Why You Should Always Get a Deposit (And How to Ask for It)
Make one rule non-negotiable: no production work starts until the [consulting agreement](/tools/freelance-contract-generator) is signed and the [deposit invoice](/tools/free-invoice-generator) is marked paid. That single gate does three jobs at once. It gives you a clean release point, reduces non-payment risk, and gives you a consistent answer when a client asks for an exception.
