To prevent cash shortages, the best defense is a good offense, so get serious about minimizing fixed expenses. A company should be big enough to cover only its most predictable, recurring needs. Find creative ways to handle peaks in demand without hiring additional staff; outsourcing and finding interns are good strategies for “right-sizing” and minimizing cash needs.

Consider non-cash ways to make purchases. Credit-card rewards programs and frequent-flyer points can be effective cash substitutes.And with the The Gold Card from OPEN^SM, it’s easy to earn these rewards from your budgeted business expenses. By putting all your monthly bills on your Card — wireless, phone, electric, shipping, cable, internet — you can watch your Membership Rewards® points add up fast, and you can put more back into your business by redeeming for flights, office supplies, and much more.

You earn one point for virtually every dollar you spend, and you won’t pay an annual fee your first year. And, if you spend $1,000 on your Card before October 31, 2008, you can earn enough Membership Rewards points for one domestic round-trip ticket through our airline partners’ Frequent Flyer Programs. Plus, you can save anywhere from 3%–25% when you use your Card with any of our OPEN Savings® partners, helping cut down on fixed business expenses.

Apply now.