Always thought milestone billing was a scam until a client vanished

Tbh I used to think asking for 50% upfront was just for flakes and YouTube gurus. Then a client in Seattle ghosted me on a $1,200 logo pack after I finished everything. I had zero leverage, just a long thread of unread emails. Now I split every invoice into three checkpoints and my cash flow is way steadier. Anyone else have a horror story that flipped your billing stance?

2 comments

2 Comments

sanchez.julia3d ago

Is it really that deep though, or did you just get unlucky with one bad client? I mean, 50% upfront doesn't stop someone from ghosting you on the second payment, so you're basically trading one risk for another. Also, a $1,200 logo pack sounds like you're already dealing with people who don't value the work, so maybe the real move is better contracts, not more checkpoints. Not saying your way is wrong, but let's not pretend three invoices suddenly makes everyone honest.

jana5092d ago

You make a fair point about the contracts, @sanchez.julia, and I won't argue that better terms wouldn't help. But I've been doing this for over a decade, and I've seen plenty of clients with airtight contracts just walk away when they get bored or run out of money. The checkpoints aren't about making people honest, they're about limiting how much work I lose when someone does vanish. A $1,200 logo pack might not be high-end, but it's real money for small business owners like me, and I'd rather lose $600 than $1,200 any day. The 50% upfront also filters out some of the tire-kickers before I waste time on them, so it's not just about the second payment. You're right that it's not a perfect system, but for my size, it's the best balance I've found between getting paid and keeping clients from feeling nickel-and-dimed.