Tesla reportedly asked its suppliers for cash back to help shore up its finances, and Elon Musk quickly disputed the story. Whatever really happened, one thing is clear: Tesla is burning through cash at an alarming rate, and that’s a warning sign every small business owner should recognize. Poor cash flow is one of the top reasons startups fail—here are the mistakes to avoid so you don’t end up in the same spot.

With roughly 400,000 franchises operating across 75 industries in the U.S. alone, franchising is clearly a popular way to get into business. But it’s not the right fit for everyone. Between start-up costs, royalty fees, and sourcing restrictions, there’s plenty to weigh against the built-in brand recognition and operational support you get in return. Here’s a rundown of the biggest franchise pros and cons before you sign anything.

Procrastination has a way of sneaking up on even the most disciplined people. It’s rarely just laziness—fear, perfectionism, and plain old boredom all play a role in why we put things off until it’s almost too late. The good news is you don’t need a personality overhaul to beat it. Here are three vital, practical steps that can help you stop procrastinating for good.

Walking away from a business is one of the toughest calls an owner ever has to make, even when it’s ultimately the right one. Sometimes it’s obvious, like a natural disaster; other times the signs are far subtler—a business that’s busy but never profitable, or talented employees who keep quietly heading for the door. Here’s how to recognize when it’s genuinely time to let go.

One day an employee is on your schedule, and the next, they’re simply gone—no call, no notice, no explanation. Employee ghosting, a phenomenon that started in the dating world, has made its way into the workplace, and it’s happening more often than you’d think. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it might. Here’s how to prepare for it and limit the fallout when it does.

Waiting on unpaid invoices is one of the most frustrating parts of running a business, especially when you’re counting on that cash to make payroll. Chasing down slow-paying clients doesn’t have to mean endless awkward phone calls. This guest post lays out seven practical strategies—from smarter invoicing to early payment discounts—that can get your receivables moving faster.

It’s hard to know for sure whether your startup is actually on track or you’re just telling yourself a good story. There’s no guarantee of success, but there are real signals worth paying attention to along the way. From cash flow to how customers find you, here are the three biggest signs your early-stage startup is headed in the right direction.

More often than not, the person most responsible for your business problems is staring back at you in the mirror. It’s rarely bad luck—it’s usually a handful of poor decisions rooted in roadblocks you’ve placed in your own path. From misplaced persistence to chronic self-doubt, here are the three most common ways entrepreneurs unknowingly sabotage their own success.

Every candidate puts their best foot forward in an interview, which makes hiring top talent trickier than it sounds—you often don’t know what you actually got until after they’re on the payroll. If your team feels stuck or your best people keep leaving, the problem might not be the candidates at all. Here are four common reasons the best talent keeps passing you by.

ZTE who? If the headlines about the Trump administration’s fight with the Chinese tech giant left you confused, you’re not alone. But strip away the politics and there’s a straightforward business lesson underneath: bad compliance decisions can bring down even a massive company. Here’s what every entrepreneur should take away from the ZTE fiasco, and what to do if your own business ends up out of compliance.