You can book a full season and still run out of cash if the money comes in slower than it goes out. In a business with a big materials outlay up front, how you collect matters as much as what you charge.
Take a deposit before you buy materials
A deposit — often half — at booking covers your materials and weeds out the tire-kickers. It's standard in the trade, and serious customers expect it.
Invoice the moment the lights are on
Don't wait until the end of the month. Send the invoice the day of the install while the customer is delighted and the work is fresh. The faster you ask, the faster you're paid.
Offer the payment methods people actually use
The easier you make it to pay, the sooner you get paid. Card, ACH, and tap-to-pay options like PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App remove friction. A customer who can pay from their phone in ten seconds usually does.
Make the money go straight to you
Use payment tools where funds land in your account, not held by a middleman. It's faster and cleaner. (Pinecone links invoices to your own Stripe or payment handles for exactly this — the money never touches us.)
Chase overdue invoices politely but promptly
A friendly reminder a few days after the due date recovers most late payments. Automate it so it happens without you thinking about it.
Tighten your collection and the whole season feels less stressful — because the cash is there when the bills come due.