The $1,400 Lesson: Why Being Cheap Cost Me Everything

This is the story of how I tried to save $1,400 and ended up paying a much higher price in dignity and time. 😔 But the failure was worth the lesson.

So in September, there was a massive tech event in Montreal called "ALL IN". A ton of big shots from the Canadian tech scene were going to be there, I even recognized some of the names.

However, the tickets cost $1,400. Obviously, I didn't want to pay that because that was a significant part of my money. So, I thought I’d be smart.

I sent a couple of cold emails to the ScaleAI team (event sponsors). They referred me to one of the ladies running the event, so I emailed her. Eventually we hopped on a call and I joined the "work team."

The plan was simple: get paid to be there, sneak in some networking, and enjoy the event for free. I was wrong.

First 2 days

The first two days were actually not too bad. We had the paid employee training on day one. It went well.

On day two, I woke up at 5AM to get to the event by 6. It was the first official day of the event. The beginning went smoothly, but I didn't have as much time as I wanted to do networking.

I was stuck at the front desk giving people their tickets while all the action was happening on the inside. It felt horrible. Like everyone was winning except me. 😔

The Incident

On day 3, I messed up big time.

The uniform requirement was simple: Black Pants.

I woke up, got dressed, and headed downtown. I arrived at the venue, ready to network.

Immediately, I got pulled aside.

"You're wearing green pants."

I looked down. They were dark... but they were definitely green. Since I woke up so early, I couldn't tell my pants were green in the darkness. I put on the wrong pants.

I tried to explain. I tried to reason. It didn't matter. I was "cooked." They kicked me out and told me I couldn't work until I had the right uniform.

The Scramble

It was 8:30 AM. The event was starting. And I was running around downtown Montreal like a headless chicken trying to find a SINGLE PAIR of black pants.

I called my friend who lived downtown so I could maybe borrow his pants; he wasn't home.

I checked google maps for any store that sold black pants.

The problem? Nothing opens until 10:00 AM on a weekday.

I ran from street to street, seeing only closed stores... Even Google maps couldn't save me.

So there I was, wandering aimlessly outside the venue, knowing that inside, thousands of people were connecting, making deals, and building the future. And I was outside, with green pants.

To make matters worse, I found out that another guy on the team got assigned to be the personal assistant to the Canadian Minister of AI.

He was literally shadowing one of the important person there.

I was better than him. I knew more about the tech than him. I was more talkative than him. But because I was outside dealing with this nonsense, he got the opportunity of a lifetime, and I got... well, some money for my hours.

The Realization

Walking those streets, angry and embarrassed, I realized I really messed up.

I wasn't a participant. I was staff.

When you try to "hack" the system by working for it, you lose your leverage.

• If I had bought a ticket, I would have been an attendee (a peer).
• Because I was working, I was basically a servant (staff).

They didn't want me talking to people. They didn't want me networking. They wanted me to stand still and shut up.

I originally thought that I'd get some time to network because that's how it was at another event. My assumption was wrong. I should have asked that question during the interview.

All my troubles could have been saved with one question

The Lesson: Opportunity Cost

I tried to save $1,400. But if I had just paid the money, I could have:

1. Avoided the stress entirely.
2. Walked in the front door with my ticket like everyone else.
3. Networked freely with high-net-worth individuals.

If I made just one good connection or closed one client, I would have made that $1,400 back ten times over.

Instead, I saved the money, but I lost the opportunity.

Conclusion:

Next time, I’m not working the door. I’m buying the ticket. If you want a seat at the table, sometimes you just have to pay for it.