Have them put money in an escrow account. I have done freelance work since I was a kid and one thing I&#x27;ve always done was ask for money upfront, maybe not in my hands, but held by a 3rd party. Losses of 15% seem a bit high too me.<p>Writing software for someone else is kind of like painting a scene from someone&#x27;s dream. There is a good chance you wont hit 100% of what they were looking for, and your goal is to make them just happy enough to pay you. If they part with their money already, they are much more likely to accept what you give them, than if they haven&#x27;t already bought it.