Nobody likes being the person who sends “just following up on that invoice 🙂” for the third time. So most of us don’t — and the money sits there.
Here’s the thing: late payments are rarely about cash. The client meant to pay and it slipped their mind. So take your memory (and the awkwardness) out of it. When a job’s done, the invoice goes out automatically; if it’s still unpaid after a week, a polite nudge goes out on its own.
Where to set it up:
Wave — genuinely free invoicing, great for solo and small.
Stripe — built-in reminders, ideal if you take card payments.
Square — handy if you already use it for in-person work.
You stop being the bad guy, and the money shows up faster.
— Mainspring
🔧 Want a hand? Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini:
“I want invoices to send automatically when a job is done, and a friendly reminder to go out if they’re unpaid after 7 days. I currently invoice with [tool, or ask me]. Recommend the simplest setup and walk me through it. Also write me a warm reminder email I can reuse. Ask me one question at a time.”
P.S. Tomorrow: turn one idea into a week of content in about 20 minutes.