This is actually my first time posting anything work-related online, even though I’ve been working with Bubble and other no-code tools since 2022.
Although this account is not so active, I’ve often found useful Bubble Forum discussions while searching for solutions during client work. I would usually read quietly, use what I learned, and move on without joining the conversation.
I think part of that came from worrying about how my work or opinions might be judged. But at the same time, I know that feedback, even when it is critical, can help you improve. Staying completely invisible also does not help you build credibility, connections, or a professional presence of your own.
That became especially clear after a difficult experience where nearly a year of my work was not paid for. The experience made me think that things might have been different if I had been more visible, spoken more openly about the work I had done, and built stronger connections within the community.
I might still not be the most active person in every conversation, but I thought I needed to start somewhere. This forum seemed like the safest and most familiar place for me to begin.
So this is me finally saying hello instead of quietly reading from the background.
Thank you, It already feels less intimidating after seeing response like yours, hehe. About the experience, Ofcourse, It was difficult experience but it taught me…
I’m still building and haven’t shipped my first product yet, but I have over a decade of experience in business managing operations, dealing with customers and suppliers, and have witnessed first hand a supplier being screwed out of payment by a customer and it’s horrible.
A lesson I have learned is that you really have to pick your potential customers or those you partner with carefully.
Unfortunately there are people/customer’s who seek to exploit those who they view as easy targets. If I may suggest, all work that is to be paid is done so on a sales order agreement or something similar and in writing, and all work must be paid in full on a regular basis. Terms could be weekly, bi weekly, but no more than 30 days to limit your risk exposure.
I anticipate I will be hiring a freelancer in the future to do some dev work, and perhaps some maintenance/client support (to free me up to do marketing, sales, client relations, product develpoment) and would clearly lay out all the terms in an agreement before full engagement.
Good news is these folks usually have karma catch up to them in one way or another and in this community they won’t last if they have a reputation for doing stuff like that.
If you need any advice or whatever, feel free to message me directly!
Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to write this. Looking back, I definitely allowed the payment situation to continue for too long because I kept trusting that it would be resolved. It taught me to have clear written terms, payment milestones, and limits on how much unpaid work can build up.
I also appreciate the offer to message you. Best of luck with shipping your first product, and I hope it goes well.
Great to see you were able to take a positive from it and protect yourself! It’s a hard lesson to learn, and it’s very unethical that you were taken advantage of.
Appreciate the well wishes as well, and I am cheering for you just as much!!
Long story short, I was paid for the first few months. Later, because they were a startup having financial issues, they asked me to continue under a contract with payment being made later, and I agreed. When the payment became due, they asked me to add more features before even making a partial payment, then offered only around half of what they owed in installments delayed by another 6 to 8 months. I couldn’t realistically afford to pursue it legally, so I eventually had to walk away. Definitely learned that lesson the hard way, you know when someone’s delaying things not to pay
