Examples
Every commission is confidential, so nothing below is a real client letter. These are composite, representative scenarios — the kinds of situations clients bring, and the approach I typically take in response.
Career & resignation
The situation
A senior employee needed to resign after a company acquisition, without souring a relationship with a founder she respected.
The approach
The letter separated gratitude from the decision itself, stated the departure plainly in the first paragraph, and offered a clear transition timeline rather than open-ended availability.
Apology & repair
The situation
A business owner had missed a close friend's wedding due to a scheduling error and needed to apologize without minimizing the impact.
The approach
The draft led with the specific harm rather than the explanation, kept the reasoning to one brief sentence, and closed with a concrete offer rather than a vague promise to "make it up."
Personal & family
The situation
A client wanted to reopen contact with an estranged sibling after several years, unsure whether to address the past directly.
The approach
We built the letter in two layers: an opening that made space for the sibling to respond on their own terms, and a later paragraph that named the rift honestly, without assigning blame.
Condolence & sympathy
The situation
A manager needed to write to the family of an employee who had passed away suddenly, on behalf of the whole team.
The approach
The letter avoided generic phrases in favor of one specific, well-chosen memory, and was structured short enough to be read in a single sitting during a difficult week.
Complaint & dispute
The situation
A tenant's landlord had ignored three verbal requests to repair a heating system before winter.
The approach
The letter documented the timeline factually, cited the relevant lease language, and set a specific date for response — firm in substance, measured in tone, with no language that could read as a threat.
Business & client
The situation
A consultant needed to tell a long-standing client that a project deadline would slip by three weeks due to an internal issue.
The approach
The email led with the new date and the plan to hit it, rather than the reason for the delay, so the client's first impression was of a problem already being managed.
Your situation is likely more specific