I Grew Too Fast and Nearly Lost Everything | The Cash Flow Trap No One Talks About

Описание: Lucy, founder of a Kenyan manufacturing brand built around purple tea, unpacks the realities most entrepreneurs never talk about.

Lucy shares what it really takes to build a manufacturing business in Kenya — from product formulation and cash flow management to retail distribution, fundraising, and surviving near shutdown. She opens up about expanding too fast, running a business dependent on 30-day credit terms, and the hard lessons that followed.

We also talk about:
• Why revenue does NOT equal cash
• The dangers of scaling without systems
• Retail vs direct-to-consumer tradeoffs
• Fundraising mistakes founders make too early
• How a serious health crisis exposed gaps in the business
• Why “it’s not always about the money”
• What resilience actually looks like when things fall apart

Chapters
(00:00) Introduction: Building a Manufacturing Brand in Kenya
(01:20) What Is Purple Tea? (Kenya’s Most Underrated Export)
(02:58) Purple Tea vs Green Tea: Benefits & Differences
(04:17) The Italy Trade Expo That Changed the Business
(06:34) How Research Led to a Purple Tea Product Line
(07:36) Becoming a Cosmetic Formulator in Kenya
(09:20) Motherhood, Eczema & Starting a Skincare Business
(11:30) From Shea Butter to a Scalable Product Range
(13:47) How the Business Was Funded Without Investors
(14:50) The “Mama Mboga” Growth Strategy Explained
(19:31) When Scaling Too Fast Became a Problem
(20:04) The Retail Cash Flow Trap (30-Day Payment Terms)
(22:19) Why Production Had to Stop Completely
(25:36) Rebuilding a Business After Near Shutdown
(29:07) What Happens When a Founder Is the Business
(38:25) Health Crisis That Changed How the Business Operates
(44:40) Why Funding Doesn’t Fix Broken Systems
(55:08) Distribution Mistakes That Hurt the Brand
(59:50) Why Quitting Was Never an Option
(01:09:08) “Nothing Beats Your Health” – A Founder’s Lesson

This is an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, manufacturing, women-led businesses in Africa, and building something that can survive both personal and economic shocks.

Follow us on all our socials:
@sohowsbusiness
Instagram: https://shorturl.at/TElff

TikTok: https://shorturl.at/8MwGh

Facebook: https://shorturl.at/Opr6a

LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/GW5Wu


African entrepreneurs, women in business Africa, manufacturing business Kenya, cash flow problems, startup failure stories, founder resilience, fundraising mistakes, skincare brand Africa, So Hows Business podcast