by Refilwe Sebothoma
Starting and growing businesses without many resources is very scary to say the least, and through my start-up years I learned the power of being vulnerable to the right people. Start-up businesses often carry the pressure of looking, talking and behaving like big businesses because they are worried that their weaknesses may disqualify them from opportunities. While this is true, I have experienced that there are corporates which are not looking for perfect suppliers and are willing to invest and support SMEs grow and become sustainable.
So here are my tips:
- When you get an order and you do not have the cash or means to fulfill it, always be quick to go back to the customer to discuss options of support. I have had corporates which offered to help pay the suppliers upfront on my behalf, or even negotiate with big suppliers to open terms accounts for me to be able to supply.
- If you are not able to meet the delivery deadlines for whatever reason, again chat to your order owner as soon as possible to workout a solution together. I have had clients who were willing to accept half of the order and deliver the balance later and some got me support from their other bigger suppliers to deliver.
- Small business owners you need to find a way for being hopeful, confident and visionary without over exaggerating your abilities. I have seen the “fake it until you make it” and “act big” phenomenon destroy a lot of great potential.
The point I am making is that there is always help out there, but we cannot access it because we do not ask for it. One of my favourite Setswana proverbs says, “ngwana oo sa leleng, o swela tharing”, directly translated meaning “a child which never cries never gets attention and eventually dies”.
Lets wrap up with this quote from Brené Brown:
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it's having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it's our greatest measure of courage.”
Have a fantastic week ahead.
Refilwe Sebothoma continues to grow as a visionary entrepreneur with proven business savvy and qualities. She is strong self-made Business Development strategist (in establishing, maintaining and retaining relationships and growing businesses; her financial acumen (in driving profitability, cash flow management, performance measurement and management, value creation and sustainability); market orientation (skilled in the ability to analyse and synthesize market and competitive data); strategic management(demonstrated ability to understand and manage critical interdependencies across the business value chain.