Every service business has had one or two clients that fill them with a sense of dread. The business relationship may have started out well and then turned sour. Occasionally, there are those clients that were predictably difficult and that pit in your stomach told you they would be from the very first phone call. Depending on the status of your business and cash flow, you may choose to grin and bear it. You may also wonder how you can prevent future toxic client relationships.

Toxic client relationships can negatively affect service-based businesses. Here's how to deal with them and red flags that would have predicted them.

The catch-22 of running a creative, digital marketing or ad agency is that it takes money to make money. While it would seem that bringing on more clients would increase cash flow, the challenge is having enough employees available to handle the client work. And if a client quits your agency, will you be laying off those employees? These are only a few of the thoughts that plague the mind of an agency owner when they're trying to get to sleep at night. Cash is king and must be available to keep the lights on, the employees happy and your clients on board for the long haul.

Tackle these four things to solve the cash flow problem of marketing and ad agencies. 

When growing a business, organized finances, documented processes and the perfect staff can contribute to positive feedback and referrals from  clients. Even when everything is going right, there will be that one particular client who seemingly steals your joy.  Whether they're being difficult or too demanding (hello scope creep), it's imperative to set boundaries on the B2B relationship.  When they don't pay their invoices, it could be even more frustrating. 

When you're doing everything right in your business, what do you do with that one client who refuses to pay?

Running a business when you can't predict monthly income can stress out any business owner. Some months, new clients seem to drop from the sky and other months, there's an actual sound of crickets chirping. A feast or famine lifestyle isn't healthy for anyone but there is a way to not only survive, but thrive. A little organization and a some steady work habits can help keep your budget on track.

Here's a freelance survival guide to thriving during the feast or famine cycle of income.

Do a survey of successful business leaders and you'll find essentially similar qualities. Leadership is not about telling people what to do. Successful leaders demonstrate passion, perseverance and the willingness to get into the action to build their dream. Running a small business means wearing many hats, trying something new almost daily and admitting when help is needed. If you're starting a business or hiring new people...

Build a successful small business with these 10 leadership qualities.

Small businesses balance on a precarious line when attempting to collect debts from their customers. Business owners trying to grow their business certainly don't want to lose customers. If those same customers don't pay their balances on time, or at all, it hurts the business even more because time and resources are already spent. Depending on the type of small business customers, there is a right way and a wrong way to do debt collection. 

Here are tips to do small business debt collection the right way.

Typically, no one likes to talk about money. Whether it's personal shame of how you're handling your own debt or asking for money from people who owe you, talking out loud to someone about it can make your palms sweaty. If you're running a small or growing business, it can feel like even more of a struggle. After all, your business provides quality services or products and that's what you do best. Your clients know their part of the deal is paying for those products and services and yet... some invoices go unpaid. 

Don't fret. Here's how to talk to clients with unpaid invoices.

When a client begins to take advantage of your patience, resentment begins to build. You know the feeling - you're giving them extra hours, dealing with scope-creep, or continuing to work even though they haven't paid your past two invoices. There's a different way to handle these sorts of clients: Boundaries. You can still be friendly with clients but also honor the hard work and effort you put into your business.

Here's how to be friendly but firm and set boundaries with clients.

As 2017 comes to a close, we find ourselves in the thick of the holidays. We may be wrapping up year end accounting, buying last minute gifts for clients or hoping the boss remembers to say thank you to the accounting department.  Either way, we're counting just a few more working days before the holiday weekend.  In the spirit of giving back, we're offering the top 10 most popular business and accounting blog posts of 2017. 

The holidays may put a strain on you as an individual but end-of-year accounts receivable follow-up could put a strain on your business. It can be challenging to review overdue invoices and the potential of bad debt write offs and stay in the giving spirit. If cash flow is strained, a business owner may feel resentful of those clients who still owe on invoices. Treating your clients well, however, is necessary for retaining those relationships. B2B sales cycles take longer so your clients are important, even when their invoices are unpaid.

Here are 5 best practices for treating your clients well during the holidays, even when they owe you money.