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7 October 2009

off my feet


Despite not bowing to the pressure of selling on credit, today was a bumper sales day. The graph shown above is just a bit of a laugh really as the numbers are so low but hopefully you can see the upward trend currently being experienced this month. If it carries on at this rate there should actually be a healthy profit this month that I can plough back into completing the construction work on the oven.

I actually was scared today that my bakers had abandoned me! No - I'm not paranoid, things didn't end on such a good note between them and me last night. Perhaps I should explain...

As we are situated a few kilometres away from the local town where the bakers live they have to get a shuttle bus / taxi to work everyday for which MozBak pays for. In order to get the bus home in the evening they must finish work by around 6 pm, and in order to do that they must be here at work by 11am. Of course last night they wanted a lift home but as they had arrived at work late (2pm) I put my foot down (on the floor not the accelerator) gave them taxi money and told them I couldn't give them a lift. This they did not like at all. Leaving me with feelings of guilt and wondering if they were ever going to show up again. Checking my conscience I debated if I was being too harsh, this is supposed to be a social enterprise. people focused. No! I realised, things can't always be like they have been. Petrol costs money and money we don't have right now, getting a lift is nice but eventually they are going to have to realise they can't get a lift everyday. Yes its harsh but that's reality. I hate being the bad guy but if this venture is going to work then I need to be bale to make business - read: bottom line - focused decisions.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Andy,

    Congratulations on today's sales!

    Also, well done checking your conscience. The gut is rarely wrong.

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  2. i just wish my boss will give me money when i get to work late... lol!

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  3. You gave them cab fare? What's to feel guilty about???

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  4. i should probably mention we're 1.5km / 1 mile from the road and if they miss it they have to walk 8km / 5 miles home!

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