Founder Notes · Published July 27, 2026
Settle Payment Terms Before the Kickoff
Most disputes are not about bad delivery. They are about money that was never described clearly.
Chasing payments halfway through a project is normal for small teams. One of ours took eight months to collect the final instalment after acceptance, and the follow-up consumed whatever margin was left.
Put the milestones in the contract
Deposit, milestone, final acceptance and warranty retention is the common four-part structure. Each part attaches to a deliverable, not a vague date.
Invoices move together with acceptance sheets, so nobody invoices before acceptance or delays invoicing after it.
What happens when payment is late
The contract states late-payment penalties and the right to pause service. It exists for leverage, not for use.
Internally, sales commission is held on projects overdue by more than sixty days, which keeps collection ownership visible.
Talking about money openly does not damage a relationship; ambiguity does. Settle it early and get back to the work.
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