Business in trouble

First, if you think you're in trouble, you probably are. The good news is recognizing that you may be in trouble is half the battle.

Here are four quick trouble indicators:

- If you're paying suppliers so late that they have you on C.O.D. or actually cut you off.

- If you take business that is not profitable just to get the cashflow.

- If you have to borrow money to pay operating expenses.

- If you're constantly overdrawn at the bank.

These all could be signs that your business model isn't working. The truth is that virtually every small business experiences these things sometime in the life of the company. But when either, or a combination, of these occur frequently, your business is in danger of not making it.