Just Do This: Stop Apologising for Charging Money
You're conditioning clients to see your money as an inconvenience instead of an exchange of value.
Your Invoice Apologies Are Training Bad Clients
"Sorry for the invoice!"
"Hope this isn't too much trouble!"
"I know you're probably swamped, but..."
Every time you apologise for asking for money you've earned, you're accidentally teaching clients that paying you is optional.
And they're learning the lesson perfectly.
Just Do This: Send Invoices Like Netflix Does
Netflix doesn't email you saying "Sorry to bother you, but here's your monthly charge!"
They send: "Your payment was processed successfully."
No apology. No acknowledgment that it might be inconvenient. Just the transaction.
Your invoices should work the same way:
Instead of: "Sorry to bother you, but here's the invoice!" Write: "Invoice #247 - $2,500 - Due March 15th"
Clean. Professional. Assumptive that payment will happen.
The Psychology You're Creating
When you apologise for charging money, something weird happens in your client's brain:
They start to think you don't really believe you deserve it.
If you're sorry for the invoice, maybe the work wasn't that valuable. If it's "trouble" to pay you, maybe they should delay it. If you're "bothering" them, maybe your payment isn't a priority.
You've accidentally positioned yourself as grateful they might pay instead of confident they will pay.
What Happens When You Stop Apologising
I worked with a consultant who changed one thing: she stopped saying "sorry" in payment communications.
Her average payment time dropped from 45 days to 18 days.
Same clients. Same invoices. Just different energy.
Because when you act like payment is expected, clients treat it like an expectation. Nobody likes owing people anything but when you act like it's a favour, they treat it like a favour.
The Three Emails That Train Late Payers
Email 1: "Sorry for the invoice, hope this isn't too much trouble!" Translation: This isn't really that important.
Email 2: "I know you're super busy, but just wanted to follow up on payment..." Translation: Everything else you're doing is more important than paying me.
Email 3: "Sorry to keep bothering you about this!" Translation: I'm being unreasonable for expecting to be paid.
You've just taught them that your money isn't urgent, important, or reasonable to expect.
What Confident Businesses Do Instead
They assume payment will happen on time. They state terms without apology. They follow up like professionals, not supplicants.
"Invoice attached. Payment due in 14 days." "Following up on Invoice #247, now 5 days overdue." "Payment required before we proceed with next phase."
Notice the energy shift? From "please pay me if it's convenient" to "this is how business works."
The Apology Addiction
Most founders don't even realise they're doing it.
"Sorry for the delay in getting this to you!" (Even when the delay was reasonable) "Sorry for the long email!" (Even when the email needed to be long) "Sorry for the invoice!" (Even when they completed the work perfectly)
We've turned "sorry" into punctuation instead of an actual apology for actual problems.
Your New Payment Communication Rules
State facts, not feelings: "Invoice attached" not "Hope this finds you well and isn't too much trouble!"
Use deadlines, not requests: "Due March 15th" not "Whenever you get a chance"
Follow up with professionalism, not apologies: "Following up on payment" not "Sorry to bother you again"
Assume compliance, don't beg for it: "Payment due in 14 days" not "If possible, could you maybe pay within two weeks?"
When You Should Apologise (Hint: It's Not About Money)
Apologise when you're actually late. Apologise when you make actual mistakes. Apologise when you cause actual problems.
Don't apologise for:
Sending invoices on time
Expecting payment as agreed
Following up on overdue accounts
Charging the rates you quoted
The Test
Before you send your next invoice, read it out loud.
If it sounds like you're asking permission to be paid, rewrite it. If it sounds like you're grateful they might consider paying, rewrite it. If it sounds like you think payment is optional, rewrite it.
Your invoice should sound like what it is: a bill for services rendered.
Just Do This is your weekly permission slip to stop sabotaging your own business.
Forward this to someone whose payment emails sound like apology letters. Subscribe below for next week's simple change that fixes behavior you didn't know was costing you money.
