As a Virtual Tech Manager, I am constantly asked questions via DM, within social media groups, and by clients. Instead of that abundance of knowledge being lost one a post disappears in a feed, I thought it would be great to have a FAQ dedicated to the answers provided to fellow entrepreneurs.
Stripe Question: I want to send an invoice for the first half of a project. If I send them an invoice it prompts them to enter CC & stores the information, in the event they don’t pay the second half once the project is completed, can I charge their stored card on file?
You are correct. You only need to send an invoice for what is currently due, especially if you do not know when the final payment will be due. When paid, Stripe does encrypt the credit card information and ACH information (or you can just turn off all other payment options and only keep credit card available). PLEASE make sure you document in several areas AND on your contract that you will auto charge once services are rendered (and what stipulates the end of the contract). When that point is reached, you would simply create another invoice for the remaining balance but instead of requesting payment info from customer, you would auto charge the card on file. Now please understand, this is not an “end all, be all” – just because a card is on file does not mean a person can not call their bank and block the charge or funds are going to be available. If it is possible to collect all payments up front or place the final payment in escrow, I would recommend going that route to protect yourself.
What are your favorite free or paid calendar programs for scheduling service?
I used to recommend OnceHub but they recently changed their free tier. For now, I would recommend Calendly or 10to8 (I believe they just changed their name). All have free versions – all great!
How do you stay relevant in your field?
I stay up to date on the latest trends and policies, keep up on certifications, and practice…practice…practice. I have worked with certain systems for well over a decade and the evolutions they make to stay current will keep you on your toes.
Is there someway to have people, when they register to my WP site, also be put on the Mailchimp list?
Definitely! As David said, you can use a plug-in or Zapier, Integrately, or other API software for this integration. The latter are free options as WordPress and MailChimp are not premium apps (so you can use Zapier to connect them).
I am getting a lot of emails from Meta saying my ads account is in violation. Should I be concerned?
If you receive an email or a DM that is from “Meta” stating you have been in some type of violation with your account and to click this facebook link or this facebook post, DON’T! Meta will not send you a random email and definitely will not DM you if there is a problem with your account. They will also not email you from Outlook, through WordPress, or the plethora of other ways I have seen these messages come through. ALWAYS log into Facebook and go directly to Ad Manager to see if there is an issue. If you don’t see a notification upon signing into Facebook or see a banner alert in Ad Manager, there are absolutely no issues with your account. I have put an example of the emails I have been receiving below. BE CAREFUL! I read in a group that someone fell for this, clicked the link, entered all of her information, and later got an alert the someone was trying to log into her site. Which brings me to point #2 – PLEASE activate two-step verification with Facebook (preferably Google Authentication). We all make mistakes so if by any chance you do fall for the deceiption, your account is protected. Just make sure if you use the same password across the board, those accounts also have two-step verification or change the password immediately!