06/30/2025
📱 SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS: This could happen to you tomorrow.
Sarah owns a marketing agency. 12 employees, good reputation, growing business.
Last Tuesday, one email click destroyed everything.
Her employee Janet opened what looked like a normal invoice. Within an hour, every business file was encrypted by ransomware.
The hackers wanted $35,000 in Bitcoin. 💰
But here's what they don't tell you about ransomware:
The ransom is just the beginning
Total cost averaged $247,000
75% who pay don't get all files back
60% of hit businesses close within 6 months
Sarah's "IT guy" was her nephew Tyler. Her last backup was... honestly, she couldn't remember.
The worst part? The security fixes that could have prevented this cost less than her monthly Starbucks budget.
I documented Sarah's entire ordeal - hour by hour, week by week - because business owners keep asking: "What REALLY happens during a ransomware attack?"
The truth isn't pretty. But it might save your business.
👆 Link to full story in first comment. It's a tough read, but necessary.
What's your backup strategy? (Please tell me it's better than "Tyler will figure it out" 😅)