@Lexbex2323
has he paid you anything at all?
I run my own business, and with the economy in the shape it is, non payers have been increasing.
Its rage inducing to not get paid what you are owed, but once in that situation, you are better to take whatever you can get. encourage partial payment and keep chasing, now, before too much time drags on.
For example there is a guy whos business owes me money. outstanding today, maybe 4 grand. payment was due back in august 2024. he was late paying and i chased like hell, he made some partial payments but after a while, he stopped responding to messages. now my only option is to hire a collection agency. ive heard from others around the industry, he owes them money too.
in the end of the day, being owed money is more painful emotionally than financially. it lingers in the mind and haunts you. its best to just try to let it go, chalk it up to experience, and make sure you deal with the business elements up front next time.
for example, you might want to take cash up front for the initial booking requests, and accept payment for extras or time add ons at the end of the session. that way your exposure to getting burned is limited.
in my line of work, i still bill at end of service as normally. my accountant recomended taking deposits up front. but even though i was burned, showing trust to your client is very important i think, for the relationship. i might get burned again in a way that might have been somewhat preventable, but the value in showing this trust to clients is more important.(99% of the time i get paid properly)