No one talks about what, in my oh-so-humble opinion, is one of the most important parts of lead generation and client acquisition…

That WRONG fit clients cost your business, your life, and you FAR more than you think.

You see a $10K proposal and think, "That's $10K I need."

What you don't see is…

Wrong clients don't just suck your time and energy. They occupy the exact space where your ideal clients should be living.

And here's the real kicker: every hour you spend serving the wrong client is an hour you can't spend finding, attracting, and serving the right one.

My client Amy works in an industry known for transactional relationships. Quick hits. One-and-done engagements. The kind of work where clients want you to execute their vision, not bring your own.

Amy knew from the start that transactional clients were her red flag. She wanted deep partnerships. Strategic relationships. Clients who trusted her expertise enough to let her actually use it.

But here's the thing about knowing your red flags: the market doesn't care.

She got pushback constantly. Prospects wanted her to change her style, work their way, fit into the transactional box her industry had built. And every time she said no, she watched potential revenue walk out the door.

When we developed her new offer together, the feedback got even more brutal.

And instead of panicking, Amy did something that takes real courage. She committed to treating that feedback as confirmation, not critique.

If someone looked at her offer and said "this is absurd," that was data. Not data that she was wrong — data that they weren't her client.

The result?

Her offer got written into a VC's term sheet. Now, when that firm makes new investments, money gets pulled from the deal before it hits the founder's bank account and goes directly to Amy for her engagement.

Read that again.

She didn't discount. She didn't chase. She didn't twist herself into a transactional pretzel to capture revenue that would have cost her everything she was building.

She said no to the wrong clients so clearly and consistently that the right ones built her into their investment infrastructure.

Most advice on "ideal clients" falls apart because it's way too generic.

"Work with people who value what you do." Great. Thanks. Very helpful.

The truth is, your red flags need to be as specific as your positioning. What's a dealbreaker for me might be fine for you. What drains your energy might light someone else up.

And here's what nobody tells you: your quirks are data.

A member who just joined the Collective told me he loves to read. Like, loves to read. And he has this habit of recommending books to clients — sometimes they appreciate it, sometimes he can tell they find it annoying.

He mentioned it almost apologetically, like it was a problem he needed to fix. "I need to learn to stop doing that," he said. "It's not always well received."

I pushed back. Haaaard.

No. You don't need to hide your nerdy energy. You need to find clients who love your nerdy energy.

Instead of sanding down that edge, we're making it part of the strategy. His ideal clients aren't just defined by their business problem — they're defined by whether they light up when he slides a book recommendation across the table.

The clients who roll their eyes? Red flag. Not because they're bad people, but because they're not his people.

This is what I mean by your red flags being specific to your positioning. You've worked with clients before. You know the ones who just got you — and the ones who didn't. The ones where every conversation flowed versus the ones where you felt like you were constantly justifying yourself.

That feeling? That's data.

So as you read through my red flags below, don't just nod along. Ask yourself: What are mine?

What are the signals — based on your strengths, your style, how you work best — that tell you someone isn't going to appreciate what makes you different?

Because that's what we're really building here. Not a generic filter. A filter that protects the exact thing that makes you irreplaceable.

These are mine. Yours will overlap in some places and diverge in others. Use this as a starting point, not a prescription.

1. Price shoppers vs. value buyers

If their first question is about cost — before they understand what you do, how you do it, or what results you deliver — you're already starting from the wrong position. Price shoppers will nickel-and-dime you through the entire engagement.

They're not buying transformation; they're buying hours.

2. "Pick your brain" requests

This is disrespect wearing a friendly mask. When someone wants to "pick your brain" before committing to anything, they're telling you they don't value your expertise enough to pay for it.

If they don't value it before they hire you, they won't value it after.

3. Scope creep patterns in discovery

Pay attention to how they behave before you're working together. If they're already pushing boundaries, asking for "just one more thing," or treating discovery calls like free consulting sessions, that behavior will multiply once money changes hands.

