Startups suffer from two types of problems. Neither is fun. Both are stressful. You only want one type, but don’t have control of which you’ll get.
One set of problems are the search for more customers, the search for more investors, the search for more talent to get you out of the current hole you are in. These are not the problems you want.
The other set of problems are too many customers, not enough ability to serve their needs, not enough money to provide them product, not enough resources to hire the people needed to meet demand. These are the so-called “high class” problems.
Kalahari Honey is one my fledglings suffering the latter. New customers keep calling up, asking for more honey. Big customers, who pay 30 days after they receive the orders (a.k.a. “Net 30”) but where we have to pay for what is in the bottles and the bottles and pay for the shipping with cash.
Meanwhile, the awards keep piling up for Kalahari Honey, which beget more orders, which only make these high class problems worse.
The solution is a mix of external funding and good controls over cashflows. Kalahari Honey is working on both.
