I’ve lost count of the number of bookkeepers I have spoken to who allow their clients to pay them when they like. And unfortunately, some don’t pay at all before they go into liquidation. A mistake I made several times. Sometimes we are own worst enemy though. I spoke to a bookkeeper who has allowed her client to rack up a $10,000 debt to her! It was a rescue, they are nice people and they were desperate to get on top of their situation. She got caught up in the whole thing because she connected with their mission and wanted to help. Besides, she’s a nice person and didn’t want to seem to be money-hungry. So she made sure everyone else was paid and allowed her bills to accumulate.
It’s interesting how we often create meanings which aren’t the truth. We sometimes associate asking to get paid for work that we’ve done as “money-hungry” and if we do insist, it’s our fault that the client is struggling financially. The reality is that everyone expects to get paid after they’ve done a job. Do you think your client would work for nothing? And if your client is struggling financially it’s not because of your bookkeeping bill. If anything, for the first time they are getting reliable information which will give them the opportunity to make the necessary changes to turn their business around. Heaven forbid if you actually ask to get paid in advance for rescues!