You definitely weren't the 'bad guy' in this relationship. If anything, it looks like you were being taken advantage of. People deserve to be compensated (someh

You definitely weren't the 'bad guy' in this relationship. If anything, it looks like you were being taken advantage of. People deserve to be compensated (somehow) for their work - and it's somewhat clear to me that this wasn't going to be the case in your situation. On the other hand - if you did want to be a consultant, there are different things at play. First, the NDA. NDAs cover only the disclosure aspects, nothing else. Next there's an MSA - Master Services Agreement. The MSA covers the method by which services are to be delivered, and the contractual obligations around them. It's important to separate the two, as typically an NDA's lifespan is significantly longer than an MSA (i.e. after you're doing with a client, the NDA continues to live for 6-12 months). There's absolutely nothing wrong with discontinuing a partnership that isn't working. It's a hard thing to do, you feel like you're letting people down, but you're not. The reality of the situation is that a partnership is just that - a partnership. If it's not good for both sides, then it's not a partnership, plain and simple. tl;dr - Get compensated for your work, and put yourself first - no one else will.