TIL: AI, peace & I got scammed

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THINGS I’VE LEARNED THIS MONTH

1.
Peace is a performance enhancer.

“Be quiet, work hard, and stay healthy.

It’s not ambition or skill that is going to set you apart but sanity.” — Ryan Holiday

2.
Weed Takes the Lead Over Booze

“In the U.S., there are now more daily or near daily marijuana users than daily or near daily alcohol users. Quite a cultural shift, I’d say.” — Rob Henderson

3.
What does productivity look like

Since I started my first project, I’ve always needed a way to keep track of my tasks. At first, I kept everything in my head. Then I started writing things down on random pieces of paper. After that, I got a notebook. Later, I discovered Trello and used it to organize my work and life for more than five years.

But then, out of nowhere, I switched things up. I started using sticky notes on a wooden pin board and a digital calendar to track everything.

Now, I’m more productive than ever.

There’s no right or wrong way to stay organized. What matters is finding what works for you at this moment.

I just think that we don’t have to overthink stuff like these. Just keep doing whatever helps you move forward.

GROW YOUR INFLUENCE

I write these letters to help you grow your influence.

But this time, we’re doing things differently.

You won’t be reading insights or a case study about growing your influence. Instead, I’m sharing how I got scammed out of €8.5K, why it happened, and what I learned—so you can avoid losing money and damaging your brand.

My businesses ran on paid ads and content distribution.

My clothing brand posted content on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook.

My Influencer Growth Program ran ads on Instagram and Facebook.

I managed all the marketing and built a system that made consistently over $100K per year.

But I knew we could do better. The problem? I was completely self-taught.

a. No marketing school.

b. No job experience.

c. No business mentors.

Just me and YouTube tutorials. In 2018, there was no GrokAI or ChatGPT—so I had to figure it all out myself.

For months, business was great.

Then I decided to take the next step.

I found a company that claimed they could improve my ad performance. Since I was already spending $5K–$10K per month on ads, I thought working with professionals made sense.

In April 2022, my business was generating a decent amount and while this was a solid income, I knew we could scale further.

At the time, my marketing strategy relied heavily on paid ads and content distribution, and I was already spending €5,000-10,000 per month on ads.

I wanted to optimize my ad strategy and reach the next level—so when I came across a company in Latvia that guaranteed they could help me scale to €100,000 per month, I was intrigued.

Their social media profiles and websites made them look like legitimate professionals. They ran a business that seemed to have worked with interesting individuals in the industry.

Since I had no formal business education or corporate experience, I was always looking for ways to learn from experts. Their pitch made it sound like they had proven systems that could help me scale.

To test things out, I first hired them for a smaller project.

For the first few weeks, everything seemed smooth. They were responsive, they delivered what they promised, and the results weren’t bad. This gave me a false sense of trust—I thought I had found a team that truly knew what they were doing.

Then came their bigger proposal.

They offered a high-ticket service where they would help me grow my business to €100K in monthly revenue within 60 days. Their guarantee? If we didn’t hit that target, they would refund me in full.

It sounded too good to pass up.

I asked a few basic questions—things like how they planned to achieve this, what kind of ad strategies they would use, and whether they had done this before. Their answers sounded convincing.

So, as any eager 22-year-old entrepreneur, I wired them €8,500 the same day.

Looking back, I realize this was a reckless move.

That day, it felt like my life had changed.

I should have done more research and contacted the past client references.

At the time, I felt confident. I believed I was dealing with seasoned professionals who had successfully helped other businesses scale.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.

The 60-day deadline came and went, and we were nowhere near €100,000 per month. 

Then came the biggest blow—my Stripe account was shut down.

This meant I couldn’t process payments as usual. Revenue dropped to zero overnight, and my ability to run my business was severely impacted.

In the middle of this crisis, I tried reaching out to those guys.

At first, they gave vague responses, promising they were “working on it.”

Then, they stopped replying completely.

I really hate it when people leave crucial information out of case studies so I decided to be 100% frank with you.

The two men were Ralfs Mecaucis and Janis Kremers. 

Messages were ignored, emails went unanswered, and calls were declined.

I knew I had been scammed for good.

After multiple follow-ups, I finally got them on a call.

On that call, they admitted they couldn’t refund me all at once. Instead, they proposed a ridiculous payment plan—they would send me the money back in small installments over two years. 😅

Even then, they only sent me €1,000—and that was it for a while.

Then they stopped again responding entirely. 

Anxiety skyrocketed once again.

In my attempt to 5X my business I ended up losing all my momentum and the only way I had to process the memberships of my program.

I tried to get back the remaining 7,500€, but my messages were ignored, my emails went unanswered, and my calls were never returned.

Every time I thought I was getting somewhere, I hit another dead end. I tried everything. I sent legal threats. I contacted mutual connections. I even considered flying to Latvia just to confront them in person. But nothing worked.

Sleepless nights turned into months of frustration. 

Then, just when I was about to give up, a surprise WhatsApp message. A half-hearted response. 

I pushed harder. More emails. More calls. More persistence.

Until finally, after what felt like an eternity, the impossible happened.

Slowly and definitely not steadily I was getting my money back piece by piece.

1,000€ one month. 500€ after 10 more reminders. 2,000€ after 2 phone calls.

Long story short, it took me 18 months of follow ups to get my money back.

This experience was stressful. I lost sleep, spent hours planning, had countless frustrating calls, and after Stripe closed my account I lost 25,000€ of recurring revenue.

But in hindsight, I learned some powerful lessons:

1. You can’t make a good deal with a bad person. And you can’t make a bad deal with a good person. Trust matters more than a fancy pitch.

2. Always contact previous clients. If I had reached out to their past customers, I might have learned the truth before sending my money.

3. Follow up. Even if things seem fine at first, stay on top of communication and don’t be afraid to ask tough questions – again and again.

At the time, I made the best decision I could with the information I had.

Now, I know better. And now—you do too.

to your growth and influence,
>> Chris Fountoulis
Founder – GrowthOfInfluence.com
chris@growthofinfluence.com

Interested in our ventures? Find them here:
– Agency for creators: GrowthOfInfluence.com
– Personal Website: ChrisFountoulis.com

Join +6,000 influencers getting mindf*cked while reading The Influence Letter
(you may learn a bit about life & business too)

• [Article] How to spend profitably $300K on ads when you start with $100
• [Insight] Why an MBA Harvard Grad Partnered with me for Digital Marketing
• [Case Study] What happens when you message over 10,000 strangers
• [Training] How to manage your time when you’re paying for ads
• [Anti-Training] How I got scammed for $8.5K by marketers
• [Case Study] I spent 1 year in a €1K per month Mastermind

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