When times get tough, getting paid for your work can too. There’s a good article by Polly Traylor about how to keep your customers’ cash flow problems from becoming your own on American Express Open today. (full disclosure: she quotes yours truly)

• Choose customers carefully
• Establish credit limits
• Be flexible / get creative
• Have systems in place
• Play hardball
• If you’re not a numbers person, find someone who is by outsourcing

For freelancers, I’d also suggest using one of the freelance project management services such as Odesk or Elance and require your customers to escrow their payments before you start to work.