The Projects We
Said "No" To.
We reject 60% of project inquiries—not because we're elitist, but because we only take work where we can guarantee results.
Here are real projects we turned down, why we rejected them, and what those businesses should have done instead.
Why This Page Exists.
Most agencies take every project that comes their way. They need the revenue. We prefer honesty.
We only take projects where we can deliver 2x ROI.
"If we can't guarantee results, we won't take your money. We're saving you from wasting cash on unvalidated ideas."
- What makes us reject a project
- What businesses should do instead
- How to know if YOU should hire us
Honesty > Revenue.
"If you see your project type here, don't be offended. We're being forensic. We're prioritizing your business survival over our monthly invoice."
Budget vs Reality.
"When expectations don't match the physics of quality engineering."
Uber for Dog Walkers
Why We Rejected
Wanted full iOS/Android app + backend + tracking for 50K. Actual engineering cost: ₹10L+
Zero marketing budget for a business needing high customer acquisition (₹1K/user).
Revenue at 50 users: ₹13K/mo. Break-even timeline: 6-8 years.
This wasn't a tech problem. It was a business model problem. No amount of good development would make this specific setup profitable.
What They Should Do Instead
- Create WhatsApp group for owners
- Manually match walkers
- Process payments via UPI
- Get 50 regular customers first
- Prove people will pay
- Calculate real unit economics
Realized market too small after WhatsApp test. Saved ₹8L+ by not building app.
Enterprise CRM System
Why We Rejected
Wanted Salesforce feature parity in 4 weeks. Salesforce took 20+ years and 1000+ engineers.
SaaS costs ₹35K/mo. Building custom costs ₹8L+. Total mismatch in logic.
Wanted 10,000 features while only using 50.
If your requirements exactly match existing SaaS, there's ZERO reason to build custom software.
What They Should Do Instead
- Zoho CRM: ₹800/user
- HubSpot: Free Tier
- Start small and iterate
- Workflow is truly unique
- No SaaS can handle it
- SaaS fees exceed ₹10L/year
Used Zoho for 18 months. Came back with ₹6L for custom features when they outgrew it.
Cool Tech != Business.
"When hype cycle takes priority over actual problem solving."
Blockchain Loyalty Program
Why We Rejected
Blockchain added 5x cost and 10x complexity with ZERO benefit over a regular database.
Customer CRYPTO literacy was ~2%. Nobody wants to setup a wallet for a ₹50 cashback.
₹10L vs ₹1.5L for the same result to the end user.
Blockchain is a solution. You need a problem it solves (Decentralization/Trustless). 99% of businesses don't need it.
What They Should Do Instead
- Points in regular database
- Simple to use
- Save ₹8.5L in dev costs
- Use ₹8.5L to actually acquire customers
- Build business value, not tech hype
Spent 12L elsewhere. User adoption was 3%. Shut down in 6 months. Now using our regular system.
AI-Powered Recipe App
Why We Rejected
AI without training data is just a random recipe selector (50 lines of code).
Zero users = Zero data. Result: Fake AI.
Mood tagging + Filtering works better and costs 1/3rd.
Everyone wants AI because it sounds impressive. But AI without data is just expensive guesswork.
What They Should Do Instead
- Focus on recipe database
- Simple tagging/filtering
- Collect behavioral data
- Add AI once you have 100K+ data points
- Actually make it functional
Built simple version. Got 5K users. NOW adding AI based on real data.
Timing & Scope.
"When projects are doomed by 'Just One More Thing'."
E-commerce 'With Extras'
Why We Rejected
Requested marketplace, auctions, AR, and AI Chatbot in 3.5L budget (Market value: 13L+).
Refused to cut any features to fit budget or timeline.
You can't have everything at once. Successful projects prioritize ruthlessly.
What They Should Do Instead
- Product catalog + Checkout
- That is IT.
- Launch in 6 weeks
- Add features based on real demand
- Measure ROI of each addition
Hired 'Yes' agency. Spent 8L extra. Shut down after 1 year. Customers only used 3 features.
Red Flags.
"When we see 3+ of these, we decline. It's not worth the headache for either side."
Budget
- 'What is the minimum for X?'
- Cheaper now, add later mentality
- Price-matching competitors
- Budget is 1/5th of market reality
Timeline
- 'We need it yesterday'
- Start tomorrow, finish in 2 weeks
- Hard deadlines with soft requirements
- Paying extra for 'speed'
Scope
- 'Like [Giant App] but custom'
- Requirements change every call
- Prioritizing 'cool' over 'necessary'
- Design by a committee of 10
Business
- No clear revenue model
- Market research is 'My friends'
- Premature optimization
- No marketing/growth plan
Green Flags.
Problem Focused
You know exactly what problem you're solving and the cost of NOT solving it.
Validated Idea
You've talked to customers or you're willing to start with a lean MVP.
Clear Ownership
A single decision-maker who values quality over the cheapest vendor.
Technical Density
Your project needs real custom work, not just another WordPress site.
ROI Value
You see technology as an investment in growth, not just a line-item cost.
Long-term Partner
You want a tech partner who challenges you, not just a code monkey.
Rejected
Reviews.
"Being told 'no' is often the best thing that can happen to your runway."
"They told me NOT to build my app. Saved me ₹8L. I followed their advice, validated differently. When I actually needed them later, I knew I could trust them."
"I was annoyed they rejected me. Then I hired someone else who said yes to everything. Disaster. ₹12L wasted. WebMarv was right. I should've listened."
"They referred me to a ₹15K freelancer instead of charging me ₹75K. 18 months later when I needed a custom membership site, I didn't even look elsewhere."
"'Come back when you have revenue.' Best advice I got. Built bootstrap MVP, got customers, then hired WebMarv for the real deal. They were worth the wait."
Will We
Reject YOU?
"Maybe. Only one way to find out. Book an honest consultation where we'll tell you whether you should build, validate, or find a different partner."
30-minute call. No sales pressure. Just Forensic Honesty.