On September 7, a TikTok user named Emily Lyons posted a reenactment of a tough conversation she had with a potential client. The video drew sharp reactions from viewers who criticized the client's remarks about money and women.
The video had drawn nearly 30,000 likes as of publication. Lyons noted that it was a reenactment of an actual conversation, not a recording of the original.
“For those asking: yes, this was a real conversation I had. However, this is a reenactment of that conversation. I would never record a client or potential client,” Lyons wrote in the caption.
During the reenactment, a wealthy potential client calls Lyons to apologize for the earlier encounter. Rather than offering a straightforward apology, he immediately proposed doubling her fee. “That’s not an apology. That’s a counteroffer,” Lyons responds.
The man then says that he is not a difficult client and that he does not need to be coached. He claims that his needs are simple in that he wants Lyons to arrange a match with a woman. He then discusses his past dating experiences and says that he has been with hundreds of "stunning women" and can therefore not understand why he still has trouble finding a partner.
@emilylyoness1 For those asking: yes, this was a real conversation I had. However, this is a re enactment of that conversation. I would never record a client or potential client.
♬ original sound - Emily Lyons
Lyons turns the argument back on him and compares his dating history to a business problem. “If your employees turned over as fast as those women did, you would see it as a retention problem, and you would go looking for the cause,” she says. “You have got hundreds of data points here in front of you, and you’ve never once run an analysis on it.”
By talking about his professional achievements (he runs a company with thousands of people, earns billions in revenue, and is connected to presidents and top CEOs), Lyons says that such skills do not always apply to romantic relationships. "That tells me you are good at business, but I'm not looking to hire you," she explains.
The conversation takes another, much worse turn when the client asks whether Lyons is having “a bad week” or if it is “the time of the month.” “There it is right there,” Lyons says. “You will treat a woman [like this] the moment she has an opinion that you don’t like?”
The clip sparked strong reactions, with one commenter saying that the exchange really was a "counteroffer." Another praised Lyons for remaining professional during the conversation. A different viewer cited the business example, saying that the client had "tons of data points" yet would not analyze them. Others believed that the man was unable to accept rejection and did not consider the possibility that his own actions might be responsible for his problems in dating.
Several commenters pointed to what they described as a contradiction in his position: he wanted a partner who did not work but also resented women who were attracted to his wealth.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the conversation described by Lyons or confirm the identity of the potential client. The details above reflect the reenactment shared on TikTok by @emilylyoness1 and her caption clarifying it was not a recording of the original exchange.
