Why we said no to a big money project - and never looked back

At ID Digital Agency, we pride ourselves on saying “yes” - yes to challenges, yes to pushing creative limits, yes to helping brands connect and grow.

But sometimes, the most powerful word in business isn’t “yes.” It’s “no.”

This is the story of the time we turned down a high six-figure project - and why it was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.

The big pitch

It started like many big pitches do: a referral, a meeting, a proposal. On paper, the opportunity was golden - a large-scale website and digital marketing project with a well-known national brand.

The scope was ambitious, the timeline tight, and the budget generous. For any agency, it looked like a dream client.

But something in our gut whispered: pause.

The gut check moment

We always tell clients, trust the data, but listen to your audience. Internally, we had to follow our own advice - trust the facts, but listen to our gut.

We began doing what we recommend every business do before a big commitment:

• Checking online reviews and ratings - and they were concerning: dozens of poor staff and customer reviews across Glassdoor, ProductReview, and Google, many pointing to ethical concerns.

• Scanning local media coverage - and it wasn’t pretty. Ongoing PR scandals, whistleblower complaints, and unresolved customer lawsuits.

• Digging into court records - discovering ongoing legal disputes over unpaid invoices and contractor issues.

• Revisiting our own values - asking: do we want to attach our name, team, and energy to this?

The hard conversation

In the end, it wasn’t about the money. It was about alignment.
We gathered as a leadership team and asked:

• Do we trust this company?

• Would we be proud to tell future clients we worked with them?

• Are we okay with how they treat people, even if it doesn’t touch our work directly?

The answer was clear: no.

We called the client, thanked them for considering us, and politely declined. They were surprised - they even pushed back, offering more budget flexibility - but we held firm.

What we learned (and why it mattered)

Saying no cost us revenue, but it earned us something more valuable:

• Integrity - our team saw that we walk our talk.

• Trust - among clients and partners, knowing we don’t cut corners for profit.

• Clarity - reinforcing who we are and what we stand for.

As Jay Boston, our Strategy Director, puts it:
“Your name is your brand. Once you tie it to the wrong story, it’s hard to untangle.”

How to gut-check a business opportunity

1. If you’re a business leader or agency owner, here’s our checklist before saying yes:
2. Research public reviews on multiple platforms
3. Search local news, media mentions, and PR statements
4. Check court databases for ongoing or past disputes
5. Ask around - reputation travels through industry networks
6. Hold a values check-in: do their actions match your standards?

Final thoughts: growth isn’t always about more

We all want to grow - but at ID Digital Agency, we want to grow right.

Saying no to misaligned opportunities opens the door to the right ones.

And here’s the twist: just months after turning down that project, we signed on two dream clients whose values mirror ours.

We’ll never know what drama we dodged, but we know this:
We never looked back.