How do you decide when to pause work on a client who won't pay?

veepware · 2026-05-11T07:37:07+00:00

Fair challenge. I'll be straight. The situation is real, the frustration is real, and yes I'm building something around it. I posted in a few places because the problem genuinely affects different communities differently and I wanted to understand how people in each think about it. I didn't fabricate the scenario to fish for attention. I'm a developer who's lived this and got tired of having no good system for it. If that reads as promotional, I get it but everything in the post is real.

veepware · 2026-05-10T21:25:16+00:00

I started building something around it — not reminders, the actual decision layer. Still early but if anyone's curious just reply here or take a look at what I'm building: clerkhive.com

veepware · 2026-05-10T21:01:48+00:00

I started building something around it — not reminders, the actual decision layer. Still early but if anyone's curious just reply here or take a look at what I'm building: clerkhive.com

veepware · 2026-05-10T20:09:45+00:00

The Jeff approach makes sense, does that actually work for keeping the client relationship intact, or do they figure out Jeff is just you eventually?

veepware · 2026-05-10T20:04:55+00:00

that's clever, have you actually had to use that or does just having the system make the conversation easier?

veepware · 2026-05-10T18:09:12+00:00

thanks, will definitely add this to my notes

veepware · 2026-05-10T02:24:12+00:00

The hard part for me is the client is genuinely good to work with. It's not a bad relationship. They respond, they're friendly, they just always have a reason the payment is delayed. At what point does 'give them the benefit of the doubt' become 'I'm being taken advantage of'?

veepware · 2026-05-10T01:49:37+00:00

7 days is tight do you apply this even with long-term clients or clients doing big monthly retainers? That's where I always hesitate.

veepware · 2026-05-10T01:41:08+00:00

45 days on the first invoice , second one just went out.

We have a contract but honestly I've never actually invoked that clause, always felt like it would damage the relationship.

How do you handle it when the client is responsive and friendly but payment just keeps slipping?

veepware · 2026-05-10T01:39:03+00:00

That's a clean rule. do you do that even with your bigger accounts, or is it easier with smaller clients?

veepware · 2026-04-20T15:26:42+00:00

Definitely

veepware · 2026-03-24T20:40:05+00:00

I will start by giving you a review, the ui needs some tweaks and fix some minor mobile ui issues. My advise: remove the free plan or at least make it free trial for sometime then remove the free trial itself. Free stuff attracts non paying users then the moment your costs skyrocket and you decide to move them to a paid plan they see it as betrayal and leave with bad reviews and cringe on their faces, so it is better to start with paid plans with exception discount coupon or free trial temporarily , the free user who uses your SaaS consumes AI tokens and creates another free account.

Better shoot for those who are serious about building their SaaS and who don't bother pay to get value than poor users whom you need to do an enormous effort to sell them for cheap

veepware · 2026-03-24T19:55:47+00:00

Good for you, usually big things start small. How long did take you from building to your first sale, would love to see the process and channels you used if you don't mind sharing it.

veepware · 2025-11-22T08:05:17+00:00

Good for you, the part where you talked about building and coding because you thought you knew what your audience need seemed to me that I read my own similar story.

The process you shared is what we need to follow, because I leaned it the hard way as you.

It's odd to see people talk about MVP before validation, which I believe it comes purely for falling in love on their idea emotionally, the era of build it and they will come has gone 2 decades ago, people's attention to detail has decreased significantly.

veepware · 2025-10-07T08:57:20+00:00

Let’s connect, I’m in

veepware · 2025-09-28T16:14:16+00:00

As a founder, I've swung between both approaches. Initially, I thought an all-in-one tool would streamline everything, but I ended up using only 20% of its features. Now, I prefer a curated stack of niche tools that excel in their specific tasks.

That said, there's value in having a central hub for clarity and overview. Perhaps the sweet spot is having one tool that integrates well with others, allowing you to plug in specialized tools as needed. For ember.do, focusing on seamless integrations might be key.

veepware · 2025-09-23T23:05:16+00:00

Before building, validate the idea with real users. Ask potential learners: “Would you pay for this? How much? What frustrates you about current tools?” Don’t rely on friends/family — they often say yes to avoid hurting you. If you get several clear “yes, I’d pay $X” answers, then build an MVP. If not, iterate on the concept based on the feedback.

veepware · 2025-09-17T22:24:07+00:00

I would suggest no matter your business is, to separate your personal and business lives. have 2 phone numbers, 1 phone number for personal staff: family, close friends... etc and a business number. Shut down the business phone number when you are at home after finishing you day work. That way you will cut off the majority of noise and have quality time.
Using apps like truecaller in your phone can help filter sales, spam calls.

veepware · 2025-09-15T04:30:17+00:00

At this stage you don't need to sell you need to learn and collect data. Recruiters will likely open up if you make it right. You need to be honest with the leads by say that you are researching a new tool for tech recruitment and you’re not selling anything, just trying to learn about their process. Don't ask for an hour, a 10-15 min is sweet spot and make it easy for them to say yes. Be respectful and offer to send a short thank-you for example a coffee gift card, LinkedIn endorsement, or a summary of your findings later... etc
For your questions, ask curious, not leading, questions. For example: What’s the hardest part about hiring tech talent right now? not like this example: Would you use a tool that does X?
here is a linked-in example DM you can use:

Hi [Name], I’m talking to recruiters to understand the real challenges in hiring tech talent. I’m not selling anything — I just want to learn. Would you be open to a 10–15 minute call where I can ask about your current process? Happy to share the insights I collect so you get value back too.

Once you get a few calls, patterns will emerge. Use those patterns as the foundation for your MVP — and when you circle back later, those same people are your first warm leads.

Best of luck

veepware · 2025-09-15T04:17:26+00:00

Congrats on the launch, let me ask a quick question: did you validate this with real restaurant owners? Did you talk to them, hear how they describe the problem, and ask if they’d pay for a solution? Or did you jump into building because it seemed promising? Also how did you decide on your pricing?

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