One of the most persistent concerns that for small businesses is cash flow. It's no surprise given that Australian companies are ranked as the worst in the world when it comes to paying outstanding invoices, according to a recent report. In particular, big businesses drag their feet when it comes to paying small businesses. Now the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell has launched an inquiry into the matter and is looking at possibly bringing in some regulation that will punish larger organisations that are late in paying money owed to the smaller end of town.

There are few things more debilitating in life than a hostile workplace. Usually the blame can be pinned on one or two people. You know the type we're talking about -- they're the ones who are always complaining and tossing around insults. They thrive on gossip, blame their mistakes on others and will happily throw anyone under the bus if it could lead to a promotion. In short, they're arseholes.

Invoice2go CEO Chris Strode is keenly aware of the detrimental effect a few bad apples can have on staff happiness and productivity. He has subsequently implemented a strict "no-arsehole" policy to the hiring process. We think it's a strategy most businesses would do well to emulate.

Dear Lifehacker, I have my mobile phone with Crazy John's and just received notification that my bill is going up by $1.10 to send out a paper invoice. I was a bit miffed at this when Optus did it years ago and was wondering about the legalities of it. I have a small freelance business and like the paper invoicing for my records. Can I send them an invoice for processing for the same amount and get away with it? Thanks, Paperlover

If you're looking to start freelancing (or already have), you're going to need to invoice your clients. Perhaps the simplest option is Billable.me, but if you want more control plus the ability to track your tasks you should check out Bunker App.

If you need to create an invoice fast, Billable wants to help you out. All you need to do is visit the Billable site, edit the invoice template, and print.

If it's time for a self-assessment of where your workday time or cash go, 1DayLater can help. If you're a freelancer looking for lightweight client tracking, 1DayLater's also got game. It's a really lightweight, web-based tool for watching where everything goes.

If you're going to succeed as a freelancer, it's important to have a good record-keeping system in place to track billable hours and invoice your clients. MakeSomeTime is an easy way to keep track of how you spend your workday.

For many self-employed people, invoice generation is a task that gets spread inefficiently between Word and Excel. Invoiceplace lets you shift the process online and get some automation happening.