The start of the pandemic created complete uncertainty for many companies, including the one at the center of this story. Their leadership team were coordinating massive shifts to online remote work, their budgets were frozen, and their priority was to keep their people employed rather than settle external expenses. Meanwhile, I was still receiving a heavy workload with none of the invoices being addressed. It was a frustrating position for any designer running a business built on consistency and predictable billing. I debated terminating the subscription, but it didn’t feel right to leave them without support. The situation was difficult for everyone, and I could tell they weren’t ignoring me out of malice. They were overwhelmed.

Eventually, I offered them a steep temporary discount with one condition. They needed to clear all outstanding invoices immediately. To my surprise, they agreed without hesitation. The relief in their response made it clear how much pressure they were under. I went a step further and made a choice I wouldn’t typically recommend. I didn’t put an expiration date on the discount. I didn’t tie it to output, hours or project limits. I trusted that they would return to our original rate when the time was right. It was a gamble. I put myself in a position that could easily be taken advantage. Still, it felt like the right gesture for a company trying to keep their people employed during a crisis.

Once the financial tension eased, our focus shifted entirely to rebuilding their marketing presence. Their social media following on LinkedIn was around 1,800 when we began. Within several months, we grew it past 12,000 through consistent campaigns, strong visuals and video content that cut through the noise. Their internal teams felt disconnected during the lockdown, so we developed a quarterly newsletter to help rebuild morale. It created a sense of unity at a time when scattered workflows made communication harder. It was only three of us working behind the curtain, yet the results were some of the strongest and most efficient marketing outcomes I had seen from such a small team.

During this time, I didn’t think much about whether the discount would be lifted. I was focused on producing good work and helping them recover. Then I received a message that made me pause. They wanted to schedule a face to face lunch. I assumed it was going to be a difficult conversation about tightening budgets. It felt too soon for a recovery, and I braced myself for the possibility that they were preparing to wind everything down. Instead, the meeting turned into something I never expected. It became a turning point that reinforced the value of long term partnership and reminded me why trust is sometimes worth the risk.

I had no idea what to expect, but the meeting opened with appreciation. They told me how much the discount had meant to them and how critical my work had been in keeping their brand visible during an uncertain chapter. Then they said something I had never heard from a client before. They were voluntarily ending the discount. Not only that, they believed my original rate was too low for the value I was delivering, and they wanted to increase it. Contractors are rarely offered raises, especially unprompted. Most designers can confirm that we are often the first expenses cut when budgets tighten. Receiving an unsolicited rate increase felt surreal. It was one of the strongest confirmations I have ever received that trust based partnerships can pay off in ways you don’t expect.

That rate still stands today, and it continues to remind me that doing the right thing sometimes leads to outcomes you cannot predict.

For anyone building a service based business, the lesson isn’t to offer discounts endlessly. The lesson is that relationships built on trust can create long term value far beyond the immediate project. It is the same philosophy behind why I run Predi Designs as a flexible, collaborative partner rather than a rigid agency model. Trust compounds. If you want an example of how, you just read one. If you want a deeper dive into healthy client relationships, there are great resources at HubSpot’s Service Hub that echo similar principles.