Day 16 / 30-Day Writing Challenge
Entrepreneurs learn lots (and lots) about themselves while making a living. What they're good at, and what they're not so good at, what they enjoy, and what they shy away from.
For me, the number one thing shied away from is invoicing. I am not comfortable billing for my work. Funny, huh? The actual billing, plugging in the numbers, is fine; it's the asking for the money that's the issue.
Why?
Who knows? It's probably an amalgamation (wow! how often does the opportunity to use that word show up?) of factors like my parents' attitude toward money, gender roles, self worth, etc.
Having a regular invoicing day/period helps with the discomfort. I bill at the end of the month via email. Clients can expect an invoice from me the first few days of a month. Most pay right away. I've had to chase down a few payments, and, by the way, that wasn't uncomfortable at all.
My generic invoice, pictured below, is an Excel worksheet. My sister helped create it.
Most of my clients pay by check. One paid me a large sum in cash. That was nice, albeit a little nerve wracking. A few have paid via PayPal, which extracts a fee, so the client needs to pay more than the billed amount.
30-Day Writing Challenge is half-way finished. Now for the final stretch.
As someone who sent out my first invoice a little over a year ago I can definitely relate!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on sending out your own invoices. Here's to many more!
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