Originally published on Small Business Trends on October 29th, 2007.
For any small business starting out, cash flow can be a major issue. It seems like we’re always stuck somewhere between the past-due bills and outstanding invoices. One of the best ways that a small business can ease the flow of funds from customer accounts to their own is by providing the ability to pay with a credit card.
For online merchants who sell products this is a no-brainer. But service providers should consider this option as a way to get paid …

With this device, Apple has taken the lead in defining the general interface for the next iteration of the mobile web. Eventually our devices will be capable enough to handle anything the web throws at it, but in the mean time there are a few design paradigms that are evolving based on this single device.

Then, one day, Google decided that we could all change a couple of zone files and point our mail traffic at their servers, and they would be delighted if came in a used their beautiful applications … for free. And it wasn’t just email. It was integrated calendaring and chat, and it was all built on open standards with easy accessibility through a set of APIs. Google decided that anyone could use their suite of online applications to manage the communications within their domain.

The 90% Rule says “If you find a tool that can achieve 90% of the functionality of your ‘Perfect Tool’, you’re 90% of the way to finding a solution.” All too often, managers try to find tools that solve 100% of the problem, something that is often unachievable. Here are a couple of the traps that can lead to this thinking ….