Tip: If you’ve been sending email, try sending paper.

For whatever reason, there are people who take a paper letter more seriously. There’s also real chance that your emails really are not getting through reliably, or are ending up at bottom of an overflowing Inbox.

If you do send email, make sure it’s digitally signed. A digital signature proves that you sent email to specific recipient. In fact, you might want to make sure all your emails to clients and prospects are digitally signed, to have solid documentation of everything you said, and everything they owe.

Unlike with regular emails, date, time, “to” and “from” fields can’t be forged, so email has legal standing, even more than certified mail. While web-based email programs cannot send digitally signed email, there are third-party services that will let you send hundreds of digitally signed emails from a desktop email program for only a few dollars a month.

Tip: Follow up your debt collection letter with a telephone call.

As any collection agency will tell you, telephone calls are useful if your debtor has ignored collection letters. But with caller ID, Caller Blocking and voice mail - if people don't want to take your calls it is hard to reach them. This technique could be especially effective in case of someone with whom you know will answer their own phone.

Of course, your writing skills won’t go to waste: you need to make sure you have scripted what you want to say. You should take same attitude and touch on same points as your letter. Whatever you do, don’t let yourself get sidetracked, and don’t be embarrassed. They’re ones who are putting you out.

Don’t know your deadbeat’s telephone number? Try looking up “Whois” record of business’s website, which usually has owner’s telephone number.

Does all this sound like too much work?

If you’d rather be writing proposals than collection letters, there are small business collection agencies that will take on debts for as little as $20 each. After all, your client had enough sense to go to you rather than doing your specialty themselves. Shouldn’t you have as much sense when it comes to your debt collection letters?

The second problem is that most people do not put enough effort into truly planning their business. The old adage states, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Unfortunately for some this is usually true. One of reasons “eplanit” has discovered for general lack of Internet business planning is scarcity of “Internet” specific business plans. So Dane, Dave, Mike, and Mat created “eplanit” a business plan software designed specifically for Internet business start-ups. The software features 109 questions, which upon being answered lead an entrepreneur successfully through thinking through their Internet business. The software can be downloaded, and is compatible with both Macs and PC's.

The combination funding report, and Internet business planning software has now been used by over 500 small business start-ups and has been well received by those using it. Like Diane who said "The template helped me keep my course and objectives for my business plan on track, and concise. It was very helpful to read all questions in each section, and then write sections one at a time. It's easy to get off on tangents when you have more than one thing to focus on, and plan worked for me."