Getting rid of customers? Am I serious? Absolutely. In a recession, your bad customers will become problems that you could have ignored during a thriving economy. When you’re looking to cut costs, start with customers who drain your business of time, money, and energy.

Consistently late payments? Excessive customer service demands?

Hold the line on your nonnegotiables. Customers who cross it get warned. Those who repeatedly cross it should be referred to your competition to become someone else’s headache or possibly ideal client.

If you insist on keeping bad customers, make them pay for the privilege of their misbehavior. Charge interest on late payments. Increase your fees for goods and services. Life’s too short not to be compensated for dealing with unacceptable behavior.