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Specific problems freelancers run into, each with a short answer, a diagram, and the order to check things in.

These are short question-and-answer pages for one problem at a time: a payment that is late, a client who keeps adding work, an email address that stopped working after setup. Each starts with the short answer, then walks through what to check in order.

Where the author has run into the problem himself, the page says so and describes what happened. Where it is general guidance, it is labelled as such. Tool comparisons live in the other categories; these pages are for the moment something has already gone wrong.

How we write them: every page gives the answer first, shows the steps in a diagram, and links to the longer guide if you want to compare tools afterwards.

In this category

7 guides

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My Domain Email Isn't Working After Setup: Check MX, SPF and DKIM in This Order

Buying a domain doesn't make the address work. Three DNS records decide whether mail arrives and whether it lands in spam. Here is the order to check them in.

Check MX first, then SPF, then DKIM4 min read

Fix It4 steps

Why Did I Receive Less Than I Invoiced? Where the Money Goes on Payments From Overseas Clients

An invoice for $1,000 doesn't land as $1,000. Here are the places the difference comes from, and the check I run before every overseas invoice.

Compare options by the amount that reaches your bank4 min read

Fix It3 steps

A Client Keeps Asking for Extra Work: What to Do Before It Costs You

Extra research and one more revision add up without anyone deciding to. Here is how I compare each request with the agreed scope and answer it.

Check every request against the written scope4 min read

Fix It4 steps

A Client's Payment Is Late: What to Check Before You Chase Them

Before you send a reminder, make sure the invoice actually went out. In my case, a month-long delay was my own.

Check your invoice first, then the due date, then remind4 min read

Fix It3 steps

I Can't Find My Receipts at Tax Time: What to Do Now and How to Stop It Happening Again

Three missing receipts cost me more time than they were worth. Here is how to rebuild what is missing, and the monthly routine that replaced hunting.

Rebuild from other records, then save at the source4 min read

Fix It3 steps

A Client Asks for Proof of Insurance: What to Send and How to Be Ready

Having a policy isn't the same as being able to prove it on the day a client asks. Here is what they usually want and how to get it.

Ask your insurer for a certificate, and learn the process early4 min read

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Clients Don't Reply to My Proposals: What I Would Change First

The same proposal got a thin response in one form and a negotiation in another. Here is what I changed, in the order I would try it.

Open with their problem, keep it to one page4 min read