How do you protect your business from clients who might take your design ideas but refuse to pay the final fee?

[Btaliat]

There is a need to get your outcome protected. You need to make sure that you are not releasing the final copy until the last penny has been paid
You don't really need to trust any client no matter what. There are some that are just after your design. They may take over it even before you complete the task for them. This is the main reason why you need to make sure that you protect your outcome..

 

[Edward22]

Watermarks are one of the simplest ways to protect your work. Put your name or logo right in the middle of the design preview, not in a corner where it can be cropped out. Once the full payment comes in, then you send the clean version. Simple as that.