Unless you’re a millionaire … waiting until the job is complete to get paid is a sure way to go out of business.

But it can be hard to ask a customer for a progress payment. Partially because there are too many stories of contractors asking for money upfront and then don't come back to complete the work for an extended period.

So you can’t blame customers for being hesitant to pay, or for honest contractors being nervous to ask.

This is why it’s important to have business tools and systems that communicate clearly and let all parties know what to expect.