Set the precedent early that you will enforce boundaries to protect yourself.

4. They want transactional when you offer transformational

This was Amy's red flag; it’s one of mine, and it might be yours, too. Some clients want a vendor. Someone to execute their orders. If you're built for strategic partnership — if your value comes from your thinking, not just your doing — transactional clients will make you miserable and underutilize everything that makes you valuable.

5. Timeline is unrealistic

"I need this done by Friday," even though it's Wednesday and the project requires three weeks of work. Unrealistic timelines signal someone who doesn't understand (or doesn't care about) what's actually required to deliver quality.

You'll either kill yourself trying to meet it or disappoint them when you can't.

6. The decision-maker is unclear

If you're talking to someone who has to "run it by" their partner, their board, their spouse, their dog — you're not talking to the decision-maker. This creates a game of telephone where your value gets diluted through translation and decisions get delayed indefinitely.

7. Budget misalignment

Not "they can't afford you" — that's fine, not everyone can. I mean, the ones who could afford you but want to pay half because "that's what they paid their last person." I parted ways with a long time client because even as both our businesses grew, they wanted to keep paying my 3 years ago rates.

This is a values misalignment disguised as a budget conversation.

8. They're not coachable

This is my personal biggest red flag. I'm a hybrid coach and consultant, which means I need clients who trust my expertise. If someone is pushing back from the first conversation — not on values or style, but on my knowledge and experience — we're not going to work well together. And neither will you if coaching is part of what you deliver.

9. Your gut says no

You know this feeling. Something's off, but you can't name it. Maybe they were rude to your assistant. Maybe they made a comment that just sat wrong. Maybe you just... don't like them.

Your gut has data your conscious mind hasn't processed yet. Trust it.

10. They're an asshole

I'm not being flippant. Life is too short to work with people who treat you poorly, talk down to you, or make every interaction feel like a battle. No amount of money is worth dreading every email notification.

Here's what I want you to understand about red flag clients:

It's not just that they're annoying or draining or difficult. It's that they're freaking expensive.

When Amy said no to transactional clients, she wasn't just protecting her energy. She was protecting her capacity to build something that would eventually get written into term sheets.

Plus, there is a whole mental toll that wrong-fit clients demand that has much larger implications than pure time or money. We’ll dive deeper into that topic on Sunday.

Wrong clients cost more than no clients.

Not because of the energy drain (though that's real). Because of the opportunity cost of what you could have built instead.

The beautiful thing about getting clear on your red flags is that they become a decision-making framework.

No more agonizing over whether to take a client. No more talking yourself into "it'll probably be fine." No more ignoring the pit in your stomach because you need the revenue.

You just check the list. If they hit two or more red flags, the answer is no. Not "maybe," not "let me think about it," not "I'll make an exception this time."

No.

And that clarity — that willingness to walk away — is exactly what premium positioning requires.

Because let’s be real, clients can smell desperation. When you take anyone, you don’t attract anyone. When you're willing to walk away, you attract people who want what you specifically offer.

Your red flags aren't limitations. They're the boundary that makes premium possible.

I do a thing called Toast & Roast where I review entrepreneurs' LinkedIn profiles live, breaking down what's actually working (the toast) and what's quietly costing you clients (the roast).

Because here's the thing: your red flags work both ways. You're filtering for ideal clients — but your profile is also telling potential clients whether you're the right fit for them. If your positioning is off, you're attracting the wrong people before you ever get on a call.

Two ways to get in:

1. Volunteer to be Toasted & Roasted. I'll review your profile and give you specific, actionable feedback on what to lean into and what to fix. The deal: you have to be okay with me sharing it publicly so others can learn too.

2. Get access to the Toast & Roast library. Watch past sessions and apply what you learn to your own profile. Same insights, no spotlight.

Either way, you'll walk away knowing exactly what's working and what's silently killing your conversions.

Apply to get roasted →

Get access to the library →

In love and growth,
Kasey