The second biggest purchase most of us make after a property is, of course, a car. This is where Man Maths comes into its own. A female partner will likely expect something practical: good fuel economy, decent boot space for the kids’ stuff or the dog. A Man and his Maths will think differently. He’ll think ‘Porsche’ and working out a return on investment that proves that buying one is the responsible thing to do.. There will be one column in the spreadsheet – the Pro column. There is literally nothing worth recording in the column for cons.
When it comes to presenting the Man Maths, the potential objections have been researched and counter arguments made ready. The great thing about Man Maths is that the sums always add up favourably.
Those like me who excel at this type of mathematics – especially when it comes to motorbikes – need a purchase approval process. This is my wife, Louise, and she’s the inspiration behind Zahara. Over 30+ years together she’s rejected many a purchase request, always scoring top of the leader board for approval times. ‘No’ is her usual rejection remark.
In the business world, you need a Louise – someone to check the purchase requests so you aren’t dealing solely with Man Maths. You must consider all manner of things like practicality, functionality, affordability, sustainability, credit lines, cash flow.
And the more people you have working for you, the faster the requests come. Yes, this is where Zahara comes in. It’s also where you’ll start to see your return on investment. You can create approval automations that let the good stuff through but stop the unnecessary – or downright wrong – purchases. I probably don’t need to remind you of the dangers of Man Maths.