No.
Honestly running a business in Asia is like… 35% harassing people who haven’t paid you. I hear it’s pretty similar elsewhere but can’t confirm.
It’s most businesses. At least as a former owner of an Auto Body shop in California, and then one in Georgia, this was the case. As a Buyer for a chain of bike shops I also spent a significant amount of time avoiding paying at least 35% of my purchase orders at any point in time.
Yeah, the best solution I’ve found is inflating the initial deposits with new clients (enough to cover costs for the project, but not more than that). Then if they agree, overdeliver on the work, then pursue a more collegiate arrangement in the future.
Working with Western companies can still be a pain sometimes. Many of them don’t come to Asia to do things well, they come here to do things cheaply. A cheaper option than paying me, is not paying me. In reality, I have little recourse as my company doesn’t have the resources for an international lawsuit. I’ve been burned a couple of times, but to some extent it’s just the cost of doing business.
