The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Check

Having your own business is great. You make your own hours, report to yourself and you get all the credit for your hard work. So why do most professionals (whether contractors, writers, web developers, photographers or lawyers) wind up going back to work for The Man after a year or so on their own?

Because it takes forever to get paid.

I meet these people all the time. They used to have consulting businesses but they couldn't wait the six weeks it normall takes to get paid by their clients. And I'm thinking: six weeks? That's brutal. It's a wonder most people are able to stay in business at all.

For the sake of small businesses everywhere it's imperative that this pay schedule improves, especially since bills and other business expenses always arrive on-the-dot. But you have to strike a delicate balance. You don't want to annoy your clients or seem pushy. Entrepreneur has Five Expert Tips for getting paid fast. And they all seem to make sense. The most important one, I believe, is to "make some noise."

This is not to say you should hassle the companies you're doing business with (or their controllers), it just means you should stay in touch and send them reminders. They all intend to pay you--or at least we hope they do--but if you're quiet as a mouse it's your own fault if you wind up waiting six, seven or even eight weeks for payment.

So, to all the small business owners out there: Share your tips on how to get paid faster without annoying your clients. We will all be the better for it.