I’ve been writing a lot about the need for positive cash flow because its such an important part of achieving financial independence. What is positive cash flow? It simply means you actually have money left over at the end of the month. If you end each month with no extra money or worse, owing money then you need to take fast action to get yourself into a positive cash flow position, in business and in your personal life.

Here’s what Young Money Radio host Mike Schiano had to say about improving cash flow.

“I can’t tell you how many people I come in contact with who are just a few dollars from positive cash flow. I mean, less than $100 a month short of paying all of their bills in full and on time. That is just $25 a week. Take 10 seconds to think of five ways to earn $25 a week … Did you do it? Great, then you just thought of five ways to increase your cash flow by $100 a month.

You may have thought of things like having garage sales, cutting lawns, shoveling snow, setting up a table at a local flea market once a month, typing resumes or college papers, cleaning homes or office, cooking for others or bringing items to a consignment shop. If you though of five ways to create an extra $25 a week and you do all five, you can have $500 a month in extra income.

Would $100 or $500 extra each month make a difference in your lifestyle? You bet it would. Have you ever seen a neighbor drive by in a brand new car, like a BMW or a Cadillac, and said to yourself, “How can they afford that?” You just answered that question for yourself with the ‘five ways to $100′ exercise.

Sit down and list every skill, interest and ability you have — or could learn quickly — and you will begin to see how valuable you really are. Then choose the skills that you can translate into cash flow generation without a great deal of time or investment. What can you do this week to create some cash flow? What starts out as a way to create $25 a week could eventually grow to a multi-million dollar business.