FBC – 346 – This REALLY drives me mad…

Today I want to talk to you about something I find despicable and that drives me mad.

Too many people are victims of these practices that I find simply unethical.

All details in today's episode.

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My day was one of those days that I hadn't had in honestly, six years. Today, I had four calls.

I mean, some people might be like, dude, do you need a medal for going on calls and stuff? I don't need a medal. It's just that I have organized my life so that I never, ever have to jump on calls. I don't have to go to client meetings. I don't have any consulting clients and stuff like that.

So it doesn't happen. I might have, like, one call here and one call there, but, you know, four calls. Oh man, I haven't had that in six years, man. But these were actually great calls, to be honest. So I'm not saying that these were bad calls and I'm not happy about it. I'm actually very happy about those calls because I got to speak to really cool people.

Now the task has been fulfilled and I go back to my regular life where I don't have any calls, any client meetings and stuff like that, because as much as I love people, I love my time a little bit more.

But anyway, I'm one of those calls. I was talking to a really great guy. I mean, I really admire the guy for everything he's done in his life, everything he's been through and the drive and the courage to still do what he does.

This REALLY drives me mad

And so we were talking about what happened to him before and the stuff that he did. And he was talking about some courses that he bought. And yeah, he was telling me that there was so much information, it was crazy. There were so many modules. And it's like hours and hours. It just felt overwhelming.

And a lot of it was way too advanced for, you know, the level he was in right now and it wasn't actionable stuff. So these are the things that drive me absolutely insane. OK, I'm going to tell you why.

So if you are dealing with someone who is super experienced and stuff. Yeah, well, you can go and give them tips that. They have enough information and enough experience to go and get the information and stuff right. But when you're dealing with someone who's completely new, dude, you need to give some actionable stuff more than just theoretical stuff that actually takes months and months to implement.

And there's so much information that people will get lost in and people will get discouraged. You've probably bought some training, Right. It’s going to be a twelve week course where blah, blah, blah, blah. So you're pumped up in the beginning and then after a week they give you so much information, it takes forever.

I mean twelve weeks is not the end of the word. Some businesses take years and years to set up. But what I'm saying is there are some courses out there that, before you see any action or put anything in place, months go by and a lot of people just get discouraged.

So the people will stay focused are the ones that are actually going to make it. So it's like you will tell them it's a natural selection. But to be honest, I hated those courses where nothing happens, you know, for a long time. And it's something that I said that I don't want to do in my courses, for example.

And I will go straight to the point. Giving actionable stuff and not just things that gets you more and more confused.

Frequently Asked Questions

What unethical business practices should I refuse to tolerate?

Refuse to tolerate hidden fees, deceptive marketing claims, fake urgency, and trapping customers in subscriptions they cannot easily cancel. These practices may lift short term revenue, but they destroy trust, attract refund storms, and quietly poison your reputation. A clean business is harder to build and far easier to scale over many profitable years.

How do I protect myself as a customer from shady tactics?

Read the fine print before buying, screenshot pricing pages, save email confirmations, and always check the cancellation flow before committing to a subscription. Use a virtual card with a low limit for new vendors. These small habits cost a few minutes and protect you from the most common patterns used by dishonest operators online.

Why do some entrepreneurs justify using unethical practices?

Some entrepreneurs justify unethical practices by claiming everyone does it or that customers should read more carefully. The real reason is short term greed and a weak offer. Strong offers do not need traps. When the product itself wins, the business grows on referrals and repeat orders, and the dirty playbook becomes unnecessary.

What is the long term cost of running an unethical business?

The long term cost is a constant churn of angry customers, chargebacks, platform bans, and reputational damage that follows you across new ventures. People talk. Reviews compound. The energy spent defending the business eventually exceeds the energy needed to build a clean one. Honest businesses are slower at first but vastly more durable.

About the Author

Martin Ebongue is the founder of martinebongue.com, an online business and lifestyle design blog focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build location-independent businesses. Since 2014, he has been creating and scaling online ventures across multiple niches, from digital products and affiliate marketing to SaaS and content platforms, while traveling the world. He shares the real-world strategies, tools, and systems that work, with a particular focus on AI-powered automation for solopreneurs. Follow him on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

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