Hi all, in a bit of a dilemma as I need to drop a client but not sure the best way to go about it.
Back story: client is a start up company that hasn't yet started trading (this keeps being delayed due to one thing or another but is due to start in the middle of this month).
I'm paid to provide social media and other marketing materials for the company. Have been doing this since October.
Due to the company being a start up I agree to work for slightly less than I usually would, with a view that my monthly rate would be increased once the company was trading and successful.
The client is very particular about the time that social media should be posted (Mon, Weds, Sat at midday) and the quality of the content used, especially images. This is itself is an issue as the weekday times clash with work I'm contracted to do for another client and frankly I'm fed up of having to give up time every Saturday to do this work for him.
He's been quite upfront about him expecting a high standard being anal but I'm at the end of my tether with it.
I feel like he's always looking over my shoulder and keeping tabs on what I'm doing. He spends a lot of his time telling me he wants to be able to hand the social media over to someone else (me) and yet often overrules things I have planned. This is particular annoys me as he called not long ago to give me a dressing down and told me that looking at the analytics he was coming up with 80% of the social media content. The only reason this happens is because I'll give him my ideas and he'll say great, but he'd rather I did XYZ.
It's now gotten to the stage where I'm wondering why he doesn't just do it himself as he obviously doesn't really want to let go and let someone else do it.
When he called to give me a dressing down I offered to not invoice him for the work I'd done that month as he obviously wasn't happy and he then said that's fine, I'll pay the other two outstanding invoices this week! I've had to prompt him to pay me every month since I've been working for him.
I'm now thinking I should just bring this to an end as I'm not happy and he obviously isn't either.
It's bad timing as he's currently on an extended holiday in another country and the company is due to start trading this month, but I don't know what else to do.
I'm also going to be doing more hours for another client from this month, so my time is going to be stretched and if I'm honest I could do without the hassle this clients brings me.
I'm considering using this as my main reason for dropping him. He knows my hours were going to increase from 1st April, so it wouldn't come as a complete surprise.
So, sorry for the rant (!), but what would be the best approach to this? He's not going to be happy either way but I think we've probably come to the end of the road.
TIA and a glass of wine if you managed to read all of that!