Have you ever tried to return expired meat to Costco?

I come from a family of value shoppers.

My dad once bought half a goat from an Iraqi butcher in Dearborn because it was on sale.

You should've seen my mom's face when he came walking in the door with half a goat carcass, asking her to make room in the fridge.

As value shoppers, they also place a high value on being able to return things.

I've compiled a short list of the things my parents have returned to Costco:

- Expired meat - purchased fresh, but my parents didn't have enough time to eat it before it went bad.

- Several shrubs that didn't last the season. They wheeled in the twigs and asked for a refund.

- A decade old printer - the driver changed and it no longer worked with their computer, so they found the box in the garage (yes, I come from the type of family that never throws a box away) and brought it back.

(About three months after this, Costco changed its return policy for technology - a development that I think can be directly attributed to my parents.)

We live in a culture where we can try nearly any product we'd like and return it to a big box retailer.

As consultants, and small business owners, it's not that easy.

You can't "return" hours of strategy and consulting.

So how can you guarantee your consulting services, when they can't be "returned"?

My client Gwen has what she calls her, "No Guarantee, Guarantee" policy. She advises clients to stay with her for a minimum of six months, but if you don't like working with her after a month, you don't have to continue your contract.

Another way to ensure that clients aren't looking for an easy out is by selecting your clients very carefully.

Having a strong red velvet rope policy in place means that only the right people, the ones who are truly ready and excited to work with you, get into your "club".

Here are some of the ways members of my Elevate mastermind describe how they filter out "bad apples":

Shawn says the clients she'll never work with remind her in appearance and personality of Cruella DeVille.

Cheryl only works with clients who identify as anti-racist. Sharing a core value of hers helps her feel like they're on the same page.

Cathy only works with clients who understand the value of what she brings to the table.

I only work with women who believe in themselves and their vision enough to look self-doubt in the eye and say, "You did NOT just try to limit my potential. Not today, Satan!"

I'm going to be opening up the doors to Elevate soon for our Spring cohort. That's where I help ambitious women in consulting build consistent $20,000 months in their businesses, in just 30 minutes a day. If you'd like to be at the front of the line when I open the doors, join the waitlist today.