Once upon a time a graphic designer got hired to do some work for a client. He did the work. He didn’t get paid. The end.

Sound depressingly familiar? I bet it does.

If you work long enough in the design business and you will come across a client who won’t pay. You may be halfway through the work. You may be completely done with the work. You may even have given them a discounted rate. Doesn’t matter. It will happen. Possibly more than once. What matters most is how you deal with it. And how you learn from it.