How I Got Paid Upfront for Every Project (And You Can Too)
Stop chasing invoices and start enjoying stress-free client work
Getting paid upfront changed my entire business. No more chasing invoices. No more clients “forgetting.”
Just peace of mind. And yes, it works for freelancers too.
The nightmare I used to live in
Picture this:
It’s Friday night. I’ve just wrapped a client project. Hours of design work, multiple revisions, late nights when I should have been reading bedtime stories instead.
And then… silence.
No payment. No reply to my invoice. No urgency from the client.
I’d send a polite reminder. Then another. Then one with a “friendly nudge” (while quietly screaming into my pillow).
Sometimes weeks would pass before I saw the money.
And the worst part? I let it happen.
Because I believed the lie almost every freelancer believes at the start: “Clients won’t pay upfront. They need to see work first. If I ask for money too early, I’ll scare them off.”
Spoiler: that belief kept me broke and burned out.
The turning point
It wasn’t a book. It wasn’t a podcast.
It was desperation.
My kid was born in 2013, and suddenly “late payments” weren’t just an annoyance, they were the difference between paying the bills or not.
I realized I couldn’t keep being my clients’ bank. I wasn’t a credit card. I was a business owner.
So I did something that terrified me: I started requiring full payment upfront.
And to my shock, it worked.
Why clients actually respect upfront payment
Here’s the thing no one tells you:
When you confidently ask for payment upfront, good clients respect you more.
Why?
Because it shows you take yourself seriously. You’re not a desperate freelancer begging for scraps, you’re a professional with boundaries.
Think about it. Do you haggle with Apple and say, “I’ll pay for my iPhone after I’ve used it for a few weeks”? No. You swipe your card.
Your service is no different.
The 10 fears I had (and how I proved myself wrong)
I won’t pretend it was easy. The first time I asked for full payment upfront, my palms were sweating. My voice shook.
Here are the fears I had, and what actually happened:
“Clients will run away.”
Nope. The right clients stayed. The ones who ran? Red flags anyway.
“I’ll lose business.”
I gained better business. Upfront payment filtered out the tire-kickers instantly.
“It sounds greedy.”
It sounds professional. No one thinks Netflix is greedy for charging before you watch.
“I’ll look inexperienced.”
The opposite. Upfront payment signals confidence and experience.
“What if I mess up?”
Then I fix it. But at least I’m not broke while fixing it.
“What if clients refuse?”
Some did. But they weren’t my clients anyway.
“It’s too bold.”
Bold gets respected. Hesitation gets walked over.
“It won’t work in my industry.”
I tested it. It worked. Every industry has providers who charge upfront, you can be one of them.
“I’ll sound rude.”
It’s not rude. It’s business.
“I’ll feel guilty.”
That guilt vanished the moment my bank account filled before I opened Illustrator.
The first email template I used
This was my exact line (yes, you can steal it):
“To get started, I’ll send over the invoice today. Once it’s settled, I’ll reserve your spot in my calendar and kick off the project.”
Simple. Confident. Professional.
Not a question. Not an apology. Just the process.
Why 50/50 deposits weren’t enough
I used to do the “50% upfront, 50% on delivery” thing.
Here’s the problem: that second 50% always came with drama. Clients disappearing. Endless “minor tweaks” before final payment. Awkward back-and-forth.
When I switched to 100% upfront, those problems evaporated. Suddenly projects wrapped smoothly. Clients respected deadlines. My stress plummeted.
Because when you’ve already been paid, you’re not chasing. You’re serving.
This was the exact point when I realized freelancing didn’t have to feel like financial roulette.
And honestly, I wish someone had handed me a system for this sooner. That’s why I built the Productized Kit, to help service providers like us package offers, set clear payment terms, and get paid before the work even starts.
If you’re tired of playing bill collector and want clients who pay happily upfront, this is the playbook.
The psychology behind it
Clients want clarity.
When you set the rule upfront, this is how we work together, it gives them confidence. You’re not asking permission. You’re leading.
And when you lead, they trust you.
The truth? Clients don’t lie awake at night worrying about your invoice terms. They just want the work done. If you normalize upfront payment, they’ll accept it.
How I handled pushback
Of course, some clients pushed back.
Here’s how those conversations went:
Client: “We usually pay after the work is done.”
Me: “I understand. But my policy is full payment upfront to reserve your spot. That way I can dedicate my time fully to your project.”
Silence. Then… agreement.
Not once did I lose a dream client over this.
The ones who walked? Honestly, thank goodness. They were the same ones who would’ve ghosted me later.
The side effects I didn’t expect
Once I switched to upfront payment, a few things happened I didn’t see coming:
My confidence skyrocketed. Every “yes” reinforced that I wasn’t asking for a favor, I was running a business.
Clients behaved better. When they’d already paid, they respected timelines and didn’t nitpick as much.
I finally had predictability. I knew exactly what was coming in before I started working. No more financial roulette.
I worked less, not more. Because upfront payment filtered out the worst clients, I spent less time chasing and more time creating.
The step-by-step process you can use
Here’s exactly how to transition into upfront payment:
Start with new clients. Don’t overhaul existing ones right away, test it with new leads.
Make it policy, not a request. Don’t say, “Is it okay if…?” Say, “Here’s how I work.”
Put it in writing. Add it to your proposals and contracts.
Use confident language. “To reserve your spot, I’ll need payment in full” works better than “Would you mind…?”
Stay silent after saying it. Don’t over-explain. State it and pause.
Enforce it. Don’t start work until the payment clears.
Build systems. Use invoicing software to make it seamless.
Prepare for pushback. Have a calm response ready.
Practice saying it out loud. The first time feels scary, practice until it rolls off naturally.
Stick to it. The first “no” will tempt you to fold. Don’t. The next “yes” will make it worth it.
My biggest lesson
Getting paid upfront wasn’t just a financial shift. It was an identity shift.
I stopped seeing myself as a freelancer scrambling for scraps. I became a business owner who sets the rules.
And when you start seeing yourself that way, clients do too.
The question to ask yourself
Do you want to keep being a freelancer chasing payments?
Or do you want to be the kind of service provider whose clients pay upfront, respect boundaries, and trust your process?
The choice is yours.
Closing thought
Getting paid upfront isn’t about greed. It’s about stability.
It’s about knowing your bills are covered before you even open the project file. It’s about being present with your kids at dinner instead of drafting reminder emails at midnight.
It’s about freedom.
And once you experience it, you’ll never go back.
If late payments, ghosted invoices, and endless “friendly reminders” sound way too familiar, know this: you don’t have to keep doing business that way.
You can make upfront payment the new normal in your business.
That’s exactly what the Productized Kit is designed for. It shows you how to set boundaries, package your services, and create a simple process that clients say yes to, without you chasing them down.
It’s the same process I used to go from stressed and underpaid to steady, predictable income.
SO good! This is my Restack of the Day!
Fully agree. It's a matter of knowing not just your value but your actual costs. Good clients know you're pulling a lot for them, and understand that your thriving is essential for a good working relationship. I review/revise my terms and communicate them openly to clients when a change is involved. Most of the time, they're prepared for adjustments. Those that can't afford or accommodate the 100% term upfront at some point have always been great about referrals precisely because they know there's no surprises or hidden fees.