How to protect yourself from not getting paid

A couple of months ago I was approached by a startup founder who wanted me to write a few blog posts for his website.

I decided to hear him out,  and we proceeded with the usual “getting to know you” stage. We discussed what his company was all about, who his target audience was, how much my rates were, and we got all the basic details out of the way.

Everything was going smoothly until we talked about my payment process.

See, my rule is that I won’t do any writing until I receive at least half of the agreed amount, which means I always charge my clients 50% upfront. That fee is completely refundable, by the way, so if they aren’t satisfied with my work, I’d be more than happy to send it back.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t see eye-to-eye on this little detail. He said that he had no problem with my rates, but he just couldn’t pay the upfront fee. He asked if I’d be willing to do a sample and that he’d pay up if he liked it.

No dice.

I said (respectfully) that it looks like we’re not a good fit and we should just go our separate ways, no hard feelings.

And that was that.

I hope this serves as an effective cautionary tale for you.

Trust me, there are lot of people out there who would try to weasel out of paying you.

I used to be an innocent, trusting freelance writer who would diligently complete the job and not charge clients a cent until they’re completely satisfied. Sure, this method worked out most of the time, but I also had my fair share of clients who suddenly became unresponsive after they received the content.

After the second time that it happened (I know — fool me twice, shame on me), I decided to enforce my 50% rule.

I really hope that you do the same. Whether it’s charging upfront costs prior to writing or having a solid contract in place, always protect yourself from clients who would just take your work and run.

Image: LendingMemo on Flickr