If you’re running a creative business, chances are you didn’t start it because you love chasing invoices.
Whether you’re a design agency, video editor or freelance producer, your time is best spent doing the work you’re actually paid for, not nudging clients for payment three weeks after the due date.
That’s where third-party payment providers like Adfin*, GoCardless and SmartDebit come into play.
They’re not just about getting paid, they fundamentally change how (and how quickly) money flows into your business.
Let’s break down why that matters.
One of the biggest friction points in any creative business is cash collection.
Invoices get sent… and then sit there.
Using a provider like Adfin* allows you to:
The result?
Less chasing. Faster payments. Better cash flow.
And crucially, you remove the awkwardness from client relationships. No more “just checking in on this…” emails.
Irregular payments are one of the biggest challenges for creative businesses.
You might have a great month on paper but if clients take 45 days to pay, it doesn’t help when your software subscriptions, rent, and team costs are due now.
Third-party payment tools help smooth this out by:
Over time, this creates something most creative businesses lack:
Predictable cash flow.
And once you have that, everything else such as planning, hiring, investing gets easier.
Perception matters.
When a client receives a clean invoice with a simple payment link, multiple payment options, and a frictionless checkout experience, it signals:
“This is a well-run business.”
Compare that to:
It’s a small change, but it has a big impact on how clients perceive you.
And in competitive creative industries, those details matter.
Let’s be honest, admin is the silent killer of productivity.
Chasing invoices, reconciling payments, checking bank receipts… it all adds up.
With tools like Adfin*:
This doesn’t just save time, it frees up mental bandwidth.
Which means more energy for client work, business development, or, frankly, just switching off at the end of the day.
Your clients are used to frictionless payments in their personal lives - Apple Pay, Google Pay, one-click checkout.
When they have to manually log into online banking to pay your invoice, it feels… outdated.
Third-party providers bring your payment experience in line with modern expectations:
The easier you make it to pay, the quicker you’ll get paid.
Simple as that.
Once payments become easier, you can start to rethink how you charge.
For example:
These models reduce risk and improve cash flow but they’re much easier to implement when payments are seamless.
Most modern payment platforms integrate directly with tools like Xero.
That means:
From an accounting perspective, that’s a big win.
From a business owner’s perspective, it means fewer headaches.
It’s not all upside.
You’ll typically pay transaction fees (e.g. card processing fees), so it’s worth weighing up:
In most cases, especially for service-based creative businesses, the trade-off is well worth it.
Using a tool like Adfin* isn’t just about making it easier for clients to pay.
It’s about taking control of your cash flow.
And when you control your cash flow, you control your business.
* Adfin is the payment provider I use in my own business and I receive a small discount on their charges when people sign up to use their service via the affiliate links within this blog. If you prefer not to click affiliate links then just go direct to their website - www.adfin.com - I genuinely think they are the best solution on the market today.