DO NOT ENGAGE THE SERVICES OR PARTICIPATION OF LEE MUHL!
I also advise against using Cayenne Consulting LLC., as they clearly have not distanced themselves from Lee's questionable consulting practices, both past and present.
For context, I have been a licensed general building contractor in California for 30+ years. A successful project for the Client and my company is fundamentally based on proprietary documented scope, processes, inclusions, exclusions etc. for each of our project prime contracts. In hindsight, I set all that aside and allowed myself to be manipulated by a person adept at flattery, and distractions.
I neglected to have used 2-3 hours to perform basic due diligence before contacting Cayenne Consulting or signing Lee's Project Engagement Agreement, which required a $3,600.00 retainer payment. If I had done this research, I would have discovered numerous causes for concern, halted all further interest in Cayenne Consulting LLC., and avoided wasting $3,600.00 on working with Principal Consultant Lee Muhl.
There is little information available online, including LinkedIn and Facebook, about Lee Muhl, except for a Yelp review from Britany F. in 2020 that states, "NOT GOOD." Please read about her experiences with Lee and the response she got from Cayenne Consulting.
Reflecting on my interactions with Lee before signing the Engagement Agreement regarding my project needs, I recognized my lack of knowledge in areas such as pitch decks, business plans, and investor connections. Only after signing the Engagement Agreement, paying the $3,600.00 project initiation fee, then a week later reviewing Lee's progress work (disguised as the deliverable) it became evident that Lee is skilled at exploiting individuals during their most vulnerable moments. The terms of the agreement which is cleverly assembled to benefit him, leaving the client with limited to no options for disputing the quality and accuracy of the work after the initial review. He demands the "balance due" immediately thereafter, which likely triggers his $225.00 hourly rate for any work thereafter.
Lee has claimed that his consulting services have facilitated over one billion dollars in investment capital funding. If he has truly achieved such success, it is concerning there are no companies or individuals publicly praising his work anywhere!
Lee's bio on the Cayenne Consulting website raises several red flags:
* There are NO CLIENT TESTIMONIALS.
* His California State Bar license has been inactive since 1999. His bio should state "Was" a member rather than "Is."
Lee does not provide a professional summary outlining the process, including how it works and what collateral you need to collect and deliver. Instead, he sends poorly assembled emails, often containing text cut and passed from prior projects.
* He prefers meetings not to be recorded.
* He uses a personal (free) account for hosting Zoom meetings and does not use the recording option to document and share these meetings.
* He didn't know how to use Zoom Screen Share.
* He employs predatory practices to collect and process payments.
* He sends emails at odd hours, including weekends, and uses these messages as leverage against his schedule, not yours, which he then uses to assert the client has breached and defaulted on the terms of the Engagement Agreement.
The terms of Lee's Engagement Agreement lack a clear summary and adequate time allocation, making it difficult for clients to source, assemble, organize, and deliver the necessary collateral for his use. He makes statements like, "I was so encouraged by this project; I have already begun work on it," which he later claims deducts from the paid fee, without offering any clarity on the process.
These issues may seem trivial but given my current situation with Lee after having paid him a $3,600.00 retainer, I find his work to be grossly inferior to the sample slides provided by Cayenne Consulting. Lee's draft appears to have been produced by a sixth grader using screenshots of Microsoft Word. Coupled with Britany F.'s review, I see no choice but to cut my losses and seek consulting services elsewhere.
In closing, I wish success to all those entrepreneurial spirited people who see this post while doing their due diligence and endeavoring to realize a successful and fulfilling campaign. First and foremost, use rational judgment prior to giving away small or large sums of money to consultants who are out there preying on vulnerable naïve persons such as us. Most importantly, you should expect to pay a small fee to whomever you select for your consulting outlining their proprietary approach to the How, When and What prior to commencing to expense the large fee required for the deliverable services. If they don't have an option like this, you're likely gonna get steamrolled and have little in return for fees paid, funds lost. read more
