I faced this once in 25 years. I sued, won, and then the company declared bankruptcy.
I guess it depends on how big the client is— bigger clients are easier to pin down… and it also depends on how much they owe you (in my case, it was $25,000)… but my general suggestion is: walk away. Warn your community not to work with them. Be smarter next time.
Smarter how? Well, you could have withheld the final product until you got paid. This is really the only leverage an independent has.
Really? How old are you, then? How long have you run your own business? This year is my 41st as a professional in this field, and my 25th running my own business. I've written two books.
I'm not a lawyer, but I have been involved in 10 court cases as an expert witness, so I am aware of what it means to launch and win a lawsuit.
How many times have you been sued for defamation? Are you speaking from experience?
Technically, I am a CEO, yes. I accept that I do sound arrogant to you, since ANYONE sounds arrogant if he is confident in his hard-earned knowledge of how to run a business and is being heard by... who? some random kid on the internet who lacks the self-awareness to realize that he arrogantly and ignorantly dismissed someone else's experience without having any particular relevant experience of his own.
I guess it depends on how big the client is— bigger clients are easier to pin down… and it also depends on how much they owe you (in my case, it was $25,000)… but my general suggestion is: walk away. Warn your community not to work with them. Be smarter next time.
Smarter how? Well, you could have withheld the final product until you got paid. This is really the only leverage an independent has.