An expression used frequently, in my part of the world, when someone says something to you that seems incredulous. This was very much my reaction in May 2020, when my younger, fitter and more adventurous business partner said, “Let’s take out a massive loan, re-engineer our software platform and add a new function, that no one else has tried to build before!”.
After the, ‘you’re having a laugh!’ comment, I responded, “We are in the middle of a global pandemic, our revenues are forecast to be 20-25% down on last year and our chances of bringing on new customers are, to say the least, slim. Now, you want to add debt to that scenario”.
I cannot remember how the conversation went after that, but suffice it to say, we are a couple of weeks away from BETA testing the new software, including the additional function. So, the entrepreneur won over the penny-pinching, finance guy. My only defence is that; borrowing at the time was relatively easy and due to Government intervention, we benefitted from deferred payments and low interest rates, to be repaid over a longer period, than normal.
There is still, however, much doubt and many questions unanswered. Is the new product unique? Did I get carried away with his vision, passion and desire to make things better. Can we get our message to our target audience? Do they need it (although our research suggests they do) and most importantly, will they see its true value? Only time will tell.
We are several weeks away from launching the product to BETA testers, with a full launch four to six weeks later, so watch this space. Hopefully, after the BETA test, we will be ready to tell everyone about the new product.