Ep.25: How to Fire a Client with Jackie Stezik

If you’ve been in remodeling for any length of time, you’ve probably wished you could fire a nightmare client on a bad job. But you don’t, because you’ll lose money, risk your good reputation, and you’ve got a contract.

Jackie Stezik has done it four times — always for the good of her employees.

In this episode, Jackie talks to Tim and Steve about how she does it, what’s in her contracts, and the tipping points that lead to the decision.

Jackie has a master’s in administration and policy, and is the Project Manager at Multi-Trade Building Services in Oshawa, Ontario. Her education, coupled with 15 years in the remodeling business — “renovating” in Canada — has shown her that it’s necessary to recognize when it’s time to fire a client.

Jackie says they never take the step lightly. In all four cases, it was in reaction to emotionally or physically abusive clients who repeatedly made work miserable or dangerous. This episode tells you how Multi-Trade protects their team through:

• The cancellation clause in their contracts
• Knowing when to pull that trigger
• The red flags to look for early
• Why it’s their fault, but that’s OK
• The importance of having a lawyer’s advice
• Why you should have another job to go to
• Keeping thorough documentation
• And more…

A disclaimer: You should get your own legal advice regarding laws in your area affecting having a similar cancellation clause in your contract. But if you’ve ever dreamed of firing a problem client, this is the episode for you.