The Day I Fired My Biggest Customer

They paid more than anyone else. They also demanded more than everyone else combined.

Every week brought a new urgent request. Every feature became a negotiation. Every call ended with a list of things I needed to do for them specifically. I had become their vendor, not my product's founder.

I fired them on a Tuesday. Politely, with a real explanation, and a runway to transition.

Revenue dropped for three months. Then it recovered, because I finally had time to build things that served everyone else. The business got smaller and healthier at the same time.

Have you ever fired a customer who was technically your best one? And did the numbers recover or did you just feel better?