How to Vet a New Client Before You Take the Work
To vet a new client before you take on the work, confirm the business or person is real, check for any history of unpaid invoices or disputes, and make sure the details they gave you hold up. AI Due Diligence gathers a client's public records, background, and risk flags into one summary so freelancers and small businesses can screen an inbound lead in minutes.
Why vet a client
Most freelancer and agency trouble is not a bad brief but a client who does not pay, disappears after delivery, or turns out not to be the business they described. A short check before the first invoice catches the obvious problems while it is still easy to decline the work. It is far cheaper to spend a minute screening an inbound lead than to chase a late payment for months or write off delivered work. This is the same vetting a lender applies to a borrower, made simple enough to run on every new client who finds you online.
What to look for
Enter the client's company name, or their full name if they are an individual, and run the scan. Read the summary for whether the business is actually registered, whether the contact details and domain are consistent, and whether any risk flags point to disputes or a pattern of non-payment. Compare what the report shows against what the client told you in the first email. A brand new company with no footprint is not automatically a problem, but it is a reason to ask for a deposit or milestone terms rather than net-30.
Protect yourself beyond the check
A check reduces risk but does not remove it, so pair it with sensible terms. Ask new clients for a deposit before starting, invoice in milestones for larger work, and keep the scope in writing. Save each report to a free Yesodi account so that if a client returns months later, the earlier check is still on hand. The goal is not to reject clients but to price the risk correctly and set terms that match what the check shows.
Open Due Diligence on Yesodi →How do freelancers check if a client will pay?
Confirm the client is a real registered business, look for any public record of disputes or non-payment, and check that their details are consistent. The free AI check on Yesodi gathers these into one summary, and pairing it with a deposit for unknown clients reduces the remaining risk.
Should I vet a client I found on a marketplace?
Yes. Clients who reach out through marketplaces or cold email are exactly the ones worth a quick check, because you have no prior relationship. A one minute scan is cheaper than an unpaid invoice.
What if the client is a brand new company?
A new company with little public footprint is common and not proof of a problem. Treat it as a reason to ask for a deposit or milestone payments rather than extended terms, and confirm the key details directly.
Free Due Diligence is a free tool on Yesodi, the private network for business professionals. Free AI due diligence on Yesodi. Instantly vet any person or company , get records, risk flags, and background before you deal, built for business professionals.
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