Narrator: Friends Keitumetse and Gorata are meeting for lunch at a local restaurant.

Gorata: I haven’t seen you forever, Keitumetse. You look good. What have you been up to?

Keitumetse: I know … I’m sorry. Life is just too busy. Between taking care of Toto and trying to keep this business afloat, I barely have time to think. And then, of course there’s Lesego.

Gorata: How’s Lesego? Are things still good between you two?

Keitumetse: What can I say? You know him. We’re trying to buy a house. You know how he’s always pushing and pushing. I’ve tried to tell him we’re not ready for a house but he won’t listen.

Gorata: He’s ambitious, but that’s not a bad thing.

Keitumetse: Maybe … but things take time. I like to do things properly, in the right time. His problem is always patience. He wants things now. Always now.

Gorata: Yeah, you’re right. That’s not good. I know from the bank. People can get themselves into all sorts of problems because of that sort of impatience. Some people have so much debt it makes them physically sick.

Narrator: Their food arrives, and they eat while they’re talking.

Keitumetse: (Looking down at her food) This looks yummy!

Gorata: It sure does! So how’s the business doing?

Keitumetse: You know … up and down. (Hesitates) Actually, more down lately. I had to retrench some staff. I felt terrible about that. They were depending on me.

Gorata: Why? What’s happening? I thought the cleaning business was going so well.

Keitumetse: I think we’ve reached some sort of wall. We’ve been only cleaning people’s houses and, you know, people can’t pay a lot; some struggle to pay us at all.

Gorata: Why don’t you try to get some corporate gigs? I know at the bank we use a cleaning company. Most places do now. At least that could stabilise things a bit.

Keitumetse: (Looking down at her food) I don’t know, Gorata … You know, I never finished matric … I’m just not … I guess, ready for all that. I don’t understand all of that.

Gorata: Keitumetse, you’ve been running a successful small business for four years now. That’s more than finishing matric. You have a proven track record. That’s what matters.

Keitumetse: But you know these big companies; they want you to know all sorts of accounting things. I just don’t think I’m up to it.

Gorata: Don’t even worry about that. It’s easy and I can help you. You need to have faith in yourself – that’s the first step.

Keitumetse: Maybe you’re right. Thanks for the offer to help too. But honestly I do need to do something; we won’t stay in business much longer if I don’t find a way to bring in more income.