♡PHILISWA♡

Mafungwashe|Born-again Christian|UCT Alumni|umXhosa waseMthatha|Not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ|Gemini|Lover of Poetry& Comedy|Loves Beards|uDadobawo

[♡PHILISWA♡ @Thee_Phil]

@keitu36 Flexing much!

[Alex Ponton @ponton_alex]

Changing the behavior of banks and lenders will take time in this country. Here are some alternative ways to secure financing & liquidity for your business.

Prepayments: Don't be scared to sell your solution even if it is not yet built. Nothing gets an early adopter more excited than co-building. If you have identified a problem that keeps them up at night and your "idea of the solution" or your MVP makes sense, they are likely more than happy to pre-pay upfront so you can execute on your vision.

Annual subscriptions: From my experience doing B2B in Africa, most folks don't like monthly payments. They prefer 1 approval instead of 12. Payments are messy as well. Take advantage of this.

Consulting & Agency: Interswitch built their whole payment platform at the back of doing consulting and implementations for big banks. If you really understand a problem and how to solve it, business folks will be more than happy to pay for your knowledge, your time and your ability to handle the problem for them. It also gives you unique insights and enables you to sharpen your understanding as you have a foot in the door. Consulting can pay the bills and serve as free R&D...

Cure your pilotitis: People love pilots in Africa but your cash flows don't. Digging deeper, a free pilot doesn't tell you much. They take time, people aren't as committed as when they pay, you still don't know if they will pay at the end, etc. Once the pilot is done, you have to start the negotiation all over again. Instead, try selling your annual subscription (see above) with full reimbursement if they are not happy after 3 months.

Supplier financing: The late BMK built his whole spare part business at the back of supplier financing in Japan during the Obote II days. He famously travelled to Japan, was mugged & lost all the cash he brought but still managed to place an order without any money. What's your excuse for not asking? Jokes aside, suppliers are much more likely to give you financing if you have built a good relationship with them.

Shorten your cash cycle: Look for counterparties that pay quickly. Parastatale might take 2 years to pay with a lot of back-and-forth while some people might pay the bulk upfront and the balance within 30 days. You can unlock a lot of liquidity in your business by shortening your cash cycle. Fire the big clients that don't pay.

Internally generated cash flows: This is stating the obvious but people often forget that breaking-even and generating cash flows from your business is the ultimate goal. You don't give up equity, you don't have to deal with the phone calls from your banker and no one has to sit on your board. It also puts you in a situation where investors don't have as much leverage when you do go and raise funds. You might grow slower but when all else fails, maximize your cash flow generating machine.

Being broke is a distraction: There is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping your job as you build your business if that ensures you can meet your needs. "You need to sleep on couches like Elon Musk did and eat instant noodles every day" is one of those rubbish Silicon Valley myths that make 0 sense. If you struggle to make rent or provide for your family, you are not focused. That is way more important...

Have a great Sunday!

[♡PHILISWA♡ @Thee_Phil]

@zonkezakhe_M @maryjanexplored It's been 3 YEARS Zonke. Banks are open even on weekends. If you wanted to get together you would have. Can you just be an honest person and return people's money so we can all close that chapter

[♡PHILISWA♡ @Thee_Phil]

@zonkezakhe_M @maryjanexplored Hi Zonke, when are we getting the money we put on on Siyakha? I've sent you emails and signed withdrawal letter as you advised but wavela wathula nje

[Tofu Tomato 🍅 @oluwatofunmii_]

I’ve been thinking about this babe on TikTok who said she knew it was time to end things with her boyfriend because he said/did something and she thought ‘my future husband wouldn’t say that to me, wouldn’t speak to me like that, that’s not the love story I want to tell my kids’.

[GRACIE 👞 @ohgracieoguns]

Sandal or slide ?
Which do you prefer ?😊

[♡PHILISWA♡ @Thee_Phil]

@mrsemz_ @InternetH0F KFC

[Self Health Area @SelfHealthArea]

A short story for you:

1.

[Dabane wakwa Laxa @MelikhayaL3006]

It is very IMPORTANT to date a man who initiates things “you busy this weekend? I was hoping we could go wine tasting” not these “when am I seeing you” 😕

[Tumi @Tumi_Maubane]

@TyloBanks They don’t care 💔💔

[🦢 . @bontlendlovu__]

when did you realise your supposed friend actually hated you ?

[♡PHILISWA♡ @Thee_Phil]

Do you remember when you joined Twitter? I do! #MyTwitterAnniversary

[Fomax1🇬🇧 @fomax112]

@O_MARQZ @tylerperry History matters.

[Mlamli Baliso @BalisoMlamli]

My mother is something else guys 🙆🏽‍♂️🥹❤️

[♡PHILISWA♡ @Thee_Phil]

@BalisoMlamli "Ungade undiqhele kakubi" haybo uMamzo😯Talk about violent love😄😄

[City of Joburg @CityofJoburgZA]

Jozi, meet your 2023 City of Johannesburg Student Council Executive. The Student Council have a mission to give a voice to the youth of the city, and to raise issues and possible solutions specific to high-school learners.#JoburgYouth #JoburgCares

For more information: https://t.co/1KWKiqQFbs