Lebo Molefe is the founder of The Biz Plug. His aim is to help entrepreneurs operating in, especially, in South Africa’s rural communities to thrive.

In this episode, Charles chats to Lebo about his move out of poverty and the important role books played in this journey.

Lebo wanted to be a lawyer but circumstances lead him down another path. Instead, after school, Lebo found himself in hairdressing and then construction.

Lebo founded The Hookup Dinner (THUD). Then came The People’s Fund. Thanks to his journey, Lebo knows first-hand the hard work it takes to become successful. He also appreciates the unique hurdles faced by South African entrepreneurs. This helps him to provide tailored solutions.

KEY POINTS

RESOURCES

ABOUT YOUR HOST, CHARLES HSUAN

I know the pressure you are under. I understand your problems, what’s causing them, and exactly what you need to do to solve them...

If you are Smart, Hungry and Humble. We will get along great!

This week’s episode serves up a tasty treat as Charles chats to Fred Roed from Heavy Chef. But before you go thinking this instalment will be all about food, think again. As the saying goes, “Never trust a skinny chef”.

This is why Heavy Chef is in the business of equipping entrepreneurs through ‘bite-sized’ education that helps them become heavy hitters in their field. Think of it as ‘Recipes for entrepreneurs’. Heavy Chef is a learning platform for entrepreneurs.

Fred shares his journey from aspiring young cartoonist to co-founder of a successful digital marketing agency. It was while building the agency that Fred learnt the importance of entrepreneurs believing in and using their own products. He used these lessons to create Heavy Chef, with the aim to build up South Africa’s entrepreneurs.

From Ferraris to statistics to inspiring stories, there are a lot of practical insights in this episode.

KEY POINTS

RESOURCES

ABOUT YOUR HOST, CHARLES HSUAN

I know the pressure you are under. I understand your problems, what’s causing them, and exactly what you need to do to solve them...

If you are Smart, Hungry and Humble. We will get along great!

In this episode, Charles Hsuan chats to Kimberly Taylor, the CEO and founder of Loop. At 28, Kimberly also happens to be the youngest female entrepreneur to ever be interviewed on Candid Conversations.

The two talk about Kimberly's childhood love of maths and current love of podcasts. Kimberly also shares how her desire for financial freedom influenced her career choice. And, she chats about the importance of hard work and how her mom is her inspiration.

Kimberly shares how she never specifically dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur. Rather, a third-year university assignment set her course.

It was when Kimberly couldn't get the possible real-world value of an algorithm she'd written for an assignment out of her head that Loop was born. Five years on, Loop now offers real-world solutions to clients operating in logistics and deliveries.

KEY POINTS

RESOURCES MENTIONED

ABOUT YOUR HOST, CHARLES HSUAN

I know the pressure you are under. I understand your problems, what’s causing them, and exactly what you need to do to solve them...

If you are Smart, Hungry and Humble. We will get along great!

Tim Ferguson is a Canadian living in Switzerland. He also happens to be the co-CEO of Audience Communication and Events. When he was younger, Tim wanted to be an actor. But, he instead found himself in academia. And, eventually, he ended up in corporate communications.

As head of Audience for the past 17 years, Tim has built a love for helping teams communicate better. He functions as a speaker, trainer, facilitator, and coach. Tim loves helping corporates navigate complex situations where communication is key for success.

In this episode, Tim chats to Charles about the importance of clarity and limiting communication ambition to a few key points. This helps people remember, learn, and communicate well. Tim and Charles also chat about the importance of meeting an audience where they’re at. How? By appealing to their heads, hearts, and hands.

KEY POINTS

RESOURCES MENTIONED

ABOUT YOUR HOST, CHARLES HSUAN

I know the pressure you are under. I understand your problems, what’s causing them, and exactly what you need to do to solve them...

If you are smart, hungry and humble. We will get along great! 

There is a VERY good chance that you, your friends and your family are employed by an SME, that is because they employ between 50 % to 60% of South Africa’s workforce, according to the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA).

So HOW and WHAT are SMEs doing to stay afloat, what have they been doing to not only survive but grow? What is their approach to sales?

In this episode, Candid Conversation’s very own Charles Hsuan is in the hot seat this week! He’s interviewed by the previous Editor-in-Chief for Entrepreneur Media, Nadine von Moltke-Todd.

Charles interviewed 10 entrepreneurs about their journeys to growth. You can check out the series in the coming weeks. 

