Have you ever had to deal with clients who you didn’t like? Ever wish you didn’t have to deal with them anymore?

What if you didn’t have to?

At my firm we’re very selective with the clients we take on. If they don’t seem like they’re going to match our culture, we simply decline to work with them.

And if existing clients become problematic, we fire them.

Whenever I say that, people look at me in disbelief. They’ll often ask if I’m kidding. And once they come to terms with the fact that I’m not, they’ll still be confused as to why on earth I’d do that.

And their confusion makes some sense. Customers are one of the most (if not the most) important parts of any business. Ultimately, if you don’t have customers you don’t have a business. Companies will spend tremendous amounts of time and money trying to acquire new customers. If someone is willing to pay us money, why would we send them away?

A few years back one of my business partners hired a really high-end business consultant. The one piece of advice I’ve always remembered from that consultant was a more expletive filled version of the phrase “no jerks”.

No jerks. Ever. It does not matter how much money they pay you, they will cost you money in the end. They will cost you your time, your energy, your sanity – and ultimately all of that costs you money.

We implemented that policy immediately and it was an absolute game changer. We don’t complain about clients we don’t like because we do not have clients we don’t like.

And despite semi-routinely firing clients, our revenues continue to rise. Why? Because we’re only dealing with people we like and who value us. And because of that our energy is not sapped. Instead, they energize us and motivate us to work even harder for them.

Life is too short and has too many unavoidable frustrations to work with people who do not respect us. Get rid of them, focus on the clients who are worthwhile, and your business growth will absolutely explode.

Any accounting, business, or tax advice contained in this communication, including attachments and enclosures, is not intended as a thorough, in-depth analysis of specific issues, nor a substitute for a formal opinion, nor is it sufficient to avoid tax-related penalties.