This is the greatest job in the world except for one thing: the clients.

Disclaimer: I don’t hate my clients. That’s a quote from "Mad Men".

The show actually sparked my interest in advertising and agency life.

But when I first watched it 13 years ago, that line didn’t hit the same.

Rewatching it recently? It hit. Hard.

Offering Google Ads to businesses can feel like a dream: you help businesses grow, see wins come in, numbers move. That part is really exciting.

But the behind-the-scenes? Managing expectations. Translating data into something human. Telling clients not to freak out over one off day. Explaining why some dude on YouTube yelling “THIS is the truth” might not be the best guide. Chasing down unpaid invoices like a bill collector. And yeah… some people are just naturally tough to deal with.

Even when the results are good, people bring their own lens, stress, opinions, what someone else told them, what they expected to happen.

It took me a while to learn how to navigate that without burning out.

Here are a few lessons that helped me, and I hope they will help you too:

1) Set boundaries. If you don’t, clients will. One weekly update can become hourly check-ins. Reply on a Saturday? You’ve just signed up for weekend work.

2) Protect your energy. Just because someone’s paying you doesn’t mean they get 24/7 access. Know when to close the laptop.

3) Tell the story behind the numbers. Reporting isn’t enough. CTR means nothing unless you explain why it matters, in plain English.

4) Zoom out before you zoom in. One bad day doesn’t wreck a month. But chasing the cause of a 24-hour dip? That’ll kill your week. Focus on trends, not blips.

5) Set expectations early. If it feels off, it probably is. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. Alignment up front saves everyone stress.

What would you add here?

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This is the greatest job in the world except for one thing: the clients.