Have you ever been *so good* at solving problems that it backfires?
You solve things so well, so calmly, so consistently — that people stop asking you for help. They start *expecting* it. Worse, they assume you’ll fix *their* mistakes too.
**The Day I Stopped Solving Someone Else’s Mess**
One of my other **coaching franchise** brands had this exact situation recently. A practitioner downgraded their contract to a five-year option — which, although longer, came at a reduced price compared to the three-year one they originally had.
We don’t issue contracts lightly. They’re legally worded, yes, but the important stuff — the costs, the dates, the duration — is made crystal clear. We highlight them, we schedule them. We ask people to *read* them. We give you space, no pressure. And we even ask you to get it witnessed. Because this is a relationship. A long-term one.
And yet, this practitioner came back — *weeks* later — and said they didn’t realise they’d signed up for five years. They thought it was “a few months.”
We’ve *never* issued a contract like that. Never offered one. Never even discussed the possibility.
📄 So why sign a document — held in your inbox for weeks — without reading it?
Because they were looking for a cheap license, not a short-term one. But now, they wanted out. And they wanted me to *pay the price* for their mistake.
**When “Fair” Means You Lose**
*“I think it’s unfair,” they said. “I made a legitimate mistake.”*
That mistake was going to cost them. But here’s the part no one talks about:
It would also have cost *me*.
I run a business — a **coaching franchise** that supports people in mental health. We need long-term commitments so clients have consistency. Practitioners can’t just disappear.
I offered them a 20% discount on their settlement figure. They declined.
Then they tried to negotiate further. I said, “No thank you.”
*“I’m not fixing this one. You are.”*
**The Day I Chose Discomfort Over Damage**
*I hated it. Every second of it.*
Opening emails felt like stepping on glass — waiting for the next dramatic guilt trip.
I’m the re-framer in my family. I’ve dodged conflict my whole life. But this year, something changed in me. I’ve started to embrace friction — not enjoy it, but embrace it.
*Every time you face the discomfort of standing your ground, you build a muscle that’s long been ignored.*
**Your Backbone Isn’t Optional in Business**
And in a **coaching franchise**, your backbone matters more than your brand.
You can’t be everyone’s fixer. Not when fixing means compromising your integrity, your finances, or your values.
Some mistakes are meant to be expensive.
It’s the only way they ever get remembered.
So next time you’re tempted to soothe someone else’s discomfort at your own cost, remember this:
You don’t owe someone a bailout when they’ve ignored the obvious.
And sometimes, *“No thank you”* is the most powerful sentence you can say.
by Gemma Bailey (with the help of Ai)
