Technology

One of the most daunting things about starting a business is the maze of payment systems and options that must be navigated before you can send and receive money. Charles Pittaway, MD of Softline Netcash, has been serving as a buffer between entrepreneurs and the banking system since 2002. Netcash was acquired by the Softline group in 2010 and Pittaway is up in Johannesburg at the Softline offices to have various meetings with senior executives. He’s just done a workshop with some of them to explain the potential role of Netcash as a service provider between the other divisions when I catch up with him.

“There’s a bit of a cultural change when you become part of a big group, but it’s been minimal in the sense that they do give you enough freedom to bring in the numbers. As long as you bring them in, they don’t get too involved operationally. If you’re an entrepreneur, you don’t want a noose around your neck. I think that’s why entrepreneurs leave when they sell their businesses.”