PODCAST · business
Business Fire Drills
by Tamsen Horton
Business moments are predictable. Panic is optional. Business Fire Drills is a library of plain-English fire drills, led by attorney Tamsen Horton, for the online business owner who sells what they do — courses, memberships, coaching, consulting, or a mix. Each episode takes one predictable business alarm — a refund request, a locked account, a legal letter — and walks through what reacting looks like, what responding looks like, and the calm next decision you can make. No fear marketing. No legal drama. Just practical, legally informed guidance for the moment before the fire, so you're never caught without a plan.
Episodes
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Can You Use a Customer's Testimonial Without Asking? What to Get in Writing in 2026
A customer posts a glowing review and you drop it on your sales page. Attorney Tamsen Horton explains why public is not permission, how AI changes user-generated content in 2026, and the five-piece fire extinguisher to build before anyone asks, "Wait, where did you get that?" SHOW NOTES A…
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Who Owns Your Course/Content/Work If a Contractor or Collaborator Helped Make It?
You hired a designer, a friend helped with the workbook, and then the thing takes off. Attorney Tamsen Horton explains who owns what contributors made, and the five-piece fire extinguisher to build before anyone argues about it. SHOW NOTES: A designer built your course. A friend helped with the...
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Can I Use This Business Name? How to Check a Brand Name Before It Becomes a Problem
You just thought of the perfect name, and you want to go buy the domain. Stop right there. Attorney Tamsen Horton explains what a trademark actually is, why the idea stage is when you run this drill, and what to grab if a name problem is already smoldering. Show notes: You bought the domain, the...
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Someone Copied Your Framework? What You Can Actually Protect (and What You Can't)
A former student launches a program with your steps, your order, and your promise under a different name. Before you post a callout or call your lawyer, find out which kind of problem this actually is. Attorney Tamsen Horton explains why you can't own the idea behind a framework, and the three...
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Someone Copied Your Content? Why You Can't Stop It and What to Protect Instead
With AI, anyone can recreate your blog post, carousel, or video in seconds, and you can't realistically chase every copy. In Fire Drill #16, attorney Tamsen Horton shifts the question upstream: what do you own that matters, can actually be protected, and is worth the time, money, and energy to...
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Is Your Business Really Backed Up? A Backup Plan for Your Data and Your People
"Don't worry, it's probably backed up somewhere" has created more business migraines than most hacks. In Fire Drill #15, attorney Tamsen Horton explains why every business needs two kinds of backups: team tech (your data, files, and systems) and team humans (the people who can step in when you...
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Software Shutting Down? How to Protect Your Business Before a Platform Disappears
Every tool your business runs on is a business too, and any business can shut down, get acquired, or change its pricing overnight. In Fire Drill #14, attorney Tamsen Horton explains why she treats every tool as an employee ("team tech"), how to tell mission-critical tools from merely convenient...
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Contractor Still Have Your Passwords? How to Offboard a Team Member Safely
Fire drills aren't really about fires. They're about being able to say yes the moment a great opportunity shows up, because nothing is quietly waiting to fall apart. This episode closes one of the loose ends that stops a lot of yeses: a former team member, contractor, or vendor who still holds a...
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Social Media Account Disabled? How to Protect Your Business Before You're Locked Out
You open Facebook: disabled. Instagram: locked. LinkedIn: restricted. TikTok: nothing. Whether it was a hack, a bot, or a rule you never heard of, every door is locked at once. In this Business Fire Drill (Fire Drill 12: Before You Lose Access to Your Social Media Accounts), attorney Tamsen…
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Email Account Suspended? How to Protect Your Email List Before You're Locked Out
At 6:30 on a Monday morning, a sick dog, a crate full of puke, and a family out the door by 6:45. Attorney Tamsen Horton uses a very real morning to show why running a fire drill before the fire keeps a mess from becoming a crisis. In this Business Fire Drill (Fire Drill 11: Before You Lose…
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Locked Out of Your Website? How to Protect the Place Where You Sell Before It Goes Dark
Your "site" is wherever you sell. For some businesses that's a website. For others it's an Instagram account, a Kajabi storefront, or a checkout page someone else built. In this Business Fire Drill (Fire Drill 10: Before You Lose Access to Your Website), attorney Tamsen Horton shows you how to…
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Launch Week Money: Why Your Biggest Launch Can Leave You Short (and What to Do Before It Happens)
You posted "biggest launch ever." Three weeks later, the refunds, affiliate commissions, and tax bill arrive, and the number in your account looks nothing like the number you announced. In this Business Fire Drill (Fire Drill 09: Before a Launch Creates Financial Chaos), attorney Tamsen Horton...
