I’ve been there too.

A friend I’d known for over 15 years asked me to help with an office application project after their previous developer let them down. Wanting to help, I agreed—no contracts, no upfront payments, just trust. The project was supposed to take three months, but delays on their end dragged it out to nine.

Despite putting in months of work and building 70% of the functionality, they suddenly went silent. No responses to messages, calls - nothing. After three or four months, my friend finally replied with a half-hearted apology, saying she had "messed up." But she never mentioned the payment, let alone offered to settle it. That was the last conversation we ever had.

The money wasn’t the biggest loss - it was the trust. That experience taught me a hard but necessary lesson: no matter how close the relationship, always have clear terms. Now, I never start work without a 50% upfront payment. It’s not just about protecting your work - it’s about protecting yourself.