Save My SME

The World Changed, Have You? Background There is a story about world war plane engineers who examined planes that came back from the battlefields and noticed that some parts of the plane got more bullet holes than others.  Some engineers suggested that they should strengthen the parts where there were no bullet holes and it seemed logical. However, one engineer made the best recommendation and his theory was that since the parts that were being hit were liable to more attack it was important to strengthen those parts instead.  Living in Denial We noticed that many SME Owners live in a world where it's still safe and the way we did it before is the same way it should work even if it takes more money or time we shall put in more. Nothing will ever be the same again The reality is that the world changed and there is a "New Normal" everything we once knew about business has changed from disrupted supply chains, business models, how we work, who gets employed, where we work an

The Disrupted Supply Chain The Good Old Days Remember when you did a Google search for a phone you liked. Discovered Amazon or Jumia decided who the best seller would be and decided to make the purchase.  Clicked on Buy inserted your Card Details or Paypay address, selected DHL or FedEx for delivery, and had your phone in a week. You could do this over and over again including buying a simple piece of jewelry all the way from China or Europe and receive it in a week. Life was GOOD. Most traders involved in import business have become accustomed to traveling to do business, especially China from where they select the goods item by item, then stay a little longer to ensure the goods are loaded on the ship and then travel back to prepare cash for tax payments - this was the Normal way of doing Import business.    What Happened Corona Happened - from the first report of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2019 and the eventual shut down of Chinese cities as t

TAKE THE RIGHT RISKS In July, 83% of New York City bars, restaurants, and nightlife establishments weren’t able to pay full rent, according to an  NYC Hospitality Alliance survey  of 471 businesses. 37% couldn’t pay at all. Some landlords have tried working with battered tenants: Almost 29% waived some rent. But struggling with bills of their own, most did not . In Uganda, the situation is equally as dire with many failing to re-open due to a lack of working capital. GOOD PLD DAYS The restaurant business is easily a 40% margin business if well managed and within 1 week of operating a supplier is at your door asking for sale their stock to you and collect their money at the end of the day including butcheries, grocers, and employees taking daily income for work done. WHAT HAPPENED COVID happened! The pandemic forced governments to shut down whole industries including the restaurant and hospitality spots, throughout the 4 months, bills were pilling, and