The Dylan Kohlstadt Show

Freddie Mitchell, Chief Economist at Aluma Capital, joins me again to unpack the global economy, and this conversation could not be timelier.

We cover the conflict in the Middle East and its knock-on effect on oil prices and the Strait of Hormuz, why the rand has gained ground despite South Africa's own economic challenges, and what rising energy costs are doing to earnings and margins for companies worldwide.

Chapters:
0:00 – Welcome back: Freddie Mitchell, Chief Economist at Aluma Capital
1:04 – The global economy in three words: uncertainty, Hormuz, conflict
1:50 – Oil price swings and why the rand is gaining strength
2:52 – The knock-on effect on global business earnings and margins
3:45 – How fuel costs are hitting services and inflation
5:14 – Are we moving away from globalisation?
6:29 – What multinational and local businesses should watch for
8:32 – Tariffs, subsidisation and the social cost of cheap imports
10:28 – Which regions are best positioned for growth
12:36 – How businesses can prepare for a volatile global economy
16:13 – AI, data centres and the risk to jobs
19:00 – When should governments step in with regulation?
20:12 – How vulnerable is the global economy to the next shock?
25:01 – Where the next big opportunities lie: energy, rare earths and AI
27:27 – Closing thoughts and thank you

LinkedIn:   / freddie-mitchell-economist  
Aluma Capital: https://aluma.co.za

Over November and December we submitted six tenders and didn't land a single one. I blamed price, so I asked Larissa Cornelius, CEO and Chief Win Strategist, where we really went wrong. Her answer changed how I'll approach every bid from here.

Larissa Cornelius, the CEO of Nfold and her team help companies win more proposals, tenders and pitches, and she has sat across the table from enough procurement teams to know exactly what gets a bid binned. It was the most practical half hour I've spent on business development this year.

In this episode:

• Why compliance still knocks out more bidders than price ever does
• The mistake of treating your proposal like a company profile
• The difference between pricing to compete and pricing to win
• Price-sensitive, functionality and quality buyers, and how each one decides
• Why win rates are falling even as AI-written proposals multiply
• The quickest way to lift your win rate by bidding on fewer opportunities

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:45 Winning Proposals and Tenders
4:11 Common Tendering Mistakes
9:09 Pricing and Value Strategy
14:31 Read and Filter Tender Requirements
17:14 Planning and Proposal Presentation
22:40 Services and Training Packages

If your business chases RFPs, RFQs or tenders, this conversation will save you weeks of wasted effort.

Get in touch with Larissa Cornelius: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larissa-cornelius-winbusiness-proposals-salescollateral/n

Nfold: https://www.nfold.com/

Get in touch with Dylan Kohlstadt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt/

Shift ONE B2B: https://shiftone.co.za/

#TheDKShow #Tenders #ProposalManagement #B2BSales #BusinessDevelopment

Everyone sees the finished home, the successful developer, the published author. Nobody sees the years Jose Berlanga spent worse than broke, more debt than assets, wondering if he'd ever make money again. In this episode, the real estate developer behind Tricon Homes and Onix Residential (2,000+ homes built) gets brutally honest about what building a business actually costs.

Jose Berlanga and Dylan Kohlstadt talk about why "success is never linear," why the less you have the more you should be willing to risk, and why chasing money instead of purpose is one of the fastest ways to fail. Jose also opens up about his own struggle to delegate, why he thinks he might be the reason his businesses stay dependent on him, and the difference between building a business and building a practice that can't survive without you.

If you've ever felt like everyone else has it figured out and you're the only one struggling, this conversation is the reality check you need.

In this episode:

Why "how bad you want it" matters more than any business plan
Debunking the myth that hardship as a child guarantees drive as an adult
What it actually means to go "backwards to negative," not just back to zero
Jose's philosophy on risk: the less you have, the more you can afford to lose
Why his early motivation was money, and what eventually replaced it
Choosing business partners like you'd choose a spouse
The addictive trap of becoming the business instead of building one
Why writing four books hasn't made the process any easier

Connect with Jose Berlanga:
Website: https://joseberlanga.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-berlanga-900a9518/ 

Connect with Dylan Kohlstadt:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt/ 
Website: https://dylankohlstadt.com/ 

Contact Dylan Kohlstadt for consulting:
[email protected]

Work with Shift ONE to outsource your B2B marketing:
shiftone.co.za 

#TheDKShow #Entrepreneurship #RealEstateDevelopment #BusinessLessons #Resilience

Subscribe to my channels / @dylankohlstadt

Connect with me on all my social platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylankohlstadt/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylankohlstadt/   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dylankohlstadt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DylanKohlstadt/

If you think personal branding is about bragging, this episode will change your mind. Andre Du Toit, "The Big Positive Guy," went two years without a single speaking booking after declaring himself a professional speaker. What he did next built him a career spanning nearly 20 years and a personal brand so strong that people recognise his wife from his posts alone. In this episode, Andre breaks down what actually separates speakers who get booked from speakers who don't, and why most CEOs are sitting on a thought leadership opportunity they're too nervous to use.

Andre and Dylan dig into why authenticity beats polish every time, how to figure out your personal values instead of confusing them with goals, and why giving content away for free is the fastest way to build trust that converts into business. Andre also shares his personal content model, the "silent majority" mindset that's shaped his public voice, and practical advice for any CEO or founder wondering how to step into the spotlight without losing themselves in the process.

