My clients keep ghosting invoices and I'm so fucking done

This is not long enough. You can say whatever deadline you want on your invoice, but in reality it will be paid approximately 30-120 days after it gets received by the person responsible for paying invoices at the company you work with.

> two weeks later i’m refreshing stripe like a fool

This is still definitely not long enough. Also, Stripe is extremely risky. One chargeback and you can lose a lot.

> just trying to see if this pain’s real enough that people (like you) would drop around $49/mo for it

No: Invoicing/billing/client contact info is the most important data a small business should keep secure. Further, I would never let an automated system reach out to valued clients on my behalf--ever. I have high standards for apps I give access to my financials/P&L/client list and it would take years of trust and reviews before I'd ever consider something like this.

> i just need to know if this is a real pain

It sounds 100% self-inflicted and easy to solve. If you want to be paid the second work is over, use a system where the funds are escrowed and released upon client approval of the project.

Otherwise, all you need to solve your pain is to build a 90 day runway of funds (at least) so your clients can follow their standard processes for invoice payment.

100% this. Every self-employed consultant must have plenty of cash reserves. It's not just to keep their personal finances solvent but also to maintain a positive relationship with the client. When consultants brood over invoices taking a few months, that angst spills into the personal relationships with the client and everything goes bad from there.

If OP doesn't have a fully liquid cash buffer (I recommend 6 months worth), or if they don't like that invoices routinely take a few months to process, then consulting may the wrong career choice.

I don't think you can tell, but you believe it - if you approach people with this kind of attitude, it is no wonder you have never made it over the hump with someone who actually needs help and is busy with their pressing business and isn't a perfect client

It's great when someone pays promptly, but I'd be a fool to turn my nose up at someone because they take a few weeks to open their wallet and pay an invoice for temporary use of my brainpower to do something for them when they needed my help.

I see clients as human beings with different routines, ryhthms, and even procedures of getting something paid. Just because I mark something on a piece of paper as the day I'd like to be paid for it doesn't mean I'll lose my mortgage and go hand to mouth the day after, and I don't expect a client to call me feverishly worried if they forgot to turn in an invoice until yesterday and the payment will be a few weeks. OK. I run my business & life in a way that doesn't put me in a bind if someone else needs a little time.

Treating people this way allows you to form relationships - which is in and of itself much more rewarding, on a more meaningful level.

I don't value or see a reason to enforce military-like pay schedule with the people that I judge on their... what did you say?

> from the first interview what kind of client they are

I think this says a lot more about you. Usually, this is called stereotyping. It can lead to inadvertent racism, sexism, and biases against those your so promptly judge.

You should be aware that you might be focused on the cheque, which has a finite and set value, instead of the person and relationship you can build with each client - which has an unlimited value.

Plus, as far as we know, we get one chance to live our life. Maybe you could try not treating people like you describe, it might make your one life experience different when you see how other people respond.

Noticed you forgot to respond to this as you quickly ran away from any self-reflection