AfricanOptimist - how we thrive against great odds

Linda Mabhena-Olagunju saw the map of Africa when she was eight - all the gold, the oil, the diamonds - and couldn't understand why CNN kept telling her we were poor. That question never quite left her. Today she's on track to become Africa's largest Black female-owned independent power producer.

A few things she said that I'm still thinking about: that every opportunity is an audition. That being underestimated has been her biggest power move. That business, at its core, is theatre - negotiation is posturing, deal-making is a dance, and the boardroom is just another stage.

This is the story of a young girl from a village in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, who went to drama school, became a lawyer, helped take on Donald Trump in Aberdeen in her twenties, and is now quietly building an energy empire across the continent. Generous, sharp, and clear-eyed. Settle in.

This episode is a behind the scenes look at the man behind the brand JozimyJozi and the unbelievable story of his rise to the top of the advertising industries in both South Africa and the United States before his return to home town Johannesburg to start a movement of hope and regeneration.

In a candid conversation, Melusi speaks about his near-miss as a lawyer, early influences on his advertising career, and how ‘stalking’ local and international advertising heroes ultimately led him to work in the United States, where he continued his award-winning streak.

He talks about his creative process, how ‘letting go’ of ideas is his secret to success, and that he once scored a perfect 10 out of 10 for his optimism in a psychometric test but was warned that could be considered ‘dangerous’.

It is in the second half where he tells the story behind the branding of JoziMyJozi, a movement ‘of the people’, with a vision to fix something that many had abandoned as ‘broken’, and the relationship between two men that gave birth to it.

As a founding partner, Melusi Mhlungu describes the moment on Constitution Hill when the seeds were sewn for the creation of JoziMyJozi as a brand that nobody owns. He shares a love letter to his home town Johannesburg that inspired the branding of JoziMyJozi, and explains why the movement decided to ‘start with the actions’ (not bragging about what they were intending to do, but just ‘getting shit done’).

He explains why patience is the superpower of the motley crew of JoziMyJozi doers, and how when they got a no, they just carry on, not waiting to get a yes.

The episode is infused with Melusi’s infectious and enduring optimism, about life, South Africa’s youth (‘people who are not stuck in the reality of now’) and ultimately, South Africa’s City of Gold.

If you feel down about Joburg, and the world in general, this episode is for you. People here can ‘geshido’!™.

For more information, show notes and time stamps, go to www.africanoptimist.co.za.

After a long break, I am cranking up the AfricanOptimist podcast again. I have spent the last while working on the ‘economic engine’ (thanks coach Karl Gostner!) behind the podcast, my business ‘StoryBanking’. But I have missed the people who are shaking things up all around us, so am back with the headphones, recording and listening to some pretty amazing stories.

I waited quite a while for this first interview. The aim was to start with something that involves something bigger being built than a business or service. Something that could set the tone for the rest of the interviews going forward, based on community and a fighting spirit.

When I stumbled upon JoziMyJozi, I knew I had found it. A movement ‘of the people’, with a vision to fix something that many had abandoned as ‘broken’. And a relationship between two men, that gave birth to it.

In this episode, founding partner Melusi Mhlungu describes the moment on Constitution Hill when the seeds were sewn for the creation of JoziMyJozi as a brand that nobody owns. He shares a love letter to his home town Johannesburg that inspired the branding of JoziMyJozi, and why the movement took a decision to ‘start with the actions’ (not brag about what they were intending to do, but to just ‘get shit done’).

He explains why patience is the superpower of the motley crew of JoziMyJozi doers, and how when they got a no, they just carry on, not waiting to get a yes.

The episode is infused with Melusi’s infectious and enduring optimism, about life, South Africa’s youth (‘people who are not stuck in the reality of now’) and ultimately, South Africa’s City of Gold.

If you feel down about Joburg, and the world in general, this episode is for you. People here can ‘geshido’!™

For the guest bio, show notes and the transcript, visit www.africanoptimist.co.za.

Masterclass on intellectual property with IP lawyer Lita Miti-Qamata from law firm Adams & Adams.

Two years ago, Mita stood up at an IP workshop in Johannesburg, pulled out a Coke can, and made intellectual property law make sense to me for the first time. ‘Everything you need to know about IP is right here on this can,’ she said, and then delivered the clearest explanation of trademark law probably everyone in that room had ever heard. I knew right then I had to get her on the podcast.

Here's something that might surprise you: while ‘protect your IP’ has become a rallying cry among African entrepreneurs and business owners, African brands account for just 2% of the world's 11.6 million trademark filings. There's clearly a gap between knowing we should protect our intellectual property and actually doing it.

