Pricing decisions that protect cash flow
Profitable on paper, broke in the bank account is a pricing problem disguised as a finance problem.
Deposits, milestones, balance at completion
The longer the job, the more important the payment schedule. End-of-job-only billing on long projects sinks shops that look profitable.
Bake financing costs into the price
If you offer customer financing, the platform fee comes out of your margin unless you priced it in. Build it in from the start.
Charge for the carry
If terms or net-30 invoicing tie up your cash, that cost belongs in the price. Customers asking for longer terms are asking for a discount they didn't say out loud.
Take your version of this question further
This is one operator-tested angle on the question. Your shop, your size, your trade, and your team change the answer. Ask your specific version inside Ask a Shop Owner to get a response grounded in how owners like you actually handled it.