Many small businesses often overlook the importance of building strong relationships with their customers in order to grow their businesses and increase sales. Communication is key when it comes to building relationships and as a small business investing in your customer relationship is even more important.

A good customer relationship translates into a good customer experience.

In this week's episode, @pat_mahlangu and @mpumi_satsha are joined by Zakithi Mncwango - Marketing Manager for PepsiCo: Snacks(Nik Naks), to help answer the burning question, how can small businesses build relationships with customers?

Zakithi Mncwango is an accomplished marketing, digital communications, brand development executive, and speaker. She has worked on some of the world's most celebrated, recognized & honoured cosmetics and FMCG consumer brands.

Having applied herself in the studies of Economics, Statistics, and Management, she has anchored this knowledge to her passion for building brands, “telling thestory”, and articulating the tangible value that brands can deliver to the everyday lives of all consumers. Her insatiable desire for creative thought leadership and excellence is supported by recognition throughout her career. She takes a people and passion-first view of the world.

A source of constant reference in her desire to “make it mean something”, is the deep commitment to constant learning – always being in beta: relentlessly

Just a day before commemorating the June 16 Soweto Students Uprising. Pat on Brands, a digital media platform that is always on the Pulse with Brands, announced the winners of its inaugural awards initiative – Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards (YOBA) brought to you by Sakhumnotho Group Holdings.

The main aim of YOBA is to recognise the excellence, innovation, and hard work of South African youth-owned brands across 16 categories. The honors were revealed and celebrated on the 15th of June 2022 under the theme ‘Real Recognises Real’ at The Capital: On the Park in Sandton.

More than 500 entrepreneurs, marketers, academics, and celebrities gathered at The Capital: On the Park hotel in Sandton to celebrate and support South African youth-owned brands. 15 Brands walked away with a trophy and Tshepo Jean had the honor to win the "Overal Top Brand" Category sponsored by Sakhumnotho Group Holdings (SGH).

In this week's episode, @pat_mahlangu and mpumi_satsha share some highlights about the inaugural top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards ceremony that was held on the 15th of June 2022 at the Capital: on the Park Hotel in Sandton.

On the 1st of April 2022, Pat on Brands launched its inaugural Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards (YOBA), an initiative aimed at giving recognition to brands that are owned and run by the youth in South Africa. Just two months after the launch, Pat on Brands announced Sakhumnotho Group Holdings as the headline sponsor for the top 16 YOBA, and going forward the YOBA was brought to you by Sakhumnotho Group Holdings.

To celebrate youth month, we reflect back on the fragility and strength that the youth have in driving economic growth. 

In this week's episode, @pat_mahlangu and mpumi_satsha are joined by Mosa Ntwampe -  Group Head: Marketing & Communications at Sakhumnotho Group Holdings, to help answer the burning question, Why is it so important for the youth to be given the support they need in order to succeed?

Mosa is a Brand & Communications strategist with 9 years in the marketing industry. Though it doesn’t seem like much, Mosa’s passion and work ethic has catapulted his career astronomically in less than a decade. As a young and passionate marketer, he has worked with various brands in his career from state-owned entities, regulatory bodies, educational institutions, financial services as well as FMCG

Living by the mantra “I Change Lives for A Living”, he is a public speaker that is well known to captivate his audience while delivering in a passionate & flamboyant way. His recent career growth achievements include being appointed the Group Head: Marketing & Corporate Communications for Sakhumnotho Group Holdings and all its sub-entities.

Many small business owners are not legal experts, and it's easy for them to make mistakes that can lead to legal battles which they might not even win. They also don't like to hire a lawyer until something goes wrong in the business. They tend to shy away from signing anything including contracts. But that is a risky way to do business. This episode explores the most important things that small business owners should look for in a business contract.

In this week's episode, @pat_mahlangu and @mpumi_satsha are joined by Zama_Mkosi -Media and Entertainment Lawyer | Director of Opportunities at @Mkosi Inc, to help answer the burning question: What should small business owners look for in a business contract?

Zama Mkosi she is a qualified attorney with over 20years of professional experience as a practicing commercial attorney, including holding several senior executive management, COO, and CEO positions in the public and private sectors.

Zama holds a Master of Philosophy in International Business Degree, with a research focus on the profitable integration of developing economy corporations into the Global Value Chain.

She is also an International Emmy Award-nominated Executive Producer, who has provided legal advice on and structured finance deals for multiple global media projects including SAFTA and Oscar-winning films and television projects.

She brings along in-depth experience and expertise from development finance institutions where she has spearheaded South African Film Industry growth and development on local and global platforms.

Zama has represented South Africa in negotiation, reviews, and drafting of multiparty agreements within BRICS countries, and in bilateral Treaties with countries such as the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Brazil, Russia, Kenya, Algeria, Nigeria, and Namibia.

She is passionate about contributing to enabling women and youth-owned enterprises profitably participate in the global economy and are empowered to be sustainable so as to contribute to the socio-economic development of the African Continent.

In this week's episode, @pat_mahlangu and @mpumi_satsha have a candid conversation about sponsorships, partnerships, and the various challenges that small businesses face.

They also dive deeper into the latest results from the 12th annual Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands 2022 rankings of the Top 100 most admired brands in Africa.  The inaugural Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards, an initiative by Pat on Brands. The first of its kind in the country, aimed at giving recognition to the top 16 proudly South African brands that are run and owned by the youth.

Marketing is an industry that is constantly changing and growing due to new and advanced technologies. it is important for marketers and small businesses to always stay ahead of trends and know how to take advantage of various opportunities available both online and offline.

