A-Game Business Podcast

In this episode of the A-Game Business Podcast, I’m in a conversation with Buntu Majaja, the CEO of SA Innovation Summit (SAIS). SAIS is an organization that is completely devoted to empowering entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey, from the early incubation phase to fully scaling their businesses.

With a global reach but a strong local focus, SAIS has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the tech entrepreneurship ecosystem especially, hosting an industry must-attend event every year.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into how SAIS supports and nurtures tech entrepreneurs, and how it serves as a driving force in helping them thrive.

And here's some exciting news for all our listeners! SAIS is giving away 10 tickets valued at R 4,995 each. To enter the competition for a chance to win, simply create a free digital marketing report for your business and we’ll choose winners from those who do.

Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to be a part of SAIS 2023. Click here to create your free report and stand a chance to win: https://www.agamebusiness.com/free-digital-marketing-report

If you want to learn more about SA Innovation Summit and their incredible work, be sure to visit their website and follow them on various social media pages using the links below:

Website: https://innovationsummit.co.za/ 

LinkedIn: @The SA Innovation Summit 

Twitter: @innovsummit   

Facebook: @SA Innovation  

Instagram: @sainnovation

This is no laughing matter.

My recent adventures at the swanky Advertising Week Africa in Johannesburg was such a thrill!

In this particular episode, I had the pleasure of listening into an interview of none other than the legendary Kevin Hart and the CEO of Hartbeat, Thai Randolph. They were being interviewed by the fabulous Nelisiwe Mabe, and let me tell you, it was a conversation for the ages!

They delved deep into the inner workings of Kevin Hart, the man, the branding genius, business man, the legend. We learned about his entrepreneurial spirit, his leadership skills, and his uncanny ability to turn brands into global names.

Kevin spilled the beans on how he built his business empire and shared his secrets on how to hire the best talent and let them thrive by giving them the freedom to do what they do best.

Thai Randolp also spoke at length and gave juicy insights into her experience working alongside Kevin at Hartbeat. She spoke of her trailblazer role in the industry, her passion for women's empowerment, and how they as Hartbeat plan to partner with South African businesses and talent as part of their global growth strategy.

Oh, and did I mention they raised $100 million in growth capital? No big deal.

All in all, it was an electrifying discussion that left me feeling both inspired and envious. I mean, who wouldn't want to be a business extraordinaire like Kevin or a boundary-pushing CEO like Thai?

Hey, at least I can still dream, right?

Jokes aside; this was by far one of the most educational interviews I’ve had the pleasure of listening to live.

This episode is not to be missed!

Enjoy

Advertising Week Website: https://advertisingweek.com/event/awafrica/

Hartbeat Website: https://www.hartbeat.com/

As part of Advertising Week Africa , our host had the opportunity to attend the AWAccelerate session. A group of hand-picked startups got to learn from some of the best marketers in the world and have their businesses exposed on the global Advertising Week platform.

The session was headlined by Sthe Mabanga, the Chief Executive Officer of 83 Capital, and Bonin Bough, the Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer of Group Black. They had so much valuable information to share. This episode is part of that exchange.

Enjoy!

Advertising Week Website: https://advertisingweek.com/event/awafrica/

Advertising Week LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/advertising-week/

KK Diaz attended Advertising Week Africa in Johannesburg last week, where he had the chance to cover some interesting and high-profile people, including Matt Scheckner, Kevin Hart, Sthe Mabanga, Thai Randolp CEO of Hartbeat, amongst others. So stay tuned for the next few episodes to hear more from these big names.

In this episode, we have an exclusive interview with the founder and Chairman of Advertising Week, Matt Scheckner.

He founded Advertising Week in 2004 as an annual New York event which has now expanded to include events in London, Tokyo, Sydney, Mexico City, and most recently, Johannesburg.

During the interview, Matt shared his experience of creating Advertising Week, and how it has grown to encompass hundreds of panels and talks each year, reflecting the changing face of marketing and advertising, and related fields.

Stay tuned for more on the A-Game Business Podcast!

Advertising Week Website: https://advertisingweek.com/event/awafrica/

Advertising Week LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/advertising-week/

In this podcast episode, I discuss the importance of Strategic Marketing and share 10 tactics you should seriously consider to improve lead generation and conversion, as well as ensure you at least match what your competitors are already doing to avoid getting left behind.

The 10 tactics I discuss are:

1.    The Need for Courageous Leadership

2.    The Connected Customer concept

3.    The need to emphasize the customer experience

4.    Commerce-powered CRM Platforms

5.    Customer Success

6.    Micro-influencer marketing

7.    Leverage AI and automation:

8.    Embrace voice search optimization

9.    Focus on community building

10. Podcasting

Listen to the full episode to learn more and to explore options that can work for your marketing strategy in 2023.

