![Why Small Businesses Can't Afford to Grow](https://cdn.magzter.com/1422355276/1709217930/articles/qovFnH8Ok1710942345878/Entrepreneurs-Partnerships-Business-owners-Self-made-businesswoman-Business-Manufacturing-partners.jpg)
IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A CELEBRATORY LUNCH-THE KIND WHERE YOU ORDER FRENCH FRIES AND CHEESECAKE, THEN GO HOME TO NAP AND DON'T EVEN FEEL BAD ABOUT IT.
Instead, Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson were sitting in an Atlanta restaurant, dazed with disappointment, talking in circles, returning again and again to the same confounding question: How did we not know this?
It was 2010, and three years earlier, the women had cofounded a company called Nourish, which made grab-and-go baby bottles filled with premeasured, purified water for easy formula mixing. The company had been finding its legs, one wobbly step at a time. Then, Whole Foods placed a huge order of their product.
"It was, like, orders of magnitude bigger than anything we'd done before," Hodgson says. They were ecstatic. This is what they should've been celebrating. But then they read the payment terms. "We discovered that we weren't going to get paid for three to four months. I mean, no small business can handle that."
The women had run headlong into an unspoken rule: the bigger the buyer, the longer they take to pay. And it didn't even matter what the official payment schedule was. "If your invoice says net 30 or net 60 or net 90-that's just a suggestion," Hodgson says. "We know now that the average net 30 invoice pays in 54 days. But back then, when we realized all this, I just remember thinking, like, Was I sick one day in business school? Why does no one talk about this?"
They had more questions, too. Why was this the status quo? Why did no one seem to think it was a big deal? And why-in a country that calls small businesses the backbone of the economy-had no one bothered to create a better solution?
この記事は Entrepreneur US の March - April 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Entrepreneur US の March - April 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
![Doing Good Is Good for Business](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8754/1728519/G6Ur63s1I1718106888942/DOING-GOOD-IS-GOOD-FOR-BUSINESS.jpg)
Doing Good Is Good for Business
Want to grow your franchise? Invest heavily in your community.
![You're Never Out of Options](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8754/1728519/Cx4jOwzS11718109895107/YOURE-NEVER-OUT-OF-OPTIONS.jpg)
You're Never Out of Options
An entrepreneur's path is never simple or easy-but you have more opportunities than you think.
![YOUR NEXT RECRUIT COULD BE A ROBOT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8754/1728519/VuLFj1TF11718109555472/YOUR-NEXT-RECRUIT-COULD-BE-A-ROBOT.jpg)
YOUR NEXT RECRUIT COULD BE A ROBOT
Across the franchise industry, brands are putting AI to use in all kinds of novel ways. From customer service to better marketing and quality control, here's how brands are taking the leap into automation.
!['MY JOB IS TO KEEP THIS BRAND HOT'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8754/1728519/o13DwM3Mg1718108997294/MY-JOB-IS-TO-KEEP-THIS-BRAND-HOT.jpg)
'MY JOB IS TO KEEP THIS BRAND HOT'
Taco Bell's new CEO is, in his words, \"not the dictionary definition of a CEO.\" But he has a vision for how to keep their winning streak going.
![These Franchise Trends Are Hot!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8754/1728519/H6wJMYwNx1718107021085/THESE-FRANCHISE-TRENDS-ARE-HOT.jpg)
These Franchise Trends Are Hot!
If you're looking to buy a franchise, start with this list. We break down 10 of the industry's hottest trends, and more than 400 brands to choose from.
![How He Opened 10 Franchises in 10 Years](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8754/1728519/sI398iqWv1718106797136/HOW-HE-OPENED-10-FRANCHISES-IN-10-YEARS.jpg)
How He Opened 10 Franchises in 10 Years
After being laid off twice in two years, Josh Grinstead became a GYMGUYZ franchisee and now makes more than $1 million in annual revenue. Here's his playbook.
![Busting 3 Major Franchising Myths](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8754/1728519/a8RDEarez1718106489315/BUSTING-3-MAJOR-FRANCHISING-MYTHS.jpg)
Busting 3 Major Franchising Myths
Is franchising really just for the affluent looking for a turnkey, \"easy\" path to success? No, no, and no!
![Which Franchise Model Is Right for You?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8754/1728519/JrPiJyKxN1718106241646/WHICH-FRANCHISE-MODEL-IS-RIGHT-FOR-YOU.jpg)
Which Franchise Model Is Right for You?
There are two big ones: You're either a location-based business, or you're service-based. Here's how to decide between them.
![Ready to Own Your Own Business?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8754/1728519/qsobsazXX1718106135327/READY-TO-OWN-YOUR-OWN-BUSINESS.jpg)
Ready to Own Your Own Business?
This magazine is designed to help you. Here's how.
![Charities Are Getting Down to Business](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8754/1682502/YFdhgFdpY1716814221932/CHARITIES-ARE-GETTING-DOWN-TO-BUSINESS.jpg)
Charities Are Getting Down to Business
Nonprofits are struggling. That's why more charitable leaders are taking a page from their for-profit peers-and learning how to make money.