Debtor, n. (dee-bi-tor): You know that friend who borrows money for lunch and “forgets” to pay you back? Yeah, in the world of subscription businesses, that’s a debtor. But instead of a sandwich, it’s a month’s supply of soap, or a year-long magazine subscription.
When you’re a kid, you might have traded snacks with your friends. A chocolate bar for a bag of chips, for instance. And sometimes, your friend might not have had his chips ready, so he’d tell you, “I’ll give you two bags tomorrow!” That friend, dear reader, was a debtor. He owed you something, and in this case, it was a delicious bag of chips.
As we grow up, the stakes become a bit higher. Instead of chips, we’re talking about services or products provided on credit. In the subscription business, a debtor is a customer who has received a service or product but hasn’t yet paid for it. They’re like that friend who promised you two bags of chips but hasn’t handed them over yet.
Now, not all debtors are bad news. Sometimes, they’re just a bit late with payment. Life happens, right? But other times, they’re like that friend who keeps promising the chips but never delivers. In the subscription business, these repeat offenders are called delinquent debtors.
Don’t confuse “debtor” with “Dexter,” even if your debtor’s name is Dexter and he’s always late with payments. Debtor is a term in finance, not a TV show about a forensic technician moonlighting as a vigilante serial killer. Although, I guess, if Dexter owed you money, he’d be a debtor, too. But let’s not go there.
In a nutshell, a debtor owes money. They’re the reason why companies have account receivable departments, and why those departments have such a love-hate relationship with the sales team. You see, every time a sale is made on credit, the company gains a debtor.
So, if you’re running a subscription business, you’ll have to deal with debtors. It’s a bit like running a school cafeteria where everyone promises to pay you back tomorrow. It’s all good as long as tomorrow comes, right?
In conclusion, a debtor is a bit like a friend who owes you chips, an unpaid gym membership, or that guy who’s always late with his Netflix payments. They’re an essential part of the subscription business, an unavoidable part of the financial landscape, and the reason why your accountant might have developed a nervous twitch.
Remember, in the world of subscriptions, a debtor isn’t necessarily a foe – sometimes, they’re just a friend who’s a bit late with their chips. But if they never turn up with those chips, well, that’s a different kettle of fish altogether. That’s when you may have to switch from being their friendly snack-trading buddy to the playground enforcer. Just remember to do it with a smile. After all, business is business, chips or no chips.
