Mistake: spending every payout the day it lands

Mistake: spending every payout the day it lands
Everyone withdraws the full balance the moment the program approves it. Then a fraud sweep, a refund wave, or a quarterly true-up claws back more than this month's earnings — and now you owe them money.

How people get caught:
— A big launch cohort refunds at 25%.
— The reversal hits after you've already spent and scaled.
— Negative balance, paused payouts, scramble.

Fix: hold a clawback reserve. Park 20-30% of every payout for 90 days before you treat it as yours. Size the reserve to your worst historical reversal month, not your average. Boring, yes. It's also the difference between a cash crunch and a calm quarter.

Verdict: money the program can still take back was never your money.