If you need any assistance, make sure to get in touch:

Get a Free digital marketing performance report here: https://agamebusiness.com/free-digital-marketing-report/

Get a Free HubSpot CRM to unlock a unified system for The Age of the Connected Customer here: https://agamebusiness.com/

In this episode, I sit down with Trisha Govender and Langa Zulu, techpreneurs who run robotics and coding academies for kids and teenagers in Kwa Zulu Natal.

Trisha and Langa share with us their passion for robotics and coding and how it led them to start their academies, separately.

During the interview we discuss the importance of getting our youth involved in robotics and coding and the impact it can have on their future careers.

They also share their business model and how they make money by offering various programmes and classes to students.

Trisha and Langa also share success stories of students who have gone through their programmes and the exciting opportunities they have pursued after graduation.

We also delve into the importance of diversity and inclusion in the field of robotics and how their academy supports it, with equal participation from boys and girls.

Lastly, Trisha and Langa talk about the support they have received and require from the government and the private sector in their initiative to empower the next generation with the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly advancing technological world.

Trisha Govender:

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trisha-govender-712801a2/

Langa Zulu

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/langazulu/ Website: https://www.algoatworkroboticsacademy.com/

In this episode, Merelda Wu and I discuss her role as co-founder of Melio AI, a company that specializes in AI-powered solutions for businesses.

She talks about her role in the company and how she became interested in Artificial Intelligence, which began with her passion for technology and problem-solving.

 Merelda shares some of the challenges she's faced in working with AI, such as dealing with complex datasets and ensuring the accuracy of predictions.

We also talk about the impact AI and apps like ChatGPT are likely to have on businesses in the immediate future and what business leaders and entrepreneurs should understand about AI.

Merelda also shares her thoughts on the current state of AI in South Africa, the role of government and supporting agencies, as well as what we can do to leverage the power of Artificial Intelligence for economic success.

Merelda’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mereldawu/

To learn more about her company, Melio AI, visit: https://melio.ai/

In this episode, we speak with Sarah Meier, the founder of parents@work, co-founder Rachael Waldinger and the South African parents@work team made up of Lisa Moseley, Kgomotso Sekhute and Rosaria Cedras.

parents@work helps companies build great workplaces, transforms workplace culture and empowers working parents using a peer coaching model.

In the episode we get to hear the struggles working moms experience and how Sarah founded parents@work as a result. She explains the peer coaching model that parents@work uses to empower working parents and how it has helped to transform workplace culture for parents.

The team also share what inspired Lisa to start parents@work South African, some success stories of parents who have gone through the programme, including how it supports fathers and fathers-to-be in the workplace.

This episode is a must-listen for working parents, employers, and anyone interested in:

-      Insight on workplace culture.

-      Effective support for working parents.

-      How to create a more supportive and empowering workplace culture for parents, and

-      What parents@work is doing to positioning itself to be at the forefront of these changes.

 To find out more about parents@work, visit https://[email protected]/

To register for the upcoming event with Parent Sense, click here: https://bit.ly/3H06rz0

In this episode of the A-Game Business Podcast I discuss the importance of setting goals in times of economic uncertainty.

We specifically look at the anticipated, economic recession the state of venture capital funding for startups and the ways in which economic instability can affect the ability of small businesses to secure funding.We also delve into the issue of load shedding in South Africa and the impact it has on the country's economy.

I also talk about the recent launch of ChatGPT, an advanced natural language processing model developed by OpenAI, and the implications it has for the world of digital technology and artificial intelligence.

This breakthrough could potentially change the way businesses operate and the opportunities it presents, making this episode a must-listen for any business leader or entrepreneur looking to navigate these challenging times.

Takeaways:

-      The importance of goal-setting and your new year’s resolutions don’t work.

-      Venture Capital funding for startups.

-      South Africa's challenges with load shedding and economic instability.

-      Implications of the launch of ChatGPT on the world of digital technology and artificial intelligence.

Links:

-      ChatGPT: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/

-      Update on load shedding in South Africa: https://www.news24.com/tags/topics/load%20shedding

-      LinkedIn post on my upcoming book, "The A-Game Goal-Achiever System". Get yourself on the list to get a FREE copy: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kkdiaz_goalsetting-success-booklaunching-activity-7018095739490709504-OOux/   

In this episode, I interviewed Ilario Savi, HubSpot’s Principal Channel Account Manager for Africa. We talk about the connected customer, digital transformation and working on the expansion of HubSpot's Solution Partners across the Sub-Saharan African territory.

Ilario’s been working in B2B Tech Sales since 2010. As a world nomad, he lived in the Netherlands, Italy, Hong Kong, Ireland and briefly in Ghana. He’s passionate about education and proudly holds an MBA in Innovation and Data Analysis.

His mission is to "Empower through Technology": He’s motivated by being able to help Business Partners with their digital transformation projects and by doing so, facilitates a social paradigm shift.

Enjoy