Ben SharfCo-Founder, Co-CEO, Platter · Forbes 30 Under 30

I filmed the BTS of a negotiation with a 9-figure brand founder.

Name: I filmed the BTS of a negotiation with a 9-figure brand founder.
Uploaded: 2025-10-16T14:53:10+00:00
Duration: 17 s
Channel: Ben Sharf
Description: In this behind‑the‑scenes clip, Speaker A (service provider) presents a "best and final" contract offer to Speaker B (a high‑value brand founder). The…

16 Oct 2025 · 0 min

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In this behind‑the‑scenes clip, Speaker A (service provider) presents a "best and final" contract offer to Speaker B (a high‑value brand founder). The retainer is contingent on the completion of a storefront, meaning the agreement won’t activate for several months. Speaker B agrees to the terms but insists on keeping the contract language informal. The core dispute centers on pricing: Speaker B wants 30 hours of work at a lower hourly rate, seeking a price break that Speaker A explains only applies to higher hour volumes. Speaker A stresses that the offer cannot be lowered further and warns that if the founder walks away over a few hundred dollars, the deal may not be viable. The exchange is candid, tense, and peppered with profanity, highlighting the high‑stakes nature of the negotiation.

This is our best and final offer. I want to make this work also, but I also have a business to run the same way that you negotiate internally. I do too. But the retainer doesn't start until the storefront is done. So you're looking at several months out anyways. I can change the agreement. And you and I both know I'm ready to get the fuck out of here.
I'm fine with that. But for now, keep it at fuck. Just for contract purposes. Bro, I'm building a website. I'm obviously going to use 3 of you guys. I have no plans to go anywhere else.
You're not respecting the offer that I put in front of you. You're trying to take one piece from one line item and another piece from another line item and put them together. Together. You're asking for 30 hours at [MASKED], which is substantially lower. You don't get a price break for lower amount of hours. You get a price break for a higher amount of hours. So you're asking me to give you the lower amount of hours at a lower price break. I respect that and I understand that, but at the end of the day, for the size of the business that you're running and the operation that I'm running, if you're gonna bow out of a deal over hundreds of dollars, then it probably wasn't meant to work anyways. I can't go any lower than this.