201 GREAT IDEAS for Your SMALL BUSINESS, Third Edition

GREAT 42 IDEA: Invoice Bimonthly and Add an Overhead Charge

Susan Pepperdine, a veteran public relations consultant, has two great ideas for boosting cash flow. She bills clients twice a month and adds a 2 percent overhead charge to cover postage, shipping, and printing, so you don't have to keep track of all that small stuff.

“If you bill more frequently, you don't have to wait until the end of the month to be paid,” she said. “The longer you stretch it out, the less likely you are to get paid. Plus, consultants are not like the phone or electric company; we can't cut the service off, so you have to do something.”

Pepperdine's clients range from a well-drilling and mineral exploration company in Kansas to a church and an investment company. ...