contract with a seemingly serious company, which was an unforeseen outcome.

Will I trust my gut more? YES.

And I encourage you to do the same. Run if something feels off, no matter how amazing it looks on the surface.

Trust yourself.

Lesson learned.

Love,

M.