That Time I Fired a Nightmare Freelance Client: Warning Signs I Shouldn’t Have Ignored

I’ve been freelancing for over 20 years. Over this time, I’ve encountered nearly every aspect of freelancing — the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I don’t fire clients often; in fact, it’s been years since I last had to. However, when it becomes necessary, I don’t usually blame the client, even if they’re difficult. Instead, I hold myself accountable for ignoring the red flags.

The last time I had to cut ties was with a client who flat-out told me they didn’t like working with freelancers. They mentioned they’d fired the last one and didn’t trust remote work but had no choice because, well, 2020 happened.

For some reason, I still took the contract, even though they warned me upfront they didn’t trust me. From day one, I couldn’t seem to please them. They were disorganized, indecisive, and disrespectful.

This exhausting contract drained my energy and time for six months before I finally built up the courage to fire them.

Ending a contract early is always something I try to avoid. I believe in solving problems with good old-fashioned listening and customer service. However, if a project is hurting your mental health or your business, it’s not worth sticking around. No client is worth that.