Let’s talk about getting paid on time. You have to get paid when you do the work or before you get started to have a reasonable cash flow. What tends to happen is that designers sometimes get paid weeks or months after they’ve completed the job. Between taking the time to bill and waiting for your client to pay, it can take a while to get paid.
The truth is that you can’t run a business that way. If you write a Letter of Agreement, which does put you in a better place, but if you make the balance due at the end of the job, you’re at a disadvantage. You will have to wait to get paid after construction is done and furniture is delivered, which could end up being a year away. So, that’s not a good solution for your design business.
I want to point out that there is a diminished mindset about this. You think you have to prove to the client that you will complete the job before they pay you. And it’s that belief and mindset that causes you to make those payments run so late.
There is no reason why you should have to prove yourself to a client before getting paid. Think about when you go to the doctor. You don’t wait to pay them because you’re not sure if you will like what they have to say or if they will help you. That’s not how it works.
It’s all a mindset issue that is based on self-esteem and self-confidence.
Watch the video above where I explain how to shift your mindset so that it’s your client who should prove that they will pay you. I share how you can set this up in your Letter of Agreement so that you not only get paid at least half up front but how you don’t have to wait until the end of the project to get paid.
Next time, before writing your Letter of Agreement, check in with your mindset, get your head in the right place and then, plan carefully to keep your cash flow moving, and it will pay off!
Keep an eye out for an upcoming announcement! I’m putting the finishing touches on my new FREE webinar series, Make Big Money on Remodels.
Until next time, design something beautiful and get paid what you’re worth.