In this week's episode, @pat_mahlangu and @mpumi_satsha, are joined by Palesa Mokaba - Vice President of Marketing at Sasol Energy, to help answer the burning question: how does one stay relevant in the dynamic world of marketing?

Palesa Mokaba is the Vice President of Sasol Energies and she holds an MBA from Wits University. She has over 11 years of experience in marketing and the oil industry. Palesa previously worked for the following companies; Shell as the Head of Retail Marketing, Cummins Inc as to the Marketing Functional Excellence Leader, and also worked for Barloworld Equipments as the Marketing Manager, just to name a few.

In today’s modern age, marketing and media have become an integral part of business growth, including medical practices. The truth is that more and more people have turned to search the internet for information, including health information. This means doctors, need to adapt to the times and build an online web presence.

In this week's episode, @pat_mahlangu and @mpumi_satsha are joined by Dr. Kometsi Mokuele - Founder of @drksunsetdentistry, and Host @askyourdoctors_za, to help answer the burning question, how does marketing and medicine mix?

Dr. Kometsi Mokuele, popularly known as Dr. K was born and raised in Qwaqwa, Free State and he has been in dentistry for over 23 years, having spent 17 of those years practicing in the townships of Phuthaditjhaba (Qwaqwa) & Heidedal (Bloemfontein).

In search of better opportunities, he then moved to the Northern suburbs of Joburg (Bryanston & Fourways) where he has been practicing for the last 6 plus years.

Mokuele was inspired to study dentistry in the early 1990s when he identified a need for social-oriented private dental services in Qwaqwa. He then went on to open Sunset Dentistry (PTY) Ltd and he is also the managing partner at Dr. KP Mokuele Inc.

Starting your own business can be very difficult, challenging, and frustrating, with many risks involved. However, it can also lead to huge rewards. To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be diligent, optimistic, innovative, and have an appetite to take risks.

In this week's episode, @pat_mahlangu and @mpumi_satsha are joined by Lindo Mnisi - Founder and Executive Chairman of After 12 Properties and ANDURA Hardware, to help answer the burning question, how to build a strong & reputable business in the township?

Lindo Mnisi is the Founder and Executive Chairman of After12 Properties and ANDURA Hardware. Lindo has worked for some of South Africa's largest media platforms including eNCA, SAfm, and ANN7, both in the newsroom and in the field. He also gave some big stories in different provinces of the country during his years as a journalist.

In the pursuit of his childhood dream of storytelling, in 2015 he also published his first book titled "Victims of a Village Boy's Life Circumstances", a book detailing details of struggles not only my-even but others like him growing up. live in villages and are confined to circumstances in these areas with no opportunity or prospect for a better life; who, in order to break out of the cycle of poverty, had to take risks.

How can we create a society in which every person has the support and the opportunities to fulfill their full potential and thrive? There are many ways in which this can be achieved. Find out in this episode about the most powerful & effective ways in which we can do it as ordinary citizens in our personal and professional capacities.

In this week's episode, @pat_mahlangu and @mpumi_satsha are joined by Muzi Kuzwayo to help answer the burning question, how can we shape our tomorrow?

Muzi Kuzwayo is the Director at South Africa's Promise. He was also the founder and chairman of Ignitive and a director of Spur. He is also the former Visiting Professor at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business.

He was the Chief Executive Officer of TBWA\ Hunt\Lascaris, a leading advertising agency in South Africa and the world. He is also the former chairman of Project Literacy.

Muzi was the director and shareholder of King James Advertising Agency as well as a director of the Association of Communication Agencies, an industry body that represents advertising as well as communication agencies. 

He was the director of Jacana Media which has published books such as the biography of Cyril Ramaphosa and many other award-winning books. During his tenure at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, he was an advisor to the government on communications through the GCIS.

He is the author of three books: Marketing Through Mud and Dust, There’s a Tsotsi in the Boardroom, and the recently published Black Man’s Medicine.

Muzi was also a columnist for The Saturday Star as well as The Weekend Argus, commenting on advertising and marketing. He currently has a column in the Business Times and has written in the main body, The Sunday Times.

His first degree is a B.Sc. Degree from Rhodes University where he majored in microbiology and biochemistry, and a has an MBA from The University of Cape Town.

Six years ago he bought two Pick n Pay Franchise stores which he ran personally, giving him a complete understanding of building brands right through to retail. He also has extensive knowledge of the South African workforce and the ability to align the interest of the workers with those of the shareholders.

To be a successful entrepreneur today, you need to be flexible and have good planning and organizational skills. Many people start a business with the idea of making easy money, only to find that making money in business is much more than what they thought. For entrepreneurs to succeed it is important for them to invest time in their ventures and plan effectively. Whatever the type of business you want to start the following tips from this episode is very essential for your success.

In this week's episode, @pat_mahlangu and @mpumi_satsha are joined by Sammy Mhaule - Founder of @kickssports_sa, to help answer the burning question, what does it take to run a business?

Sammy Mhaule is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur and the founder of Kicks Sportswear. He began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 14, selling ice cream in the Thembisa region. Sammy left one of the largest German automakers to pursue his dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. Later he pursued his career in marketing and business, however, things did not go out as he expected. He also sold chickens, but the competition was fierce and he had to find another job.

Like many South Africans, Sammy faced difficult challenges including poverty.

After working in the U.K. he saw a gap in the manufacturing market. In 2014 SkyRule Drinks was established to create a delicious sparkling juice that provides an alternative to mainstream flavors like red grape and apple.