Studio · November 11, 2025 · 4 min
Why WebAnts requires no prepayment to start
Most agencies ask for 50% upfront. We don't. Here's why, and what it means for how we work.
The industry standard is 50% on signing, 50% on delivery. It's designed to protect the agency from clients who disappear. We understand why. We just think it creates the wrong incentives from day one.
When you pay upfront, the relationship becomes about the agency delivering what was scoped, not about the work being right. Scope disputes become financial disputes. The conversation shifts from 'is this good?' to 'is this what I paid for?'
Our model: milestones. You pay as we deliver. At each milestone, usually four per project, you review the work, approve it, and release the next payment. If something isn't right, we fix it before we move on. There's no invoice number attached to the disagreement.
It means we carry more financial risk. We're fine with that. It keeps us honest, keeps the work honest, and it's the reason clients come back.
“The motion we keep tends to be functional. The rest is tax the user did not agree to pay.”