| What is it with some big businesses? Do they wait for | | | | businesses needed and then demanded payment |
| a small retail business to stumble before they sink the | | | | instead of allowing a credit for stock returned early. |
| boot in? It seems that way if events I witnessed | | | | One day the ants who populate small businesses will |
| recently are anything to go by. | | | | band together long enough to teach a big business or |
| I have spent several hours on the phone with two | | | | two a lesson about relationships, respect and service. |
| small retail business owners trying to help them get | | | | I hope that I am around to see it. |
| stock for their businesses. They have been cut off | | | | What all this has to do with business is this - small |
| because their accounts are late being paid, not too late, | | | | business is the lifeblood of the country an my |
| only by seven days. | | | | company? If we let small business wither and die, our |
| In each case they have been making a concerted | | | | retail landscape will become one huge homogenised |
| effort to get the supplier accounts under control by | | | | shopping mall and how awful would that be? |
| making weekly payments. All calls from suppliers are | | | | Trouble is, small business can be its own worst enemy |
| returned. Their indebtedness today is nowhere near as | | | | by paying bills late, not organising business records for |
| bad as it was just three months ago. Yet the suppliers | | | | better business management, by not reading the |
| are cut them off - just when they were a few weeks | | | | warning signs. The result is that some small businesses |
| away from having all debts paid off. | | | | are disorganised and willing prey for large suppliers |
| Such unreasonable action by suppliers against trading | | | | who are happy to treat them harshly and, maybe, lose |
| partners of long standing is appalling. But I know it | | | | customers. |
| happens every day. | | | | The call to action to small business owners has to be |
| I'm not suggesting small business is given a free ride. I | | | | to not let yourself get into this situation, to buy within |
| am advocating reasonable consideration by someone | | | | your means, pay your bills on time and to not rely on |
| who looks at the situation and considers the | | | | one or two large businesses to supply stock. |
| relationship - not a bean counter looking to make quota | | | | Big suppliers can be very willing to help small |
| for the day. | | | | businesses to win retail real estate. This can be done |
| Each of these businesses is family owned and | | | | with rebates or even an interest free loan. This |
| employs five or six other people. Without the stock | | | | immediately weakens the small business. It is best for |
| which has been cut off these businesses will starve. | | | | the business that it remains independent and free of |
| Surely their suppliers know this. I should point out that I | | | | any obligation to a big business supplier other than |
| could make a case that the suppliers, in these two | | | | carrying their stock. |
| instances, created the cash flow problems by | | | | The more self reliant and tightly managed a small |
| supplying more product in the first instance that the | | | | business the longer it will survive. |