I co-founded KleanPay for a simple reason: I no longer wanted to be hired for work and then not get paid. As the head of an SME, I have lived this problem from the inside. KleanPay grew out of that experience, with a clear goal: to reduce the number of companies that go bankrupt not for lack of customers, but because they are not paid on time.
The work is done, the invoice stays unpaid
I run CTE SA, a lifting company based in Orbe. Mobile cranes, aerial work platforms, special transport: our teams and machines work every day on construction sites across French-speaking Switzerland.
In this business, every job ties up a crane truck, a crane operator, fuel and hours of preparation. All of that cost is committed before the invoice even goes out. When the client pays late, or does not pay at all, it is the company that fronts the money.
I have been through it: work that was ordered and done properly, followed by reminders, chasing and weeks of waiting. Meanwhile, salaries, leases and insurance premiums do not wait.
A profitable company can die from one unpaid invoice
Talking with other business owners, I realised I was not an isolated case. Tradespeople, subcontractors, hauliers, freelancers: we all face the same risk.
The construction sector is hit particularly hard. On a building site, subcontracting runs in a cascade: when the project owner or the general contractor pays late, every subcontractor further down feels that delay in turn. The amounts are large, payment terms are often long, and it is usually the smallest companies that pay the price.
A company can have a full order book and decent margins, and still end up in trouble. A few large clients paying late are enough to drain its cash. That is often how bankruptcies begin: not for lack of work, but for lack of cash.
The most frustrating part is that the work has been done. The value has been delivered. Only the payment is missing.
KleanPay: getting paid for the work you do
Rather than keep putting up with it, I decided to build the tool I wished I had. That is how KleanPay was born.
The idea is to secure payment from the moment the order is placed, so business owners can focus on their trade instead of chasing their money. Fewer reminders, less uncertainty, healthier cash flow.
KleanPay was not designed in an office, far from the field. It comes from a business owner who manages sites, teams and invoices every day, and who knows what an unpaid invoice costs.
And you, how many invoices are you still waiting on?
If you are a business owner, tradesperson or freelancer, you probably know the feeling: having done your job well and still having to fight to get paid.
KleanPay exists for you. See how it works at www.kleanpay.ch and follow this blog: we will share practical advice on protecting your cash flow and getting paid on time.
— Amine Tabet, co-founder of KleanPay