I'm venting more than anything else, but also wondering if I'm not alone in this.
I am on the verge of firing my (biggest) client. They hired me on the understanding that I would do A, B, C, and D (they WANTED me to do these things) but through a complicated series of command-and-control-style decisions, internal politics, and other leadership deficits they have undermined parts A, C, and arguably D making it impossible for us to deliver the ultimate impact they (say they) want.
A new development happened this afternoon making everything worse, so I'm pretty angry right now. When I regain some perspective I'll figure out the 'professional' next step here (assuming 'chewing them out' not being one of my options), but for right now some part of me would feel some relief in pulling a Donald Trump "You're fired!" move. "Help me help you" has never felt so relevant - they're getting in their own way of improving the terrible situation for which they hired me to help.
I don't yet have FU level money, though we would survive without this client. But this isn't even about the economics of terminating a client; there is professional pride, reputation, and a genuine desire to help them that are more in play for me. I'm just wondering if any other freelancers / business owners have gone through something like this? Looking for some commiseration, I guess.