Rise Above your circumstances

I found myself sitting across from the school chairman—a man I barely knew but had been introduced to through the school’s owner. It wasn’t exactly a social call; I’d called for this meeting because I realized that if the board didn’t get together soon, the school’s progress would continue to circle the drain like water in a faulty sink.

Now, the school owner and I had met at a bank networking event, where I’d pitched the accounting software I designed and implemented for various institutions. Little did I know, that meeting would lead me on a rollercoaster of a journey I never signed up for. After going through her books, I realized she was steering the school straight into bankruptcy—completely oblivious, of course.

You see, there were no proper policies in place to manage the school’s finances. No structure. None. Zilch. The teachers were running mini side-hustles within the school—planning school trips and collecting funds like they were running their own tour companies. And selling uniforms? Oh, they were basically running a retail store on campus. It was like a business within a business, and trust me, that’s not a compliment.

Then came the real kicker. After some deep-diving into the financials, I found that 532 out of 643 students hadn’t paid their school fees, yet according to the books, everything was all sunshine and rainbows—100% payment! To the owner, it looked like every penny had been collected. So where was that money going? And don’t even get me started on the unregulated expenses. The school’s spending was like a teenager with their first credit card—out of control, unprioritized, and frankly, a disaster waiting to happen.

This had me reflecting on my own business and home financial management. Before I could start shaking my fist at the government for high taxes or complain about not having enough money, I had to ask myself, “Am I actually managing my money right? Do I even have a budget that works?”

And that’s how I stumbled upon Seed and Bread software. It’s been my financial lifesaver ever since—helping me budget, stick to it, and still have some cash left over for savings and investments. Not to mention, I’ve got a little extra for those future goals. Because let’s be honest, a good budget is like bread: you need it fresh, and you need it daily.