In this conversation, IP lawyer Lita Miti-Qamata from Adams and Adams walks us through why that Coke can holds the key to understanding intellectual property protection. She explains why Coca-Cola's CEO would grab the company's trademark certificates before anything else if their building was on fire, and tells us how bizarre it can get - somebody actually managed to trademark the smell of freshly cut grass.

This is the first episode in our IP series. Lita breaks down the five types of intellectual property you can protect, then takes us deep into trademarks: what they are, how to apply for them, how to think strategically about international protection, and why having a long-term IP strategy isn't just legal housekeeping—it's essential for building real wealth over time from your ideas.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by intellectual property law or wondered whether it's worth the effort, this conversation will change how you think about protecting the intangible assets that could—and should—become your most valuable business assets.

For more info on Lita, a transcript and show notes, visit Lita's guest page on the AfricanOptimist website (africanoptimist.co.za).

TIME STAMPS

00:26 – What is Intellectual Property (IP)?

00:53 – Africa's share of registered trademarks

01:15 – Guest Introduction: Lita Miti-Qamata

02:40 – Workshop for creatives and IP

05:25 – The Five Types of Intellectual Property

08:51 – Trademarks vs. Brands

11:17 – Copyright explained

12:21 – Trade secrets and confidential information

14:43 – Patents and designs

16:45 – How long does IP protection last?

19:31 – Registering and protecting your trademark

22:00 – The value of a registered trademark

25:20 – Trademarks as business assets

27:55 – Enforcing your rights without registration

31:20 – How to start the trademark application process

34:20 – Choosing the right owner for your trademark

36:13 – What can be trademarked?

38:20 – The Nice Classification system

41:00 – Prioritizing what to protect

44:09 – Staggering protection as your business grows

47:08 – Trademark ownership and rights

50:59 – Registering in other countries and regions

54:02 – WIPO and international registration

57:36 – First to file vs. first to use

01:00:14 – Working with Thebe Magugu (fashion designer)

01:08:26 – Cultural appropriation and IP

01:13:48 – Can you trademark common terms?

01:17:12 – What fails to get registered?

01:21:25 – The state of trademark registration in Africa

01:24:48 – Closing remarks and where to find more information

AfricanOptimist #13 Claudia Castellanos - How you dust off an old family recipe and build it into a super hot brand, while being fair to suppliers and the planet.

We hold a delightful conversation with entrepreneur and self-proclaimed food rebel Claudia Castellanos who takes us on the rollercoaster ride of growing an international business that started with her and her husband’s first sell out of 400 bottles of chilli sauce from a tiny stand at a music festival in Eswatini, southern Africa. 

What follows is nothing short of a gutsy tale of what it really takes to turn a single recipe, on a fat-stained paper, into an international, super hot brand with a venomous bite.

This, despite insisting on local production, permaculture training, organic certification, glass bottles, pure ingredients, and facing revolving staff at retailers, naysayers who don’t get it, crazy deadlines and serious competition from rows and rows of other chilli sauces sitting neatly on supermarket shelves.

Claudia was very generous in her sharing of every detail. It is a rare insight into how a couple who knew nothing about retail, and manufacturing, in a country not known for its chillies, managed to build something truly special.

If you need a touch of inspiration, and a load of really well-earned and practical business advice - this episode is for you!

For more info on Claudia, a transcript and show notes, visit Claudia's guest page on the africanoptimist website (africanoptimist.co.za).

TIME STAMPS

00:00 Introduction to the African Optimist Podcast

00:23 Claudia Castanos: The Birth of Black Mamba

01:21 Values Over Profit: The Philosophy Behind Black Mamba

02:52 Claudia's Journey: From Colombia to Eswatini

12:04 The First Recipe and Launch at Bushfire Festival

21:19 Building the Brand: Challenges and Successes

31:01 Expanding Distribution and Overcoming Obstacles

39:34 Sourcing Chillies from Smallholder Farmers

42:36 High Value Crops and Farmer Partnerships

43:59 Initial Farmer Reactions and Market Access

46:38 Challenges and Solutions in Crop Production

54:50 Scaling Production and Food Safety

01:09:41 Recipe Development and Product Innovation

01:17:10 Future Challenges and Optimism

Meet the founder of Brand Africa, Dr Thebe Ikalafeng.

Once decked out in immaculate corporate suits, he is now a walking celebration of African creativity and haute couture, a mentor to many a young talented creative bubbling up through the entrepreneurial ranks and a passionate promoter and protector of all things branded African.

