Laura found herself in a situation many freelancers dread: she completed extra work for a client but forgot to send an updated price quote beforehand. Now she’s paralyzed with fear—should she send the invoice and risk losing a potentially recurring client? Should she just eat the cost to keep the relationship intact?
The truth is, Laura’s problem isn’t actually a problem yet. It’s a story she’s telling herself in her head, and that story has spiraled into full-blown panic. If you’ve ever hesitated to send an invoice because you’re worried about the client’s reaction, this episode is for you.
Key Takeaways from this Episode:
Stop solving problems that don’t exist yet. Send the invoice and deal with any pushback if and when it actually happens.
The worst-case scenario is rarely as bad as you think. Most clients either pay without question or simply ask for clarification.
Build up best-case scenarios too. Clients often respond positively and may even think your rate is lower than expected.
You’re Panicking Over Nothing
Clay’s first reaction to Laura’s dilemma? She’s freaking out for no reason. Here’s what’s actually happening in this situation: Laura did work for a client, and now she needs to invoice them. That’s it. That’s the whole story.
The client hasn’t complained. They haven’t refused to pay. They haven’t said they’re upset. In fact, nothing negative has happened at all. The only place this disaster exists is in Laura’s imagination.
As Clay points out, the client almost certainly knows that extra work means extra cost. They’re probably just waiting for the invoice to arrive. Yet Laura has convinced herself that sending it will destroy the relationship entirely.
This is a classic case of telling yourself a story over and over until you believe it’s true—even when there’s zero evidence to support it.
Send the Invoice and See What Happens
So what should Laura do? Simple: send the invoice and see what happens.
Preston shares that in his entire freelancing career, he’s only had one client push back on an invoice—and that was due to poor communication about his hourly rate upfront. Even in that situation, it wasn’t a relationship-ending disaster. It was a conversation that got resolved.
Here’s the reality most freelancers forget: the person receiving your invoice often isn’t even the one paying it. It’s going to accounts payable, coming out of some budget somewhere, and an extra thousand or two dollars usually isn’t the massive deal you think it is.
If there is pushback, it probably won’t be angry or accusatory. More likely, the client will simply ask for clarification: “Hey, I thought this was going to be $1,000, but I see $2,000. Was that a mistake, or did I miss something?”
That’s your opening to explain what happened. You can calmly walk them through the additional scope, remind them of the conversation about extra work, and work together to find a solution if needed.
Stop Trying to Solve Problems Before They Exist
One of the most valuable insights from this episode applies far beyond invoicing—it’s about relationships in general, whether in business or personal life.
Clay compares Laura’s situation to arguments he has with his wife. He’ll create an entire narrative in his head about how she’ll react to something, convince himself it’s true, and then act accordingly. Hours later, after they’ve had a minor conflict, she’ll say, “If you had just told me that upfront, I wouldn’t have cared.”
The same principle applies here. Laura is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist yet. She’s building up anxiety over a scenario that may never happen. And even if it does happen, it’s probably not going to be nearly as catastrophic as she imagines.
The key is to wait until there’s an actual problem before you start problem-solving.
What If the Worst Actually Happens?
Let’s play out the absolute worst-case scenario. What if Laura sends the invoice, and the client refuses to pay? What if they get angry and decide never to work with her again?
First of all, that’s extremely unlikely. But even if it happens, Preston’s advice is refreshingly pragmatic: if a small miscommunication like this completely ruins a client relationship, maybe you don’t want them as a client anyway.
A healthy client relationship can withstand minor communication hiccups. If one forgotten price quote causes a client to drop you entirely, that’s a red flag about how they view your partnership. You’ll be better off in the long run working with clients who approach problems with collaboration rather than hostility.
And worst case? You eat the cost, learn from the experience, and move on. It’s not ideal, but in the grand scheme of building a sustainable freelance business, one write-off isn’t going to derail everything.
Don’t Forget the Best-Case Scenario
While Laura is busy imagining disaster, she’s completely overlooking the possibility that things could go really well.
Clay shares that he’s had clients respond to invoices by saying, “Wait, is that all? I thought it was going to be more than that.” In those moments, you realize you probably could have charged even more.
Or imagine this: Laura sends the invoice, and the client replies, “Hey, did you include all that extra work we talked about? I want to make sure you’re billing me for everything.” They pay immediately and express excitement about continuing the relationship.
That scenario is just as possible—if not more likely—than the nightmare Laura has imagined. Yet we rarely give the positive outcomes the same mental energy we give to the negative ones.
The Bigger Lesson: Your Fee Is Probably Too Low
If you’re constantly worried about clients pushing back on your invoices, it might be a sign that your rates are actually too low rather than too high.
When Clay mentions that clients have often been surprised by how reasonable his invoices are, it’s a reminder that we tend to undervalue our own work. We convince ourselves that our rates are pushing the boundary of what clients will pay, when in reality, we’re often leaving money on the table.
So if you’re nervous about an invoice, ask yourself: is this fear rooted in reality, or is it rooted in your own insecurity about your worth?
Take Action and Deal With Reality
Laura’s situation boils down to one simple truth: she needs to stop imagining disasters and start dealing with reality. Send the invoice. Have the conversation if one is needed. But stop trying to manage problems that haven’t happened yet.
This is a lesson that extends far beyond invoicing. As freelancers, we often get paralyzed by fear—fear of losing clients, fear of charging too much, fear of setting boundaries. But most of the time, the fear is far worse than the reality.
So the next time you find yourself spiraling over a potential problem, take a breath. Send the email. Make the ask. Have the conversation. You’ll likely find that things go far better than you imagined.
And if they don’t? Well, at least you’ll have a real problem to solve instead of an imaginary one.