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Payment Plan Customer Stopped Paying? What to Do Before an Installment Plan Goes Sideways
You sold a $1,500 program on six payments of $250. Payment three fails, and a week later they're still logging in. Do you shut off access, let it slide, or send an email you'll regret? Nothing shady happened. It's just a payment plan going sideways. In this Business Fire Drill, attorney Tamsen...
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Stripe or PayPal Holding Your Funds? What to Do Before a Payment Processor Freezes Your Money
It's the Friday after your biggest launch ever. The sales are all there, but a chunk of your balance says "unavailable," and your ad bill and contractors get paid Monday. Nobody stole anything. Your payment processor just put a hold on your funds. In this Business Fire Drill, attorney Tamsen…
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Customer Asking for a Refund? What to Do Before It Becomes a Chargeback or a Lawyer's Letter
"I'd like a refund." Four words that can end as a closed email, a chargeback, or a letter from an attorney. In about five minutes, attorney Tamsen Horton runs the fire drill: what to do before you type a word, the three records to pull, how to spot the bigger signals, and the refund terms and...
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Your High-Ticket Offer Isn't Being Delivered — What to Do Whether You Sold It or Bought It
A high-ticket offer can go sideways from either side of the agreement: the seller who wants out, wants to change the deal, or can't deliver, and the buyer whose calls, tickets, or deliverables stop matching what was promised. Attorney Tamsen Horton runs the fire drill from both seats: the DRILL,...
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Before a Contractor Complaint Turns Into an IRS Problem
A contractor complaint can mean two very different fires — a payment dispute, or a misclassification claim that pulls in the IRS or Department of Labor. Attorney Tamsen Horton breaks down how to tell which one you're facing, the DRILL to run the moment it lands, and the fire extinguisher (a real...
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Got a Cease-and-Desist Letter? Here's What to Do Before You Panic
That cease-and-desist email in your inbox feels like an emergency — but it's a completely predictable business moment, and your panic is optional. Attorney Tamsen Horton walks through what a cease and desist actually is (using trademark infringement as the clearest example), the DRILL to run the...
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I Could've Told You This Email Was Coming
Business moments are predictable. Panic is optional. In this first episode of Business Fire Drills, attorney Tamsen Horton introduces the DRILL method — the five-step move that turns a business panic moment into a calm next decision — and walks through a live example: what to do the moment a...
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The Pay-to-Play Fire — What Happens When Sponsorship Money Goes Missing
A sponsorship deal is blowing up online, and it's completely predictable. Attorney Tamsen Horton runs two fire drills in one — the buyer's side and the seller's side of any pay-to-play transaction — covering what to do when you paid and didn't get what you were promised, and what to do when you...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Business moments are predictable. Panic is optional. Business Fire Drills is a library of plain-English fire drills, led by attorney Tamsen Horton, for the online business owner who sells what they do — courses, memberships, coaching, consulting, or a mix. Each episode takes one predictable business alarm — a refund request, a locked account, a legal letter — and walks through what reacting looks like, what responding looks like, and the calm next decision you can make. No fear marketing. No legal drama. Just practical, legally informed guidance for the moment before the fire, so you're never caught without a plan.
HOSTED BY
Tamsen Horton
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Business Fire Drills have?
Business Fire Drills currently has 20 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Business Fire Drills about?
Business moments are predictable. Panic is optional. Business Fire Drills is a library of plain-English fire drills, led by attorney Tamsen Horton, for the online business owner who sells what they do — courses, memberships, coaching, consulting, or a mix. Each episode takes one predictable...
How often does Business Fire Drills release new episodes?
Business Fire Drills has 20 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Business Fire Drills?
You can listen to Business Fire Drills on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Business Fire Drills?
Business Fire Drills is created and hosted by Tamsen Horton.
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