Much is written and broadcast about this award-winning marketer. But now he has written a book in which he is the teller of his marketing tales and his turn away from corporate and big brand marketing towards marketing an entire continent. This episode delves into some of the key moments that marked this journey.

We cover his pursuit of excellence from an early age, his ‘almost career’ as an accountant, studies in the United States before South Africa became a democracy and why when destiny calls, your only job is to listen and follow.

We explore his time as Nike’s Chief Marketing Officer for Africa, and why he turned his back on some big money in the corporate world to focus solely on promoting African brands. 

We then dig deeper into what a brand-led African Renaissance means, how you can market a continent through brands, and why it is so important for African leaders to ‘put Africa first’.

We also cover the founding of his organisation Brand Africa, and the insights of its flagship programme, the Brand Africa 100 survey (and how he created it from scratch) and why the survey consistently has shown ‘how Africans say one thing, and do another’ instead of buying African products.

He emphasizes the importance of visiting African countries for oneself, and why he decided to visit every single country on the continent following a conversation with Samsung Africa CEO KK Parks. 

Thebe does not suffer fools lightly and looks to a future filled with action, rather than backward, in regret. Asked about where he gets the energy from to do what he does, he laughed and said, ‘You sleep when you’re dead.’ He is a whirlwind of action, who epitomises his own mantra.

Through his travels, his organisations, his insights and regular talks, Thebe has shown us all another side of what happens up and down the continent, and is one of the most passionate and knowledgeable advocates for African brands you will ever meet.

Settle in for a fantastic listen to the life of the African Traveller, Dr Thebe Ikalafeng.

For more info on Thebe, a transcript and show notes, visit Thebe's guest page on the africanoptimist website (africanoptimist.co.za)

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction to the African Optimist Podcast

00:25 Meet the Guest: Intro to a Marketing Icon

01:33 Affirmations of African Identity

02:25 The Journey of Self-Discovery

02:55 The Book: A Different Perspective on Africa

03:31 Marketing Mastery with Nike

05:16 Iconic Campaigns and Creative Risks

07:41 A Passion for Marketing

09:32 Life and Studies Abroad

11:04 Returning to a New South Africa

12:36 Following One’s Destiny

16:39 Corporate Offers and Entrepreneurial Decisions

20:23 Building African Brands

26:06 Branding Africa: The World Cup and Beyond

27:06 Redefining Africa's Agenda Through Branding

28:20 The Power of Brands in Shaping National Identity

29:54 Challenges and Opportunities in Branding Africa

32:11 Establishing the Brand Africa 100 Metric

34:51 The Gap Between Trust in African Products and Buying African Products

37:58 The Importance of Intra-Africa Trade

40:00 Learning from Global Branding Success Stories

43:21 The Role of Intellectual Property in African Branding

45:11 Personal Contributions to African Branding

48:28 The Need for Political Will and Local Agenda-Setting

56:03 Thebe’s Journey Across Africa and Its Impact on him

59:53 Countering Negative Narratives with Optimism

01:01:51 Conclusion

#11 Sarah Dusek - on becoming an entrepreneur who thinks BIG, and a venture capitalist who helps African women think BIGGER - an insider’s guide to scaling and pitching your business.

Take a wild entrepreneurial ride with Sarah Dusek, entrepreneur, venture capitalist and author of Thinking Bigger, a powerful guide to growing a business, scaling a business and pitching a business for more money than most women dare to imagine.

In this episode, Sarah shares tactical advice on the shift in mindset that is required to grow big businesses as a female entrepreneur, and candidly speaks about how she had to come unstuck from outdated notions on motherhood and a woman's traditional 'helper' role in order to build her business - which she sold for a whopping $100 million ten years after she launched it.

In her book, Sarah highlights the fact that currently less than 2 percent of women-owned businesses do more than $1 million in revenue annually and only 2 percent of all venture capital dollars yearly goes towards funding female entrepreneurs. The book, and this interview, are part of Sarah's mission to demystify the world of fundraising and the basic building blocks needed to systematically and tenaciously pivot and push until a minimum viable product is created that can ultimately scale.

If you read one entrepreneur book this year, let it be Thinking Bigger, and if you only listen to one entrepreneur's intrepid and inspiring journey, let it be this episode. Sarah masterfully weaves her thoughts on why female entrepreneurs play too small, with practical advice on how to draft a winning pitch deck for something big, all the while sharing her personal success story of growing a business from four tents on a family farm to an international luxury lifestyle brand known for pioneering glamping.

For more information on Sarah Dusek, visit her page on the AfricanOptimist website, where you can find her bio, show notes and episode transcript.

