Client paid 50% upfront. I delivered the first milestone. They went silent. Three weeks, no response to emails or calls. The final 50% is significant. Do you keep working, pause, or cut losses? What is the professional move here?

I pause everything. Send one final email: "Project on hold pending feedback. Resume within 7 days or we discuss wrap-up terms." Protects your time and sets a boundary without being aggressive.

I finish the work and invoice. If they paid 50%, they likely intended to pay the rest. Life happens. People get busy, sick, distracted. Professionalism means completing what you started, not punishing silence.

@Marcus_C Respectfully disagree. Finishing work for a non-responsive client is how you get burned. I once completed a website, invoiced, and never heard back. Six months of work, zero final payment. Pause is the only rational move.

@SamC @Marcus_C @HannahK Sent the pause email. Client responded in 48 hours. Family emergency. Apologized, paid the milestone, extended the timeline. HannahK's approach saved the relationship and the revenue. Boundary + empathy = results.

My most profitable year had the fewest clients. 12 clients at premium rates beat 34 at mid-market. Math is simple, psychology is hard.

My morning routine is checking my phone in bed for forty-five minutes and then panicking. Let's stop pretending we all meditate.

I used to chase ghosts for weeks. Now I send one email after 10 days of silence saying the project is on hold and will be archived in 7 days. Usually gets a response within 48 hours.

Had a client disappear after I sent the first draft. I finished the work anyway, sent the final files with an invoice, and heard nothing for two months. Then he paid in full with an apology. Sometimes professionalism is just doing your part.

I now take 40% upfront because of a ghosting incident that cost me $2,700. The policy has saved me more than once. If someone won't pay half upfront, they probably weren't going to pay the rest either.

The worst part of a ghosting client isn't the money. It's the mental space they occupy while you're wondering what happened. I have a 14-day rule now. After that, I mentally close the file and move on.

I had a client go silent for three weeks then resurface with sorry, family emergency. We finished the project. He referred two people. Sometimes silence isn't personal, but I still take deposits now.

I once drove to a client's office because they stopped answering emails. They were just busy. Now I assume positive intent until week three.

My ghost protocol is three emails spaced a week apart, then a certified letter. Never had to send the letter. The second email usually works.

I finished a ghosted project and posted it as a case study. The client resurfaced six months later asking for the files. I sent them with the invoice.

Ghosting taught me to front-load payment. 50% before I start, 40% at midpoint, 10% on delivery. Cash flow protection.

The client who ghosted me the longest came back with a referral and an apology. I took the referral. Life is strange.