Non refundable deposit, keep every cent. They stole your work, that's on them.

Overheard a guy at a coffee shop once doing the same pitch three times in an hour, made me rethink how often I reach out.

Man, your post takes me back. My buddy Keith used to go to those same Buckhead lunches every single month, and he’d come back with a stack of cards so thick he kept them in a shoebox under his desk. He swore one day he’d actually call someone from that box, and it sat there for two years until he finally threw it out during a spring cleaning. The funny thing is, the one deal he ever closed from all that networking came from a guy he met in the parking lot after the event, because they both had the same old Honda and started talking about replacing the alternator. He still says that random parking lot chat was worth more than every lukewarm chicken breast and firm handshake he endured inside. So yeah, I get the nostalgia, but I think the real gold was always the weird side conversations, not the cards.