That time when you get contracted to work on a website that wasn’t even your client’s property… (with Kathryn Smith)

Kathryn Smith, founder of Walton Birch, shares a client horror story unlike anything we’ve heard before.

In the early days of launching her custom web development company—with just herself on the team—Kathryn expected the usual startup challenges. But nothing could’ve prepared her for this.

A former client referred a woman who needed help with her Shopify site. What seemed like a routine job quickly spiraled out of control. The client had no login credentials, so Kathryn contacted Shopify for support, followed a string of verification steps, and even reached out to the client’s former developer. After more than three months—and repeated threats from the client to terminate the contract—Kathryn finally gained access to the site.

That’s when she discovered the shocking truth: the website didn’t belong to the client.

Despite being informed that she had no legal ownership or rights to the site, the client insisted on proceeding as if nothing was wrong. Was it a scam? Misunderstanding? Fraud?

What began as a simple project turned into a digital identity crisis. Tune in to hear how Kathryn navigated this bizarre and stressful ordeal—and the lessons she learned about due diligence, boundaries, and trusting your gut.

 

Morgan Friedman

Kathryn's Company Website

Kathryn's LinkedIn