This is not long enough. You can say whatever deadline you want on your invoice, but in reality it will be paid approximately 30-120 days after it gets received by the person responsible for paying invoices at the company you work with.
> two weeks later i’m refreshing stripe like a fool
This is still definitely not long enough. Also, Stripe is extremely risky. One chargeback and you can lose a lot.
> just trying to see if this pain’s real enough that people (like you) would drop around $49/mo for it
No: Invoicing/billing/client contact info is the most important data a small business should keep secure. Further, I would never let an automated system reach out to valued clients on my behalf--ever. I have high standards for apps I give access to my financials/P&L/client list and it would take years of trust and reviews before I'd ever consider something like this.
> i just need to know if this is a real pain
It sounds 100% self-inflicted and easy to solve. If you want to be paid the second work is over, use a system where the funds are escrowed and released upon client approval of the project.
Otherwise, all you need to solve your pain is to build a 90 day runway of funds (at least) so your clients can follow their standard processes for invoice payment.
> you have to get a 90-ish day runway going so you don't feel like people are ripping you off when it's just the way the business world has worked for ages.
100% this. Every self-employed consultant must have plenty of cash reserves. It's not just to keep their personal finances solvent but also to maintain a positive relationship with the client. When consultants brood over invoices taking a few months, that angst spills into the personal relationships with the client and everything goes bad from there.
If OP doesn't have a fully liquid cash buffer (I recommend 6 months worth), or if they don't like that invoices routinely take a few months to process, then consulting may the wrong career choice.
This is not long enough. You can say whatever deadline you want on your invoice, but in reality it will be paid approximately 30-120 days after it gets received by the person responsible for paying invoices at the company you work with.
> two weeks later i’m refreshing stripe like a fool
This is still definitely not long enough. Also, Stripe is extremely risky. One chargeback and you can lose a lot.
> just trying to see if this pain’s real enough that people (like you) would drop around $49/mo for it
No: Invoicing/billing/client contact info is the most important data a small business should keep secure. Further, I would never let an automated system reach out to valued clients on my behalf--ever. I have high standards for apps I give access to my financials/P&L/client list and it would take years of trust and reviews before I'd ever consider something like this.
> i just need to know if this is a real pain
It sounds 100% self-inflicted and easy to solve. If you want to be paid the second work is over, use a system where the funds are escrowed and released upon client approval of the project.
Otherwise, all you need to solve your pain is to build a 90 day runway of funds (at least) so your clients can follow their standard processes for invoice payment.