Hit 200 unpaid invoices today and it finally clicked

I was going through my files this morning and counted up all the invoices I've ever sent that never got paid. The number was 209 exactly. That's almost $15,000 in work I did for free over the past 4 years. It made me realize I've been way too loose with my payment terms. I let people pay net60 or just send a reminder once and then give up. Now I'm changing to require a 50% deposit up front for any job over $200. Has anyone else added up their total unpaid work and got a shock?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_drew9d ago

Switched to 50% upfront after a client ghosted me on a $1,200 logo project. I felt like an idiot chasing them for months. Now I just send the invoice, wait for the deposit, and don't start anything until it clears. Lost a few potential clients who balked at it but saved way more in headache and lost time. The ones who push back the hardest are usually the ones who won't pay anyway.

parker_webb9d ago

What, a thousand two hundred bucks? Man, that stings just reading it. I can't believe someone would ghost over that kind of money, especially for a logo. @the_drew you're totally right about the pushback thing though, it's like they're telling on themselves before they even start. I learned a similar lesson a long time ago and never looked back. Honestly, people who get offended by a deposit are probably the same ones who'd haggle over the final invoice too.

patricia_hill609d ago

Pretty sure the project was $1,200 total, not the deposit. Drew said the whole project got ghosted. But yeah, you're right that people who fight deposits tend to be the same ones who fight the final number. A cousin of mine does web design, takes 50% upfront, and he still gets an occasional client who tries to negotiate the second half down after he's done the work. At least with the deposit he's not out the full amount. Its a good system even if it scares off some people.