You can’t prevent what you don’t imagine could happen. Stories make the threat real. They turn distant breaches into fatal catastrophes. I write Stan’s Corner to give people that emotional proof—so they take steps before they become someone else’s case study.
The Announcement
"John choked back the tears as he spoke to his staff. 'I'm heartbroken,' he said. 'I just never imagined. Never imagined.'"
John was standing in front of the 45-person team at the ad agency he had built from scratch. Twelve years earlier, it had been just three of them crowded around into a tiny office. Now they filled an entire floor, with clients across the country and a reputation for sharp, creative work.
And now it was over.
The Attack
The ransomware attack had wiped them out. Files encrypted. Backups corrupted. Weeks of trying every recovery option had failed. Every creative file, every client presentation, every invoice and payroll record—gone. Without access to their systems, they couldn’t design, couldn’t bill, couldn’t even pay their people.
Their clients had already started leaving—some angrily, most with quiet regret. The agency couldn’t deliver. And without deliverables, there was no business left to save.
The Human Cost
John had never imagined they would be a target. Cybercriminals were supposed to go after banks, hospitals, giant corporations. Not a mid-sized creative shop in Los Angeles. But here he was, telling his people they no longer had jobs.
The room was silent except for muffled sobs. Letitia, one of their best account managers, held her head in her hands. She didn’t know how she would keep her kids in college without her paycheck. Others worried about mortgages, rent, health insurance. Careers—dreams—were collapsing in real time.
John tried to offer words of hope, but his voice cracked. He could only thank them, hug them, and apologize again and again. The staff filed out of the conference room in shock, embracing each other like survivors of a storm.
Later, John sat alone in his office, staring at the photos on his wall: the agency’s first big award, a framed client campaign, a team picture from last year’s holiday party. All of it had felt permanent, indestructible. He now understood how fragile it had been.
Dreams shattered. A business lost.
A $50 million business … along with the dreams of its people … destroyed by criminals who had locked up their data and demanded millions in ransom. Without files, without clients, without cashflow, they had no way back.
And all because John never imagined it could happen to them.
Call to Action:
Don’t be like John. Imagine what can happen if you fail to protect your information. And act on it. Protecting information is protecting dreams.
If this story motivates you to want to do better, please reach out. I’m the founder / president of SecureTheVillage, a nonprofit making a difference. We work with smaller businesses, nonprofits, and the MSPs who serve them. Email me now to protect your assets and minimize the impact of inevitable disruption. StanStahl@Substack.com.