The version of business we present to the world is sanitized. The wins and losses are always some bullshit couched in “here’s what I learned,” but no one ever talks about the ugly side. 

Yes, I fired a customer.

I’m the President of a company. My team fights hard to win customers and even harder to keep them. The relationships, service, and results of my business reflect my leadership. Firing this customer would cost us a fuckton of time and money, and that’s a damn hard choice to make as the boss. 

Why We Made the Call

Every relationship—business or otherwise—requires mutual respect. You will not insult my team or me, propriety be damned. Anyone working with me must engage in shared accountability, and I will not tolerate a one-sided, toxic partnership. If I allow customers to disrespect my team’s time, it reflects on me as a leader. 

Every day, this customer moved the goalposts. Every day, we explained to a new stakeholder why the scope had changed, again. Even worse, every private misstep, every failure was aired out publicly, like a trashy gossip magazine. This customer cared more about pointing fingers than solving problems. They were wasting our time in an endless flood of meetings and emails. 

Shit like this is expensive.

It costs my team and me months of time, it hurts my bottom line, and it kills morale. The emotional and operational costs completely outweighed any money I made from the customer. Our entire lives became consumed by stress, even on the weekends. 

My team didn’t get the choice to quit, but I did. Because that’s my job.

Leadership Means Protecting Your People

My consultants are the product. They’re our edge, our brand, our value. 

A customer eroding their confidence with bullshit expectations wouldn’t just hurt that one deal. It would ripple into everything and destroy what made us unique. That kind of chaos can’t be contained, and I wasn’t going to let this client keep hurting my team. 

Letting go of the client was hard. But choosing my team was easy.

The problem was, we couldn’t just cut them loose. Everything had to be clean and professional. We found them a new partner and treated them with the respect they denied us. 

And then we could breathe.

What Happened Next

My team’s confidence returned. Work was fun again. Meetings weren’t a stressful hellscape. 

As their leader, I took pride in their joy. Productivity and creativity rose and we found joy in our work once more.

And here's the best part: we had space again. 

We had space to grow. Space to serve the right clients. Space to find the right clients. The ones who trust us, challenge us, and grow with us. We had space to build a business without the drama from shitty customers. 

Did we initially lose revenue? Yes. But in the end, we made room for customers that better matched our goals and values. I kept my team happy, and we found revenue that didn’t stress us the fuck out. 

The Lesson

Not all business is good business. 

There’s so much junk behind the scenes. As a leader, I can’t think in black and white. I have to look beyond money.

The wrong client will cost you far more than money. Sleepless nights, bullshit meetings, endless email chains, they all drain you. What’s worth more, some money in the bank or your team’s energy, morale, and creativity? 

If a client is insulting me to my face, who wants to deal with all that fucking nonsense? 

I refuse to let anyone talk down to me. I especially will not let anyone talk shit about my team. Being in a service business means making some tough choices. Our health isn’t worth a bit of extra revenue. Firing this client didn’t just protect my team; it protected our culture, our identity, and our love for one another. 

It wasn’t about drama or hurt feelings. I did it to stay true to myself and protect my team. 

And I’d do it again, every time.

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