In this episode, they focused on these 5 interviewees: 

One of the main things Charles focused on during his 'Listening Tour' was the importance of sales. But, none of his interviewees actually call what they do ‘selling’. Some 'hold conversations'. Others build avenues for passive income. Regardless of their strategy, every entrepreneur sells. And every successful entrepreneur directly addresses clients' pain points.

About your host: Charles Hsuan

Charles Hsuan from Flying Kite is a StorySelling Coach for business owners & sales professionals, he works with growing businesses with a strong culture of learning.

Charles believes customers buy with emotion and justify with fact. He also believes that every business owner and sales professional can benefit from a simple and practical framework (Micro-Scripts) that can teach them the skills of using storytelling as a sales tool.

Before starting Flying Kite in October 2018, Charles won multiple Sales Performer of The Year Awards as the digital advertising manager of Entrepreneur Magazine SA. It was during this period that he discovered and mastered storytelling as a powerful technique to exceed sales targets.

'We are a bit like Tabasco. A little bit of us, in the right places, makes an intense difference in the outcome of a project.' Joerie Schilders.

Joeri is the owner and founder of The Magic Sauce. The company offers clients creative solutions to business problems. But, Joeri's approach is not simply around ‘design thinking, it’s about practical application and forward motion.

To start, Joerie details his formative years growing up in the Netherlands. He had parents who taught him the value of blending creativity with practicality. These insights impacted his later career path. He also chats about his dream of becoming a rock star. But, ultimately, he ended up spending 15 years in China and Hong Kong. Here, he worked for different training and innovation consulting companies.

Joeri's now taken what he's learnt to help other businesses grow. His company does this by addressing business problems through the process of 'creating', 'building', and 'sharing'.

This episode is full of fun and valuable information. There are also tips on finding ideal clients and 'breaking up with those who are less than ideal.

You can contact Joeri Schilders at The magic sauce.com

About your host: Charles Hsuan

Charles Hsuan from Flying Kite is a StorySelling Coach for business owners & sales professionals, he works with growing businesses with a strong culture of learning.

Charles believes customers buy with emotion and justify with fact. He also believes that every business owner and sales professional can benefit from a simple and practical framework (Micro-Scripts) that can teach them the skills of using storytelling as a sales tool.

Before starting Flying Kite in October 2018, Charles won multiple Sales Performer of The Year Awards as the digital advertising manager of Entrepreneur Magazine SA. It was during this period that he discovered and mastered storytelling as a powerful technique to exceed sales targets.

Anywhere between 60% and 80% of new businesses fail in their first 3 years of operation. In this episode, Charles Hsuan chats to Leanne Hughes about successfully navigating her own business's first 1000 Days.

Leanne shares how she took an entire year to prepare before leaving her corporate job. Top tip: establishing contacts and income streams is as important as building up savings before taking the leap. She reminds us that knowing that people want what you’re offering is a great motivator to both start and keep going.

From brand establishment in Year 1 to pivoting due to Covid in Year 2, there’s a lot to learn from Leanne’s journey. And Leanne's shifting again in Year 3. Her podcast might be ending, but that just means she can now focus more on being an author and spending time on strategy work. The key takeaway? Continue evolving and finding your niche!

The two also discuss how to define success and what it means to rework your business's future. Leanne further chats a bit about her upcoming joint Beyond Bureaucracy workshops running in April and June 2022. If you’re looking for inspiration for navigating your own 1000 Days, this episode’s for you.

About your host: Charles Hsuan

Charles Hsuan from Flying Kite is a StorySelling Coach for business owners & sales professionals, he works with growing businesses with a strong culture of learning.

Charles believes customers buy with emotion and justify with fact. He also believes that every business owner and sales professional can benefit from a simple and practical framework (Micro-Scripts) that can teach them the skills of using storytelling as a sales tool.

Before starting Flying Kite in October 2018, Charles won multiple Sales Performer of The Year Awards as the digital advertising manager of Entrepreneur Magazine SA. It was during this period that he discovered and mastered storytelling as a powerful technique to exceed sales targets.

Austrian native, Petra Zink is the owner and founder of Impaccct. Her company helps professionals move from experts to trusted authorities in their field. How? By following the 3 Cs in her company’s name – Clarity, Communicate, Commercialise.

Included in this episode, Petra chats to Charles about her colourful professional trajectory. She notes how she achieved her childhood dream of living on the other side of the world. And she highlights the importance of having diverse income streams.

