Getting paid — let alone on-time — has long been a problem for business owners. Large corporations can shoulder the burden of delayed payment. However, small and medium-sized companies can’t go that long without payment. Late payments and unpaid invoices can create serious cash flow problems for a business. In some cases, payment delays can shut […]
At some point, we’re all new to freelancing. We’re building our portfolios and we’re scrapping for clients. In the rush to sign clients on, new freelancers can easily forget about the administrative aspect of the job. How should you handle invoices? How and when should clients pay? Here are invoicing mistakes that new freelancers should […]
Often clients are the ones questioning an invoice and initiating invoice disputes, but the scenario can also play out in reverse. Contractors may have questions or comments on what they can and can’t include on the invoice before they send it. Recently, I worked with a contractor who asked to bill me for a bit […]
Ideally, you would never run into a situation where you can’t pay an invoice. But sometimes you may find your business bank account is a little low and you’re unable to make a payment. Before you panic, know that you do have some options. Here are a few next steps you can take: Notify the […]
The age old debate—should you charge by the hour or per project? I’ve preached charging per project for the last several years because I started my career charging hourly and got severely underpaid. When charging per project, you can increase your fee based on value and your work isn’t tied to your time. There are, […]
If you have a lot of work on your plate, passing on tasks to your assistant can make your workday a little less stressful. Invoicing is something that needs to get done each month promptly so you can get paid. Giving invoice tasks to your assistant can help you stay organized, and it can even […]
Invoicing once monthly is the invoicing method I used early on in my career. Sending one invoice per month had absolutely disastrous results. I was waiting for weeks to get paid in one lump sum by clients. I had to be meticulous with business expenses and personal expenses to make sure I didn’t run out […]
Having many invoices out pending can be destructive to cash flow. You need payments to flow in regularly so you can pay your business expenses and you can give yourself a paycheck. If you notice invoices get paid late often, there may be a few mistakes you’re making that are causing clients to pay after […]
Having a client dispute an invoice is often an uncomfortable situation. You’re billing for how much you believe you agreed upon, but the client isn’t so sure. You’re waiting for payment and growing impatient because you want the money. The goal is to come to an understanding so you can get the cash. Here’s how […]
Our goal as business owners is to do work and get paid for our time. Invoicing for the work we do is how we get paid. If we don’t invoice properly, money can come late or not in the form of payment that we want which can be a huge hassle. There are a few […]
With more talent moving into the freelance industry along with higher growth in startups and small business, the process for billing customers and clients has become an important business decision to make. Many businesses do not have extensive invoices to send out each month or, even if they do, the paper invoicing system has become time-consuming, expensive, and not necessarily useful in collecting what's owed. That's why the Due.com solution of online invoicing has become so popular in not only addressing these issues for businesses of all sizes, but it has also offered a free tool for those on limited budgets or for those whom operate on a smaller billing scale.
Beyond just providing a scalable invoicing solution for you, our goal is to also help provide valuable information that can help you improve your business, brand, operations, cash flow and profitability. Having this information can help you prepare more professional invoices that reflect your brand image, better manage the time spent on projects, improve your overall efficiency, lower operational costs and provide more accurate data to use to accurately estimate new projects. Overall, just having a more effective invoicing system for your small business can drive better decision-making that will then impact your results.
Our invoicing tips cover a lot of subjects related to billing and invoicing, including topics like how to get your clients to pay upfront. Many of you may be concerned about asking for a deposit on a project before it is finished because you are afraid it will upset your client. Due.com has suggestions and tips on learning how to negotiate better terms for your freelance projects. Similarly, other articles listed in the Invoicing Tips category on our blog provide sound advice and easy tactics that you can implement if your clients are not paying you on time or at all. We realize many of you may be afraid to ask for this money owed to you so there are ways offered to help you get past this fear and get what's rightfully yours to have cash flow and keep your business afloat.
The available invoicing information provided also features regular stories directed at specific industries, including contractors, photographers, designers, virtual assistants, bloggers, dog walkers and other types of freelancers or small business owners. The advice is tailored to the industry and offers recognition of issues and challenges faced in that business segment.
Other subjects included in the Invoicing Tips category involve how to become more fiscally savvy through your invoicing strategy, including tactics like invoicing directly after completing a project as opposed to putting it off for another week - offering online invoices and embedded invoices in your website along with online payment capability. Due addresses invoices in multiple languages and currencies and recurring invoices.
There also may be times where you make mistakes with invoices, so we cover this topic in this blog category. You will be able to recognize where mistakes most often happen with invoicing as well as how to fix or even prevent these errors. Other advice includes strategic decisions like whether you should charge by the hour or the project, how to set prices and how to determine an appropriate grace period for clients. Regularly updated invoicing guides, and the existing article library with continuing and new upcoming posts are designed to help you and your business to receive renumeration for the hard work you have done and for your dedication to your client's needs.