It's the entrepreneur's dream: create a tech start up, attract VC dollars, sell out several years later for millions.

It’s a great dream, and many have achieved it - proving that it is a realistic goal.

In our own backyard, Personera have managed to get this right (okay, admittedly they haven't sold out yet, and probably have a way to go). It appears they're well on their way to big success, and, despite this, the challenges they've faced along the way are similar to ours... the journey - no doubt - just as hard.

I chatted to Sheraan Amod, the CEO of Personera about his journey, and what it's taken to get to where they are today.

Here is Sheraan's Expert Wisdom

You will notice that, in the video, my face is static. We had a dodgy connection and I didn't change the settings properly, so we just had Sheraan's stream coming through. We live and learn...

Prefer a podcast? Here we go.

Contact Sheraan:

If you want to connect with Vuyisa, SABEF or EmpowerWeb, you can find them on:

Personal Contact details:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Personal Site

Business Platforms

Company Website

Personera – Wikipedia

Personera - Crunchbase

Steven Preston

In the final parts of the conversation I mention Steven Preston, and the Do The Work.  Do The Work is part of Seth Godin’s Domino Project and well worth the read.

“Draw our 3rd world economy closer to the 1st world economy, and create equal opportunities for entrepreneurs”. This was the conversation I had with Vuyisa Qabaka.

Given that South Africa is only as strong as our weakest link - the 25%+ unemployment rate - we need to be having more of these conversations (and we need more doers like Vuyisa).

Do a Google search on him and you'll notice what a busy man Vuyisa is - he is non-executive director of South African Black Entrepreneurs Forum (SABEF) and chief connector at EmpowerWeb.

Here is Vuyisa's expert wisdom. Enjoy!

About SABEF

The South African Black Entrepreneurs Forum (SABEF) is a non-racial, section 21, Broad-based BEE organization (2002/012592/08) whose mission is to promote, inspire and grow entrepreneurship as the source of poverty alleviation, job creation and economic growth in South Africa. SABEF's intention is to provide an open and convivial atmosphere that will allow you to get to know the organization better, and as a result, become more familiar with the values we deliver.

Contact Vuyisa:

If you want to connect with Vuyisa, SABEF or EmpowerWeb, you can find them on:

Personal Contacts:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Business Platforms

SABEF

SABEF LinkedIn Group

EmpowerWeb 

Downloads 

Doing_Business_SA - This is an excel spread sheet in xlsx format.

Mobile Marketing is fast becoming a big influencer in how entrepreneur's manage and grow their businesses. This is why I set up a chat with Chris Rolfe, CEO of Mobilitrix, - a five-year old company that operates in the Mobile Marketing and Rewards space.

Chris was previously the CEO of Virgin Active, and is very involved in the Young Presidents' Organization.

The Five Monkeys

Chris shared his insights and, like so many of these chats, the conversation didn't go quite as I expected. In this podcast Chris talks about the five monkeys that entrepreneur's have to get off their backs.

(This podcast was recorded in a coffee after an initial failed attempt to do the interview owing to technical difficulties, so I must thank Chris for his patience and understanding.)

Here is Chris's expert wisdom. Enjoy!

Contact Chris:

If you want to connect with Chris, or Mobilitrix, you can find him on:

Personal Contacts:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Business Platforms

Mobilitrix

It's not everyday you get to talk to an entrepreneur as accomplished as Allon Raiz, CEO of Raizcorp - Africa's only privately-held, unfunded, profitable business incubator, which supports over 240 businesses.

Through his work with entrepreneurs Allon has been  invited to be a member of the WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Fostering Entrepreneurship (him being 1 of 15 global experts in this field).

And in between all this, Allon wrote the book - Lose The Business Plan, and hosts a TV show on Entrepreneurship.

This gives Allon a unique - and qualified insight into the South African entrepreneur - and the opportunities that exist for entrepreneurs. The answers he gives in this podcast may surprise you...

Here is Allon's expert wisdom. Enjoy!

(There was a heck of a storm brewing when we recorded so this interview is only available on podcast)

Contact Allon:

If you want to connect with Allon, or Raizcorp, you can find him on:

Personal Contacts:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Business Platforms

Raizcorp

The Big Small Business Show

Allon’s Website

Mike Freedman has earned the right to call his business Freedthinkers. Possibly as a result of the very short time Mike spent within the industrial, corporate monster that stifles free thought and creativity.

Who is Mike Freedman?

Freedthinkers Twitter profile describes Freedthinkers as:

Building bridges between insight & opportunity, culture & brand, vision & strategy. Curious, collaborative, rediscovering old paths, making new ones.

You're going to love Mike's novel thought process and insights...

Here Is Mike's expert wisdom

Prefer a podcast? Here we go.

Contact Mike:

If you want to connect with Mike, or Freedthinkers, you can find him on:

Personal Contacts:

LinkedIn

Business Platforms

Freedthinkers

Twitter

Money. It's what all Entrepreneurs (like those that join No Picket Fence) need to get their businesses off the ground, and to keep the lights on. How do you get it?

That’s what we spoke to Brett Commaille, CEO of AngleHub about. We explored the world of Angel Investing in South Africa and discussed:

Lifting the lid on the Glitz of Angel Investing and what it means to the average business.

How Angel Investing in South Africa differs from the US and Europe?

How mature our Angel Investing environment is, and what the risks are.

How you go about getting Angel Investing for your business?

The four criteria to meet before your business is eligible for Angel Investment.

The ROI criteria that Angel Investors look for?

What Brett believes the key attributes of South Africa entrepreneurs are.

Here is Brett’s expert wisdom. Enjoy!

Prefer a podcast? Here we go.

Contact Brett:

If you want to connect with Brett, or AngelHub, you can find him on:

Personal Contacts:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Business Platforms

AngleHub

This week I spoke to Warren Moss, a natural born Entrepreneur. Warren is the founder & CEO of Demographica, South Africa's largest digital email & SMS advertising company, where they make use of email & SMS marketing as a way of branding, marketing, advertising, customer acquisition and sales.

Here is Warren's expert wisdom:

Prefer a podcast?

Contact Warren:

If you want to connect with Warren, or Demographica, you can find him on:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Demographica

Lets get straight into this shall we. Today we are chatting to Vuyo Tofile, a man of many companies.

The heart of Vuyo's business is Entbanc, a Specialist Financial Services firm focused on businesses operating within the Media, Entertainment and Creative Arts sectors. Entbanc divisions include: Medente Capital (Private Equity), Viewbanc Investments (Principal Investments).

Today's interview is a straight podcast, which you can subscribe to via Itunes

Here is Vuyo's Expert Wisdom:

Contact Vuyo

The easiest spot is via Linkedin

Fred Roed certainly has been around the block a few times. He is currently CEO of World Wide Creative, a Digital Marketing Agency  founded in 2003, and has offices based on Cape Town, Johannesburg and London.

Fred is also the driving force behind The Heavy Chef Project, which focuses on practical learning about digital marketing. The project offers free monthly Heavy Chef Sessions in Cape Town, Johannesburg and London with top speakers from around the world talking on relevant topics within digital marketing. Of course, they also offer courses for managers, business owners and entrepreneurs.

Fred also initiated Ideate, an  entrepreneurial blog, written by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.

Here is Fred's Expert Wisdom

Prefer a podcast, here we go:

Contact Fred:

If you want to connect with Fred, or World Wide Creative, you can find him on:

Personal Contacts: 

LinkedIn

Twitter

FredRoed.com

Business Platforms

World Wide Creative

The Heavy Chef Project

Ideate