The Email That Hit My Inbox at 9:47pm…
One Angry Message, 13,000 Happy Attendees, and a Big Lesson in Marketing
At 9:47pm last night, I opened my inbox to find this message:
“This is the reason why I hesitate to join anything like this. I was curious to see other types of crafts and thought I can sign up for free and see what else is out there. What I didn't sign up for are daily emails telling me why I really should have paid for the experience. I'm no longer interested in this workshop and will be unsubscribing as soon as I hit send.”
If you’ve ever run an online summit, webinar, or even just sent a launch sequence to your email list—you probably know that sinking feeling when someone pushes back.
My first reaction? Honestly—ouch.
My second reaction? Wait… maybe this is actually a good sign.
Why Complaints Happen When You’re Selling
Here’s what this subscriber didn’t realize:
Our Art of Handmade Summit gives away 36 workshops, speaker gifts, and 4 days of training completely free.
But hosting and running an event like this is expensive. The way we sustain it is by offering a VIP pass with lifetime access and bonuses.
That means we have to promote. If we don’t, no one buys—and if no one buys, the event can’t exist.
This is true for any creator or entrepreneur. Free content brings people in, but it’s the paid offers that make the business sustainable.
What the Numbers Really Say
Here’s the part that shifted my perspective:
We had over 13,000 registrations for the summit.
This was the only email complaint I received.
When you look at the ratio, the data tells a completely different story: most people are thrilled with the experience.
That one complaint? It’s an outlier—not a verdict on my business.
3 Ways to Handle Unsubscribes and Pushback
If you’re a business owner, you will get complaints, unsubscribes, and pushback. The question is: how do you handle them?
Here’s my personal framework:
Feel it, then pause.
It’s normal to feel defensive. But reacting right away rarely helps.Check the data.
Look at the big picture. One unsubscribe out of thousands isn’t a crisis—it’s perspective.Ask what it signals.
If nobody is complaining, you may not be selling hard enough. A little friction often means your message is cutting through the noise.
The Takeaway for Entrepreneurs
Unsubscribes aren’t failure. They’re part of the process of running a real business.
The truth is:
If you never sell, your audience doesn’t get the chance to buy.
If you only focus on “not bothering” anyone, you risk staying invisible.
And if someone unsubscribes? They weren’t your customer anyway.
The next time you get a note like the one I did, take a breath. Then remind yourself: unsubscribes are proof you’re marketing. And marketing is what keeps your business alive.
👉 Your turn: How do you handle angry messages like this in your business? Do you ignore them, learn from them, or use them as motivation to keep selling?
