6 Ways to Avoiding Being Burned by a Rogue Consultant

Karen took our money, did half the job, then disappeared into the mountains with her boyfriend.

True story, and it still gives me a twitch.

We were left picking up the pieces of a half-built Kajabi funnel, wondering how on earth we didn’t see it coming.

But the truth is, we did. We just didn’t want to.

We were desperate to go live, and I’d convinced myself she was “the one.”

She had the answers. She said all the right things. But we ignored the warning signs.

Since then, I’ve had way too many clients come to me with similar stories.

They’ve spent thousands on someone who promised the world.

Someone who talked a good game but left them with a mess, or worse - ghosted entirely.

And lately, there’s a new twist:

Some freelancers masquerading as agencies (often working from home around other responsibilities) have had legitimate personal or family issues come up mid-project.

They disappear. Not because they’re dodgy, but because life happens.

It turns out they’re not an agency after all; it’s just them, working from a dodgy desk in the spare room after the kids have gone to bed.

The problem is, you’re still stuck. The work stops, the payments are gone, and the impact is very real.

So what do you do?

✅ Start by asking these 3 questions before you hire anyone:

1. Can you walk me through your process, step by step?
No buzzwords. Just a clear outline of what happens, when, and how.

2. Can I speak to someone you've worked with recently?
Not an old testimonial. A real client who’ll tell you what the actual working experience was like.

3. How will your work improve our bottom line?
You’re not hiring for “nice to have.” You’re hiring to grow. If they can’t link their work to results, move on.

💡 And set these working practices from day one:

1. Stage payments with clear deliverables:
No full payment up front. Break the project into stages, and pay only when each bit is delivered as agreed.

2. You keep ownership of all accounts and access:
Your Kajabi. Your domain. Your Stripe. Your Cloudflare. Never let someone build your business inside their login.

3. Work in shared documents:
Keep all content, plans, and assets in a shared folder (Google Drive, Notion, etc.). That way, you’re not left chasing things if it all goes quiet.

Bonus: Get a copy of all custom code:
This one’s huge. If someone adds custom CSS, scripts, or tracking code to your Kajabi site, make sure you get a copy and know where it lives. Otherwise, fixing or changing it later becomes a nightmare.

These are small moves, but they’ll save you a fortune in time, stress, and lost momentum if anything goes sideways.

If you’re hiring help to clean up a Kajabi mess (or avoid one in the first place), make sure you’re asking the right questions and protecting yourself in the setup.

And if you’ve already been burned, you’re not alone, and it’s fixable.

Just next time, don’t ignore the red flags, or hand over the final payment until the work’s done.

I wrote this because I’ve been on the receiving end of bad hires and broken promises.

It’s exactly why I built a value-driven business, not a one-man band juggling clients.

With over 20 years of experience helping startups through to 7-figure coaching brands, I’ve seen it all. And I know how to fix it.

If you’re staring at a Kajabi mess, a funnel that’s not working, or a project that’s stalled, I can help turn it around.

Because your business deserves more than a patch-up job.

📩 Drop me a message if you want to talk it through.