Resources
Research, guides and stories on unpaid client work
For three years we have talked to freelancers, studios, agencies and trades about unpaid invoices, scope creep and late payments. These guides turn those stories and external research into simple structures you can actually use.
What we read, measure and write about
• Interviews with people who run client projects in real life - from solo freelancers to construction firms and professional services.
• Public statistics on late payments, unpaid invoices and cashflow risk for small businesses and independents.
• How contracts, scope, steps and proof actually behave when a client is slow, busy or unhappy, not just what the template says.
• How Stripe based funding, delayed payouts and clear steps compare to classic invoices and "pay at the end" payment terms.
We keep adding new guides as we learn more. The goal is a library you can lean on when you structure your next project, not a random blog.
Unpaid invoices
Why unpaid and very late invoices are common, what statistics say and how funded steps through Stripe change the pattern.
Client did not pay the final invoice
What to do when a project is done but the last invoice sits open, and how a step based structure would have changed the risk.
Late invoice payments
How delayed payments hit small teams and how to let money move in funded steps instead of one big invoice at the end.
Freelancer unpaid invoices guide
A practical guide for freelancers and small studios who are tired of chasing clients and want a clearer project structure.
How to structure projects to get paid on time
A step based structure you can apply on almost any client project, with or without Flikker in the middle.
Money, safety and project payouts
Deep dive into Stripe based delayed payouts, refunds and what feels safe for both client and provider.
Outgrowing marketplaces
Why staying on public marketplaces forever keeps you fragile, and how to move trusted clients into your own funded step structure with Stripe holding payouts per step.
Pick one real client project, read the guide that fits your situation and then move that project into funded steps. Your client sees a clear explanation, you see which steps are funded and Stripe keeps the money on hold until each step is approved.
Flikker has been built over several years of interviews and research into unpaid invoices, late payments and scope creep in client projects. Many people start a freelance business, studio, agency or trade company and only discover late that one unpaid invoice or one cancelled project can damage their cashflow for months. Classic advice says you need a better contract, but a contract alone does not stop a client from delaying payment or disappearing. Our resources and guides focus on structure instead: funded steps, clear done criteria and proof tied to each step.
The resources section collects guides on topics like unpaid invoices, client did not pay final invoice, late invoice payments, freelancer unpaid invoices, how to structure projects to get paid on time and money safety for project based work. They are written in plain language so someone who is just starting a small business, as well as someone who has run projects for years, can understand the tradeoffs. Many guides compare normal "one big invoice at the end" flows with a funded step model where the client funds smaller steps up front through Stripe by card, invoice or bank transfer and Stripe holds each funded step as a delayed payout until approval.
Flikker is not a bank and not a public marketplace like Upwork or Fiverr. You bring your own clients and use Flikker as a structure around contracts, steps, evidence and payout timing. The research behind these guides comes from real agencies, studios, trades and independent professionals who have experienced unpaid work, late payment, net thirty and net sixty terms, and who wanted a safer pattern for both sides. The goal is to help people who search for phrases like what to do about unpaid client work, how to avoid unpaid invoices, how to protect my small business from late payment and how to make client projects safer without scaring good clients away.
We also publish guides for people who want to outgrow freelance marketplaces and keep their own client list. Many search for how to move clients off platforms, how to leave marketplaces without losing work and how to run direct client projects with clearer milestones and Stripe based delayed payouts instead of one final invoice. Every new guide is meant to connect real unpaid invoice stories with a concrete step based structure, so that founders and teams can move from vague risk to clear funded steps and Stripe based delayed payouts that are easier to understand.