Never want to miss an episode? Visit our website and subscribe to the AfricanOptimist newsletter. 

Time Stamps

00:00 Introduction to the AfricanOptimist Podcast

01:18 Sarah Dusek's Journey: From Zimbabwe to Montana

06:00 The Birth of Under Canvas

09:57 Challenges and Pivots in Entrepreneurship

20:16 Overcoming Doubts and Embracing Risks

29:24 The Tent Rental Business

33:10 Creating a Tented Hotel Experience

36:57 Overcoming Initial Challenges

37:48 Living Conditions and Staff Dynamics

38:37 Realizing the Business Potential that Can Scale

41:14 Understanding Venture Capital

42:47 Shifting Mindsets and Building Value

49:56 The Importance of a Pitch Deck

54:44 Facing the VC World

01:02:02 Embracing Thoughtful Capitalism

01:05:41 Empowering Female Entrepreneurs

01:11:58 Conclusion

AfricanOptimist Episode #10 Gus Le Breton - On influencing EU law, the challenges of processing wild-harvested fruit, the future power of baobab harvesters and the need for ‘courage, my son’ 

It is hard not to think of the Greek myth of Sisyphus when you listen to Gus le Breton tell the unfolding story of the production and sale of the African indigenous baobab fruit. Much like the Greek king Sisyphus who was condemned by the Greek god Zeus to keep rolling a stone up a hill only to see it roll back down again when he reaches the top, Gus seems to face a new challenge just as he deals with an old one in this telling of his baobab tale.

At face value, this episode seems like an entrepreneur’s story of how to create and export an indigenous food. But it is so much more than that. 

It is the open account of the struggles and successes of an almost 30-year journey to make the unique African baobabs (a keystone species of the planet) economically viable, in the hope that this can reduce poverty for its wild harvesters and lead to the long-term preservation of this ancient resource. It is also a masterclass in the details of what it takes to get to market, influence legislation and create demand for what nature has to offer, but many take for granted.

And unlike Sisyphus, Gus did manage to successfully push some big boulders over the hill, and also loves his work and does not see it as punishment. But his cautionary tale still holds. Perseverance is key.

For more information on Gus Le Breton, visit his page on the AfricanOptimist website, where you can find his bio, show notes and episode transcript.

Never want to miss an episode? Visit our website and subscribe to the AfricanOptimist newsletter. 

TIME STAMPS

00:00 Introduction to Baobab and Initial Reactions

00:38 Welcome to the African Optimist Podcast

00:51 The Baobab Tree: A Natural Marvel

02:06 Gus le Breton: The African Plant Hunter

03:52 Challenges in Commercializing Baobab

05:23 Early Efforts and Setbacks

07:11 The Struggle with Industrial Agriculture

10:31 The Journey to Market Baobab

20:16 Navigating Regulatory Hurdles

31:46 The Importance of Wild Harvesting

34:04 Processing Baobab: Challenges and Solutions

38:36 Challenges of Traditional Baobab Processing

39:43 Ensuring Quality and Standardization

40:35 Formation of the African Baobab Alliance

42:11 Collaboration vs. Competition

44:11 Creating Demand for Baobab

48:14 Marketing Challenges and Success Stories

54:37 The Superfood Debate

57:13 Importance of Research and Consumer Awareness

59:25 Fair Trade and Value Distribution

01:07:29 Future Prospects and Investor Insights

01:08:38 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

AfricanOptimist Episode #9 Joséphine Katumba - The rise (and importance) of the Intrapreneur, jumping on rocket ships without a reserved seat and ‘weighing and paying’ as a retail model of the future 

In this episode, you will learn a couple of things. Firstly, you will get a behind the scenes look at how you take an idea (let’s face it, haven’t we all had them - ‘One day I will open…’ ‘Some day I will sell…’) and turn it into reality. And secondly, how you can do this not only as an entrepreneur, but as an intrapreneur within an organisation. Just as exciting, at much less personal risk.

Our guest Joséphine Katumba shares how, while growing her own small business, she was recruited by celebrity entrepreneur himself, Miles Kubheka (from ‘Vuyo’ fame and founder of the Wakanda Food Accelerator) to help create Gcwalisa, an exciting ‘weigh and pay’ mini retail model first piloted in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township (developed in 1912 as the only place where Africans could buy freehold land, and now adjacent to Sandton (one of the richest suburbs of Johannesburg).

Joséphine takes us on the two-year journey of growing Gcwalisa into a model pilot mini retailer that is now on the brink of scaling up and expanding its horizons. With her signature calm voice and in matter-of-fact detail, we get a glimpse of the iteration and patience required to birth a brand new baby, that lets you buy food for the money you have in your pocket or in exactly the quantities you need.

