Small business according to Dilbert

On Tuesday, a local commercial real estate firm with five branches in the Bay Area finally paid their six month overdue invoice. Francis and I made many personal visits to the office over the course of six months, hassled the poor receptionist, sent past due notices, and eventually, I directly e-mailed the president of the company. Apparently, they have felt the effects of the economic downturn and did not think paying for their 72", fully decorated holiday wreath in June sounded very appealing. I can't blame them. After assuring me the check was finally in the mail, the president of the company told me, "It is hard to believe, but we are a small business too." That may technically be true according to the definition of small business, but I am certainly more dependent on their $800 payment than they are in keeping it! In any case, we settled the matter on good terms and will most likely continue to do business with them in the future, only with advanced payment required. Francis found this appropriate Dilbert cartoon that summed up the whole experience.