Petra also details one of her biggest mistakes. Her 'lone wolf' mentality early in her career damaged her chances of progress. But, she learnt her lesson, and now advocates for relationship-building.

Charles talks more to Petra about trust and relationships. They note the value of both when starting a company. They also discuss the pros and cons of in-person versus digital interactions. And Petra gives advice on how to establish good relationships in an increasingly online-first world.

Podcasts also make an appearance. Petra's played host to several herself, and she shares some of the lessons she's learnt along the way. Petra also gives recommendations on a few of her personal favourites. With so much to chew on, it's best to get listening!

About your host: Charles Hsuan

Charles Hsuan from Flying Kite is a StorySelling Coach for business owners & sales professionals, he works with growing businesses with a strong culture of learning.

Charles believes customers buy with emotion and justify with fact. He also believes that every business owner and sales professional can benefit from a simple and practical framework (Micro-Scripts) that can teach them the skills of using storytelling as a sales tool.

Before starting Flying Kite in October 2018, Charles won multiple Sales Performer of The Year Awards as the digital advertising manager of Entrepreneur Magazine SA. It was during this period that he discovered and mastered storytelling as a powerful technique to exceed sales targets.

Meet Leanne Hughes – the first Australian interviewed on the show! Leanne is a facilitator, trainer, and writer. She also hosts the illuminating First Time Facilitator podcast. But Leanne’s main gig is helping companies create ‘rave-worthy' workshops.

Charles chats to Leanne about her childhood. She relays how her natural penchant for planning awesome birthday parties as a kid blossomed into a fully-fledged business. Leanne also shares how her mixed upbringing taught her the value of time. She translates this to what she offers her clients in respect to having an intentional plan and design to make workshops 'pop'.

As an avid reader, Leanne appreciates good content. More so, she believes that good content should be packaged in a way that is meaningful.

Leanne also shares her journey from a corporate employee to an entrepreneur. She is a firm believer in dreaming big, embracing serendipitous moments, and taking chances.

This episode is full of book references, sprinkled with mention of Leanne’s sporting background. So, tune in to learn more about the Three C’s and the importance of focussing on results rather than methodology. And along with all the informative tidbits, you'll be treated to Leanne’s zest for life.

About your host: Charles Hsuan

Charles Hsuan from Flying Kite is a StorySelling Coach for business owners & sales professionals, he works with growing businesses with a strong culture of learning.

Charles believes customers buy with emotion and justify with fact. He also believes that every business owner and sales professional can benefit from a simple and practical framework (Micro-Scripts) that can teach them the skills of using storytelling as a sales tool.

Before starting Flying Kite in October 2018, Charles won multiple Sales Performer of The Year Awards as the digital advertising manager of Entrepreneur Magazine SA. It was during this period that he discovered and mastered storytelling as a powerful technique to exceed sales targets.

Pertunia Sibanyoni is the CEO of Inspectacar. She has also been recently appointed chairperson of FASA. Not only that, but Pertunia runs the AkhuPeliza Foundation and is mom to a lively 10-year-old.

In this episode, Charles chats to Pertunia about becoming CEO before turning 40. They also touch on what it’s like as a woman working in the automotive industry.

Pertunia shares how her post-Apartheid school experience taught her the value of diversity. And, how becoming the first in her family to graduate university led to a successful decade-long career at Shell.

The importance of education in Pertunia's life is clear – she loves to learn and grow. It was this desire that ultimately led to her leaving Shell with no plan before undertaking her journey towards becoming a CEO.

Also in this episode, Pertunia highlights the lessons on integrity that her parents taught her. And, she shares the special role her father played in encouraging her towards success.

Giving back is also important to Pertunia. She looks to encourage young people to never give up on themselves. So, if you’re looking for a bit of inspiration, this episode is one not to be missed.

About your host: Charles Hsuan

Charles Hsuan from Flying Kite is a StorySelling Coach for business owners & sales professionals, he works with growing businesses with a strong culture of learning.

Charles believes customers buy with emotion and justify with fact. He also believes that every business owner and sales professional can benefit from a simple and practical framework (Micro-Scripts) that can teach them the skills of using storytelling as a sales tool.

Before starting Flying Kite in October 2018, Charles won multiple Sales Performer of The Year Awards as the digital advertising manager of Entrepreneur Magazine SA. It was during this period that he discovered and mastered storytelling as a powerful technique to exceed sales targets.