Joséphine is the picture of Zen, and could grow anything she puts her mind to. Join me in finding out how she does it. And why.

For more information on Joséphine Katumba, visit her page on the AfricanOptimist website, where you can find her bio, show notes and episode transcript.

Never want to miss an episode? Visit our AfricanOptimist website and subscribe to the AfricanOptimist newsletter. 

TIME STAMPS

00:00 Embracing the Unknown: Cheryl Sandberg's Google Analogy

00:41 Introducing the African Optimist Podcast

00:54 The Journey of an Intrapreneur: Meeting Joséphine Katumba

01:07 Josephine's Entrepreneurial Spirit Meets Miles Kubheka

12:56 Designing and Implementing the Gcwalisa Model

18:03 Community Feedback and Adjusting the Offering

21:31 Understanding Gcwalisa's Impact and Philosophy

28:24 Exploring the Poverty Tax and Packaging Solutions

28:47 Customer Journey and Packaging Innovations at Gcwalisa

29:48 Shifting Consumer Behaviour and Environmental Impact

31:19 Understanding Gcwalisa's Customer Demographics

33:57 Real-life Customer Stories: Impact and Gratitude

40:50 The Business Model and Scaling Up

41:21 The Importance of Patience in Business Growth

43:57 Facing Competition and Maintaining Originality

46:51 Challenges and Learnings

49:55 From Entrepreneur to Intrapreneur: A Personal Journey

55:37 Closing Remarks and Resources

Introducing naturalist David Attenborough's successor...

In this episode, ecologist Adam Welz gives us a peak into the writing of his first book The End of Eden and his intentions as well as his difficulties in writing it. He explains why he chose to focus on wild species as the characters of the bigger climate change story, and how he told small stories within a bigger context, and supported by scientific research, to paint the grim picture of a planet breaking down. 

We delve into why he sees it as important to reframe the ‘limp’ phrase ‘climate change’ and to understand the many linked effects global warming has on all the wild species around us.

Adam’s book and this interview helped me look past the usual clichés that are splashed across the mass media pages, and see a different world, with different eyes, and a much better understanding of how to make sense of the isolated shifts that are happening in nature. Shifts that are small, but taken as a networked whole, create a looming terrifying instability and ‘age of uncertainty’ befalling our world. 

I knew Adam over 30 years ago, but that is not why I am encouraging you to read his book. As a communicator and writer myself, I understand how hard his job was and how magnificently he has done it. Enjoy this conversation, but the meat is in the book.

For more information on Adam Welz, visit his page on the AfricanOptimist website, where you can find his bio, show notes and episode transcript.

Never want to miss an episode? Visit our AfricanOptimist website and subscribe to the AfricanOptimist newsletter. 

Time Stamps 

00:00 Into Quote Adam Welz

00:54 Podcast intro

02:51 Adam Welz gives an overview of his first book ‘The End of Eden’

05:40 Why Adam focuses on wild species and not humans to tell the story of climate change

07:33 Bridging the gap between micro stories of wild species and a greater context of their situation

08:48 ‘I want you to try and understand what it’s like to be a non-human.’

10:16 Adam as naturalist filmmaker David Attenborough’s successor

11:29 Why the intro of the book is based in new York City

12:50 You can see the effects of climate change all around you, if you just look, even in big cities

15:57 The lessons we can learn from surviving species

18:15 What we need to survive in this Age of Uncertainty 

20:04 Stability of nature in the past 11.000 years

22:49 Climate breakdown as a more accurate description than climate change

24:28 The role of cognitive linguistics framing ‘climate change’ in a particular way in our minds

29:38 The 200,000 - 300,000 years: Earth’s Eden

31:34 How South Africa saved homo sapiens from extinction

31:34 How Adam crafted stories that elicit empathy for wild species in the reader

40:58 How writing the book affected Adam personally

41:40 Adam’s ‘oh shit’ moment regarding climate breakdown

42:57 The effect of seeing Australia’s 2019/2020 bushfires personally

45:30 The isolation felt by scientists who are constantly exposed to climate change data

47:33 New opportunities present themselves as we all have to move away from fossil fuels

50:09 Earth-changing events do happen - think of Apartheid and the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the ubiquity of cell phones within a very short period of time

53:40 Before you come up with solutions, you have to understand.

55:45 ‘You actually have got to be quite careful where you plant trees. They’re not all just a great thing everywhere - you have to plant the right trees in the right places.

57:10 The response to the book

58:39 Adam’s next book