Four emails. A text. A phone call he hung up on. The job was done, the product was installed, and my invoice was sitting there getting ignored (again)!

Then I sent one message and had a response in about two minutes.

In this episode I walk through a payment situation that went sideways last month with a dealer I'd already done four installs for. Same pattern every time: he's on top of everything until the bill shows up, then he vanishes. This time I ran out of patience.

But here's the part I didn't expect when I sat down to record — about halfway through telling the story, I had to admit I owned a piece of this.

I never told him our terms. I assumed he remembered from the last four jobs. He assumed net 30. Nobody said it out loud, and that's how a simple invoice turns into a fight.

I also get into how I structure payments now — why I take 75% up front and deliberately leave 25% on the table, even though Lowe's, Amazon, and every online retailer collects 100% before you ever see the product. There's a reason for that 25%, and it's not just goodwill.

If you've ever chased money for work you already delivered, this one's for you.

⏱️ CHAPTERS

0:00 — Ghosted on an invoice (again)

0:35 — My book "Nobody Told Me That" is live on Amazon

1:20 — The dealer who disappears when the bill arrives

2:27 — Four emails, a text, and a phone call

3:40 — The message that got an instant response

4:48 — Where I was actually wrong

6:00 — Net 30 vs. pay on completion: there's no right answer

7:16 — Why I take 75% up front and leave 25% on the table

8:45 — The leverage problem nobody warns you about

9:40 — Your turn — tell me in the comments

🎧 Show Sponsor BlindsOnline.com

Blogs:

📩 Keep It Simple — E-commerce
📩 We Dress Naked Windows — Window Coverings
📩 Trading Secrets — Trade
📩 Stories in Motion — Business & Life

📚 Book: Nobody Told Me That

IG FB LI YT WEB

#GettingPaid #SmallBusinessOwner #PaymentTerms

#NoStringsAttached #NobodyToldMeThat #RogerMagalhaes #ClientRelationships #Invoicing #CashFlow #ContractorLife #BusinessLessons #Entrepreneurship #WindowTreatments #SmallBusinessTips #BusinessCommunication