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Web.com's (NASDAQ: WWWW) small business customers have certainly suffered during the recession. Yet, the company has been able to deal with it. Then again, small businesses realize that they need a strong web presence, which is exactly Web.com's laser focus.

In Q3, the company posted revenues of $26.1 million, which was up a bit from the $25.5 million in the same period a year ago. Most of the revenue came from recurring subscriptions.

Unfortunately, when a company cannot pay its debt, the consequences can be severe. In fact, when it comes to bank debt, liquidation may be the only alternative.

However, with the recession, creditors realize that it may make more sense to work things out, especially since there are signs that the economy is making a comeback.

So, if you're behind on your debt payments, there certainly steps you can take to work things out. Have a look:

In the restaurant business, Troy Smith is a giant. He is the founder of Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ: SONC). Now, the company has a chain of about 3,600 units across 42 states.

Unfortunately, Smith died this week. He was 87.

Like many great entrepreneurs, Smith got experience in his industry before he started his business. After serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II, he got a job as a truck driver for some cafes and restaurants. From this, he started to brainstorm business ideas.

There are certainly many advantages to getting a franchise. You receive leverage from higher marketing dollars, an existing platform that increases the speed to market, a brand, and helpful techniques and systems to improve success.

Great, huh? Well, as with any investment, there are risks. And, you need to get a sense of these before acquiring a franchise.

This means conducting an extensive due diligence. So, here are some tips:

Ray Kroc did not start McDonald's (NYSE: MCD). But he was the one that had the vision and energy to turn it into a global powerhouse.

Back in 1977, Kroc wrote a book about his story, called Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's. The title is appropriate. You see, he did not get involved in McDonald's until he was 52 (in 1954).

What I like about Kroc's book is that he has some simple advice for building a successful business. And, it's always a good idea to look at the fundamentals. So, here are some of the takeaways:

I recently talked to someone who wanted to start a business. He said, "But there is something I don't like to do: sales. It's something I'm really not good at."

Well, I said to him, "You better learn fast."

Sales is critical for any successful business owner. In fact, it is more than just about nabbing customers. It's also about hiring, forming partnerships, and even courting the media.

And, in the current economic environment, sales is perhaps even more important. After all, who wants to part with his or her money right now?

One of the best ways for your business to get exposure and credibility is through public relations. Yet, hiring a PR firm can be expensive, easily running $5,000 to $10,000 per month.

Despite this, it's possible to do PR on your own. Keep in mind that a key to success is having an active and passionate founder or CEO who makes media relations a priority. This has been the case with many great leaders, such as Howard Schultz at Starbucks (NYSE: SBUX) and Marc Benioff at Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM).

So, let's take a look at some of the steps you can take to improve your PR.

Back in the late 1960s -- when the hippie movement was in full force -- Donald Fisher started a blue jeans store in San Francisco. Yes, it eventually turned into a retail empire, called The Gap (NYSE: GPS). The company now has more than 3,100 stores and $14.5 billion in revenues.

Unfortunately, Fisher died over the weekend. He was 81.

When Fisher started his business, he had no experience in the retail trade. Instead, his background was in real estate.

But this was no problem. Like any good entrepreneur, he saw a mega opportunity -- that is, a change in the fashion habits of the masses. After all, the Gap stands for "generation gap." And the Baby Boomers were certainly ripe customers -- and willing to pay.

Nike's (NYSE: NKE) "swoosh" logo is incredibly powerful and captures the essense of the company. Interestingly enough, back in 1971 Carolyn Davidson designed the logo for a mere $35 (for more stories about logos, check out the LogoBlog).

So of course, your company's logo is critical -- in terms of branding, getting customers, and presenting the right image. And, the good news is that there are many affordable options to get a top-notch one.

Since coming on board Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) early this year, Carol Bartz has wasted little time in making changes. Part of the strategy is to get the company more focused.

So, it looks like Yahoo! is in the process of selling its small business unit. All in all, it's a good asset, with web hosting, domain name services, and merchant accounts. The deal may also include the HotJobs division.

It was only three years ago that Aaron Patzer started Mint.com, a free web-based financial planning site. In his mid 20s, he encountered much skepticism. But, this was no problem for Aaron. He realized he could make a difference.

And he certainly did. This week, he sold Mint.com for a cool $170 million to Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU).

Actually, over the past few years, I've been able to have calls as well as meet with Aaron. He gave strong demos and was always passionate about his company (he would even demo his personal account, showing that he would "eat his own dog food"). Mint.com seemed like a mission for him.

It's clear that we are in the midst of a credit bubble that has burst. The fallout is being felt throughout the economy but is most prominent in credit card defaults, which are rising and will continue to rise, according the leading analysts.

Two of the biggest credit card issuers are getting clobbered. Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) saw its defaults rise to 14.54% in August from 13.81% in July. Citigroup (NYSE: C) saw defaults rise to 12.14% in August from 10.03% in July. Following close behind was JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) at 8.76%, up from 7.92%.

Is it possible to run a business by giving away your stuff? It sounds counterintuitive. But hey, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) gives away much of its offerings, right? I'm actually using Google Docs to write this column, for example.

True, Google is perhaps an exception (it certainly helps to have a huge user base and brand name). But it is worth exploring the concept. In fact, there is an excellent book on the topic -- Free: The Future of a Radical Price-- which came out recently.

By any historical standard, it's been a horrible recession. Just surviving has been a big accomplishment.

However, this "survivor mentality" can be a problem. If anything, it can prevent your business from eventually growing.

Growing? Yes, that's right. Taking a look at the recent economic indicators, it does look like the economy is on the mend.

Underneath the official numbers that we lost 216,000 jobs in August and our unemployment stands at 9.7%, are some nasty, negative data.

Look at these numbers:

• Some 26 million Americans can't find full time work.
• The average work week has been cut to 33.1 hours.
• The number of discouraged workers jumped to 16.8% from 16.3% in July.
• Part-time workers increased by 278,000 to 9.1 million.
• Teenage unemployment is at 25.5%.