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Vent: That 'strategic partner' I met at a coffee shop in Austin wasted 3 months of my time
I sat down with this guy Kevin at a coffee shop off South Congress back in March. He talked a big game about his network and how he could get my small manufacturing business in front of some big buyers. We met 4 times over 2 months, and I spent like 20 hours putting together proposals and samples for him. Last week he finally admitted he didn't actually have any contacts, he just wanted to 'learn from my process' for his own startup. I felt like an idiot for not asking for proof of his connections sooner. Has anyone else had a 'partner' turn out to be just someone picking your brain for free?
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claire_hart5323d ago
Feel awful for you, that's such a waste of your energy and trust.
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amy97424d ago
Oh wow, that is so slimy! "Learning from your process" is such a fancy way of saying he just wanted free consulting. I can't believe he sat through four whole meetings without even hinting he had nothing real to offer. Honestly, the coffee shop off South Congress should have been the first red flag, I've met like three other "entrepreneurs" there who were basically just networking tourists.
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