Business Fire Drills
Business Fire Drills is a practical podcast for online business owners who sell courses, memberships, coaching, consulting, or a mix. Hosted by attorney Tamsen Horton, each episode takes a predictable business alarm—such as a refund request, a locked account, or a legal letter—and explains how to respond calmly and legally. The show focuses on the difference between reacting and responding, and on making the next clear decision before a problem escalates. It avoids fear marketing and legal drama, offering plain-English guidance for the moment before the fire.
Episodes
Social Media Account Disabled? How to Protect Your Business Before You're Locked Out
You open Facebook: disabled. Instagram: locked. LinkedIn: restricted. TikTok: nothing. Whether it was a hack, a bot, or a rule you never heard of, every door is locked at once. In this Business Fire Drill (Fire Drill 12: Before You Lose Access to Your Social Media Accounts), attorney Tamsen Horton walks you through what to do before it happens, including the "Log in with Facebook" ripple
Email Account Suspended? How to Protect Your Email List Before You're Locked Out
At 6:30 on a Monday morning, a sick dog, a crate full of puke, and a family out the door by 6:45. Attorney Tamsen Horton uses a very real morning to show why running a fire drill before the fire keeps a mess from becoming a crisis. In this Business Fire Drill (Fire Drill 11: Before You Lose Access to Your Email Platform), you'll learn how to make sure your email list is actually yours, ev
Locked Out of Your Website? How to Protect the Place Where You Sell Before It Goes Dark
Your "site" is wherever you sell. For some businesses that's a website. For others it's an Instagram account, a Kajabi storefront, or a checkout page someone else built. In this Business Fire Drill (Fire Drill 10: Before You Lose Access to Your Website), attorney Tamsen Horton shows you how to make sure you can never be locked out of the place where your sales happen.
What you'll learn:
Launch Week Money: Why Your Biggest Launch Can Leave You Short (and What to Do Before It Happens)
You posted "biggest launch ever." Three weeks later, the refunds, affiliate commissions, and tax bill arrive, and the number in your account looks nothing like the number you announced. In this Business Fire Drill (Fire Drill 09: Before a Launch Creates Financial Chaos), attorney Tamsen Horton walks through how to decide where launch revenue goes before the first sale comes in.
What you'l
Payment Plan Customer Stopped Paying? What to Do Before an Installment Plan Goes Sideways
You sold a $1,500 program on six payments of $250. Payment three fails, and a week later they're still logging in. Do you shut off access, let it slide, or send an email you'll regret? Nothing shady happened. It's just a payment plan going sideways.
In this Business Fire Drill, attorney Tamsen Horton covers:
The Alarm: failed charges that never get fixed, customers who want out halfway t
Stripe or PayPal Holding Your Funds? What to Do Before a Payment Processor Freezes Your Money
It's the Friday after your biggest launch ever. The sales are all there, but a chunk of your balance says "unavailable," and your ad bill and contractors get paid Monday. Nobody stole anything. Your payment processor just put a hold on your funds.
In this Business Fire Drill, attorney Tamsen Horton walks through what triggers a hold (launch spikes, new accounts, refund runs, business mism
Customer Asking for a Refund? What to Do Before It Becomes a Chargeback or a Lawyer's Letter
"I'd like a refund." Four words that can end as a closed email, a chargeback, or a letter from an attorney. In about five minutes, attorney Tamsen Horton runs the fire drill: what to do before you type a word, the three records to pull, how to spot the bigger signals, and the refund terms and protocol that keep every answer consistent, whether it comes from Team Human or Team Tech.
Your High-Ticket Offer Isn't Being Delivered — What to Do Whether You Sold It or Bought It
A high-ticket offer can go sideways from either side of the agreement: the seller who wants out, wants to change the deal, or can't deliver, and the buyer whose calls, tickets, or deliverables stop matching what was promised. Attorney Tamsen Horton runs the fire drill from both seats: the DRILL, how to tell a breach of contract from misrepresentation or fraud, and the written agreement th
Before a Contractor Complaint Turns Into an IRS Problem
A contractor complaint can mean two very different fires — a payment dispute, or a misclassification claim that pulls in the IRS or Department of Labor. Attorney Tamsen Horton breaks down how to tell which one you're facing, the DRILL to run the moment it lands, and the fire extinguisher (a real signed contractor agreement) that keeps most of these from ever starting.
Show notes:
Bringing
Got a Cease-and-Desist Letter? Here's What to Do Before You Panic
That cease-and-desist email in your inbox feels like an emergency — but it's a completely predictable business moment, and your panic is optional. Attorney Tamsen Horton walks through what a cease and desist actually is (using trademark infringement as the clearest example), the DRILL to run the second one lands, and the fire extinguisher to have ready before it ever happens.
Show Notes:
The Pay-to-Play Fire — What Happens When Sponsorship Money Goes Missing
A sponsorship deal is blowing up online, and it's completely predictable. Attorney Tamsen Horton runs two fire drills in one — the buyer's side and the seller's side of any pay-to-play transaction — covering what to do when you paid and didn't get what you were promised, and what to do when you sold a promise you couldn't back up.
Run the fire drill before the fire alarm goes off!
Show No
I Could've Told You This Email Was Coming
Business moments are predictable. Panic is optional. In this first episode of Business Fire Drills, attorney Tamsen Horton introduces the DRILL method — the five-step move that turns a business panic moment into a calm next decision — and walks through a live example: what to do the moment a chargeback hits.
Show Notes
Your business is going to have a fire. That's not the problem — the pr
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