Notes on getting paid.

Practical writing on AR aging, polite follow-ups, and running collections without another late night.

SoftwareAI Accounts Receivable, Explained for Small Business OwnersWhat AI accounts receivable software actually does for a small business: reply classification, promise tracking, drafted follow-ups. A finance leader separates the real capabilities from the marketing.30 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsThe Accountant's Playbook for Client AR: Turning Collections Into a Service LineHow accountants and bookkeepers can run accounts receivable as a monthly advisory service: the review ritual, the metrics clients understand, pricing the service, and the tools that make it scale.31 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsDev Shops: The Client Took the Code and Stopped Paying. Prevention and Recovery.A finance leader's playbook for software agencies and dev shops: the IP-transfers-on-payment clause, staging vs production leverage, milestone releases, and recovering when the final invoice goes quiet.29 Aug 2026Read story
SoftwareChaser Alternatives in 2026: An Honest Comparison for Small BusinessesA finance leader's honest comparison of Chaser alternatives for SMB invoice chasing in 2026: what Chaser does well, where the price stops making sense under 200 invoices a month, and what to use instead.28 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsWriting Off an Unpaid Invoice: When To Give Up, and How To Do It ProperlyAn Accountant on bad debt write-offs: the decision test, the accrual vs cash basis tax difference, the bookkeeping mechanics in QuickBooks and Xero, and what to salvage on the way out.27 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsFreight Carriers: Broker Not Paying? Quick Pay, Factoring, and the Third Option Nobody UsesA finance leader's guide for small carriers owed by brokers: what quick pay and factoring really cost, the broker bond claim as leverage, and the collections discipline that keeps your margin.26 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsWhen To Send an Unpaid Invoice to CollectionsA finance leader on the collections agency decision: the real costs, the right triggers, what to exhaust first, and why the businesses that never need agencies all share one habit.25 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsCommercial Cleaning Companies: When the Property Manager Pays Late Every MonthA finance leader's playbook for janitorial and facilities companies chasing property managers: the owner-funds cycle, vendor portal discipline, invoice timing that matches draw dates, and escalation that keeps the contract.24 Aug 2026Read story
MetricsThe 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast: The One Spreadsheet Every Small Business Should RunAn Accountant explains the 13-week cash flow forecast: why 13 weeks, how to build it in an hour from your AR aging and bills, and how to read it before it reads you.23 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsSetting Customer Credit Limits in Wholesale: A Working System for Small DistributorsA finance leader's credit limit system for small wholesalers and distributors: the starting formula, graduation and review triggers, the over-limit conversation, and holding orders without losing accounts.22 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsDo Early Payment Discounts Work? The Real Math on 2/10 Net 30An Accountant runs the honest numbers on 2/10 net 30: the 37% annualized cost, when the trade makes sense, when it is expensive theatre, and the alternatives that move cash for less.21 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsWhy I Built an AI AR Specialist That Chases InvoicesI spent 10 years dreading collections calls. ARI is the AI AR specialist I wish I'd had: it chases overdue invoices until you get paid.20 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsThe Customer Is Disputing the Invoice. Resolve It Without Losing the Money or the Client.A finance leader's dispute playbook: the 24-hour acknowledgment, the pay-the-undisputed-portion move, evidence exchange without escalation, and when a credit note is the profitable answer.20 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsHow To Credit Check a New B2B Customer Before Offering Net 30The 30-minute credit check a small business should run before extending net terms: trade references that actually get answered, business credit reports, public records, and the starter-limit system.19 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsA Customer Asked To Pay in Installments. Should You Say Yes?When a customer asks to split an overdue balance into installments: how to decide yes or no, how to structure the plan, and the exact email wording. From a CA who has approved and refused hundreds.18 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsThe Two-Email Rule: When To Stop Emailing About an Invoice and Pick Up the PhoneA finance leader's collections call framework: the two-email trigger, the exact opening lines, the diagnostic question, the pause that gets commitments, and the follow-up email that locks them in.17 Aug 2026Read story
PlatformXero Invoice Reminders Explained: Setup, Limits, and the Follow-Up Gap Nobody MentionsHow Xero invoice reminders work, the exact settings to use, and the five limitations that leave your oldest invoices unchased. Written by a finance leader, not a marketer.16 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsClient Gone Silent After the Invoice? The Ghosting PlaybookWhen a client stops replying to invoice emails: the channel-switch ladder, the different-human move, the closing-the-file email that gets responses, and when silence means escalate.15 Aug 2026Read story
PlatformQuickBooks Invoice Reminders: What They Do, Where They Stop, and What To Do AfterQuickBooks automatic invoice reminders explained by a finance leader: how to set them up, the five places they stop working, and what to do when reminders alone stop getting you paid.14 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsLate Fees on Invoices: How Much To Charge, How To Word It, and How To Actually Enforce ItA finance leader on invoice late fees: the standard 1.5% monthly rate, legal caps to check, the exact wording, and the enforcement strategy that works without burning the client.13 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsInvoice Payment Terms That Get You Paid: The Exact Wording, Line by LineThe exact payment terms wording to put on every invoice: due dates that work, late fee lines, payment methods, and the five details that stop AP departments from parking your invoice.12 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsHow To Ask a Client for Payment Without Damaging the RelationshipThe exact language for asking clients to pay overdue invoices while keeping the relationship intact. From a finance leader who has had this conversation a thousand times.11 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsThe Client Promised To Pay. They Didn't. Here Is the Exact Playbook.What to do when a client says the payment is coming and it never arrives. A finance leader's playbook for broken payment promises: the words, the timing, and the pattern to watch.10 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsYou Offer Net 30. They Pay in 60. Here Is How That Happened and How To Fix It.A finance leader explains why net 30 quietly becomes net 60, the training loop that causes it, and a five-step fix that does not require threatening anyone.9 Aug 2026Read story
MetricsHow To Read an AR Aging ReportAn Accountant explains the AR aging report in plain English: what the buckets mean, the four numbers that predict trouble, and the Friday routine that keeps receivables healthy.6 Aug 2026Read story
MetricsDSO for Small Business: How To Calculate It, What Good Looks Like, and How To Cut It by 15 DaysAn Accountant explains Days Sales Outstanding in plain English: the exact formula, realistic benchmarks by industry, and the three moves that reliably cut DSO for SMBs.6 Aug 2026Read story
CollectionsPayment Reminder Email Templates That Actually Get AnsweredSeven payment reminder email templates written by a finance leader who has sent thousands. Covers first reminders, broken promises, escalations, and the email to send before a collections agency.6 Aug 2026Read story