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Showerthought: I had to choose between a client who paid late and one who asked for endless changes.

Last month I had two projects on the table. One client had a history of paying 30 days past my invoice date. The other paid on time but had a reputation for asking for 15+ rounds of revisions. I picked the late payer, thinking cash flow was easier to manage than my time. It was a mistake. The payment came 45 days late, and chasing it down took three emails and a phone call. The time I saved on revisions was spent stressing about rent. Has anyone else faced a choice like this and picked the wrong one?
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3 Comments
lee582
lee58211d ago
Sounds like a bad week, not a career ending choice.
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logan271
logan27111d ago
My last late client took 60 days, so I feel you. Lee582 is right though.
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emeryo58
emeryo5811d ago
Yeah, that's a tough spot. I actually think you made the right call picking the late payer, even if it went badly this time. The revision client sounds like a total time sink that never ends. At least with the late payer, you get all the money eventually, and you can plan for it next time. Logan271's point about 60 days is rough, but it's still a known problem you can work around. The stress of endless changes would burn me out way faster than waiting for a check.
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