I don’t demand anything from customers. Generally I don’t ask for an up-front payment. I commit to a simple deliverable to get started. My rule of thumb says never get into a position where a customer owes me a lot of money, or I owe the customer a lot of work. What “a lot” means depends on the situation.

I avoid customers who give me a bad first impression: unrealistic, pushy, stingy, unpleasant, doing something borderline shady. You get a nose for them.

The agency that represents me as a freelancer asks for a deposit from new customers, to establish the relationship and get ahead of the billing cycle. But I only get paid when I deliver and the customer agrees.