Last week I received a rather sad email from a client who has been with us for about 12 months now. The email was as below.

Good morning ____,

My tax problems are now in the hands of an external company that has been commissioned to fix the tax issue.

The last two weekends have been compromised by illness and equipment failure, resulting in not only expensive repairs but severely affected revenue.

I realize that I am quickly approaching an abyss but I am doing what I can in the background to rectify this.

With 12K cases a day, people’s habits have changed. Revenue is not what it was, I’m working on it.

Worst scenario is that I sell, but I want to try everything first.

It is indeed sad and disheartening when we receive emails like these. However, what is even sadder is the fact that I have been telling this client that his wages are way too high (above 50%, and 60% in some weeks). I have requested sales summaries and reports so that I could analyze the numbers and review why his wage costs are running so high. Sadly, I haven’t received anything from him in 12 months in spite of several emails and follow-ups.

End of financial year is a good time to reflect on the reasons you started your hospitality venue. If you were to start all over again, would you still have gone into hospitality? It’s time to think about everything that has happened since you ventured into hospitality. It’s time to think about the future that lies ahead of you. I wish that future is bright for all of you.