A growing number of customers have apparently found a way around tighter economic times—pay late or just sometimes not at all. The latest Kauffman Firm Survey shows an alarming increase of young firms who claim their primary business challenge is customers paying late or simply not making payments—jumping from 2 percent in 2008 to 14 percent in 2010. That may not be as big of a problem for larger established firms, but for startups it can mean the difference between failure and survival.
