There's three things I do. One, work with people who I think will pay. I get a lot of calls from people who sound stoned and don't seem to know what they're ta

There's three things I do. One, work with people who I think will pay. I get a lot of calls from people who sound stoned and don't seem to know what they're talking about. I don't move forward with those types of people. In general, I also try to avoid individuals. Companies pay slowly, but are less likely to disappear on you. Two, I always ask for some money up front or spread the project out so that I get a chance to see their payment process before they get a delivered product. Three, I send reminder emails about late payments on the first day that it's late. These aren't big emotional emails, just, "Could you give me an update on this invoice." Companies have institutionalized processes for making slow payments so you just need to expect that you'll be sending reminder emails.