Rob T from Columbus, OH. AEP Ohio territory. After I got certified, I struggled for about 2 months to find my first client. Then it hit me — I worked at a large commercial printing company for 8 years before going into auditing. I knew their operations, their equipment, their building. I called my old boss and pitched the audit. He was skeptical but agreed because he knew me and trusted me. The awkward part: I found a rate classification error that had been in place the entire time I worked there. If I had known about utility auditing during my 8 years at the company, I could have saved them over $90,000. My old boss alternated between being grateful for the $42,000 refund and annoyed that it took me leaving the company to figure this out.
My former employer became my first client — awkward but profitable
Rob, the former employer path is one of the most reliable ways to get your first client. You have built-in credibility because they know your work ethic and character. The irony of finding an error that existed during your tenure is common — billing errors are invisible unless you are specifically looking for them. Your old boss should be grateful, not annoyed.
I did the same thing with my former employer in Pittsburgh. Steel fabrication plant. Found a demand charge error worth $18,000/year. My old supervisor said why did you never catch this when you worked here and I said because I was a production manager, not a utility auditor. Nobody at a manufacturing company is checking the electric bill against the tariff. That is literally why our profession exists.
Walt, exactly. The printing company had 3 people in their accounting department and none of them had ever looked at anything beyond the total amount due. They just paid whatever showed up. Eight years of overpayment because nobody questioned the bill.
Rob, did the former employer relationship feel transactional or did it work as a genuine professional engagement? I have thought about approaching my old company but I am worried it would feel like I am exploiting the relationship.
Rachel, it felt professional once we signed the engagement agreement. The initial conversation was casual — hey, I started this new business, would you be open to me looking at your utility bills? But once the LOA was signed and I started the analysis, it was purely business. The key was treating it with the same professionalism I would give any stranger client. No shortcuts because I knew the people. If anything, I was more thorough because my reputation with people who knew me was on the line.
I approached my former employer in Dallas too. Commercial real estate company. They had 23 properties and let me audit 3 as a trial. Found errors on all 3 — total refunds of $16,800. They gave me the other 20 properties the following month. That former employer is still my largest client 4 years later. Do not overthink the awkwardness Rachel. Just make the call.
Marcus makes a great point about the trial approach. Offering to do 2-3 properties or accounts as a proof of concept lowers the risk for the former employer. If you find nothing, no harm done. If you find savings, you have earned the full portfolio.
The former employer path works for another reason: you understand the business operations. When you audit a printing company where you worked for 8 years, you know which machines run at what times, what the seasonal production pattern looks like, and whether the demand profile on the bill matches reality. That operational knowledge is a competitive advantage no outside auditor can match.
Randy, that operational knowledge is what led me to the rate classification error. I knew the shop floor was running 3 shifts but the rate schedule was for a single-shift operation. An outside auditor might not have caught that because the demand profile alone does not tell you how many shifts a facility runs — it tells you peak demand, not operating pattern. Knowing the operation gave me the context to question the rate assignment.