In this episode:

Why Andre went two years without a booking, and what he did with that time
The difference between personal brand as self-promotion and personal brand as authenticity
How to identify your real values instead of chasing goals
Andre's content ratio for balancing personal and business posts
Why giving content away builds more trust than selling ever will
The "silent majority" approach to staying positive in a noisy world
Practical starting points for CEOs ready to build a public profile

Connect with Andre Du Toit:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bigpositiveguy/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodNewsSouthAfrica

Connect with Dylan Kohlstadt:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt

#TheDKShow #PersonalBranding #ThoughtLeadership #B2BMarketing #PublicSpeaking

Subscribe to my channels / @dylankohlstadt

Connect with me on all my social platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylankohlstadt/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylankohlstadt/   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dylankohlstadt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DylanKohlstadt/

What's really happening to the South African economy – and what businesses must do now.

Dylan Kohlstadt sits down with Freddie Mitchell, Chief Economist at Aluma Capital, for an unfiltered look at the economic forces shaping South Africa in 2025 and beyond.

Freddie has advised government, worked inside SARS, and spent years analysing what drives (and stalls) economic growth. In this episode, he breaks down what business leaders in industrial, manufacturing, and capital-intensive sectors need to understand right now – from interest rate trajectories and infrastructure constraints to AI adoption and the role of government in enabling (or hindering) growth.

This is the conversation South African business owners and executives need to have.

In this episode:
– The real state of the South African economy
– Interest rates: relief or false hope?
– Infrastructure gaps and what they mean for industry
– AI adoption in an emerging market context
– What government is getting right – and where it's falling short
– Key risks for industrial and manufacturing businesses in the year ahead

🔗 Connect with Freddie Mitchell:   / freddie-mitchell-economist 

🔗 Connect with Dylan Kohlstadt:   / dylankohlstadt 

Check out Aluma Capital to elevate your investment strategically: https://aluma.co.za

🎙️ The DK Show is hosted by Dylan Kohlstadt, founder and CEO of Shift ONE Digital – Africa's #1 ranked SEO and AI visibility agency.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations with the business leaders, economists, and innovators shaping the future of B2B in South Africa and beyond.


#SouthAfricanEconomy #TheDKShow #DylanKohlstadt #B2BMarketing #ShiftONE #Economics #SouthAfrica #Manufacturing #IndustrialBusiness #InterestRates #AIinAfrica #BusinessGrowth #AlumaCapital #EconomicOutlook #FounderLife

Subscribe to my channels / @dylankohlstadt

Connect with me on all my social platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylankohlstadt/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylankohlstadt/   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dylankohlstadt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DylanKohlstadt/

Peter Shankman only has two speeds: namaste, and out the door before you can stop him. As founder of Help A Reporter Out, a six-time bestselling author, and a leading voice on neurodiversity in the workplace, he's built an entire system around a brain that never idles.

Dylan sits down with Peter to unpack the life rules, the environments he engineers to kill decision fatigue, and the discipline behind writing a bestseller on two flights to Tokyo.

In this episode:
– The "life rules" that remove friction and protect focus
– Playing the tape forward: the technique that keeps discipline honest
– How gamification and algorithms are rewiring attention spans
– The stoplight system that made an office more neuro-inclusive
– The 50-minute rule for deep work without losing the plot to FOMO

Connect with Peter Shankman:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/petershankman
Website: shankman.com

Connect with Dylan:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt
Website: dylankohlstadt.com
Shift ONE: shiftone.co.za

#TheDKShow #PeterShankman #ADHD #Neurodiversity #Productivity #DeepWork #Neuroinclusion #DylanKohlstadt #ShiftONE #B2BMarketing

Subscribe to my channels / @dylankohlstadt

Connect with me on all my social platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylankohlstadt/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylankohlstadt/   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dylankohlstadt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DylanKohlstadt/

Gordon Henry spent years on the other side of the table – as a procurement manager deciding which agencies made the cut and which didn't. Now, as co-founder of IAN (Independent Agency Network), he's using that insider knowledge to help independent agencies stop underselling themselves, compete with the global giants, and finally take their seat at the table.

Shift ONE is a proud member of IAN, and in this episode Dylan sits down with Gordon to talk about what's really holding agencies back – and what it takes to turn things around.

They get into rate cards, repositioning, differentiation, and the uncomfortable truths most agency owners avoid. If you run an agency – or work in one – this conversation will challenge how you think about your value.

In this episode:
Why so many agencies are stuck – and how to diagnose it
What procurement managers actually look for (and what disqualifies you immediately)
How to build a rate card that reflects your real worth
What it means to be distinct in a crowded market
How IAN helps independent agencies compete on a global stage
And so much more you'll just have to watch!

Connect with Gordon Henry & IAN:

Independent Agency Network – https://ianetwork.co.za
Gordon Henry on LinkedIn –   / gordon-henry-189b6726 

Connect with Dylan:

LinkedIn:   / dylankohlstadt 
Website: dylankohlstadt.com
Shift ONE: shiftone.co.za

#TheDKShow #AgencyGrowth #IndependentAgency #IAN #GordonHenry #AgencyLife #B2BMarketing #MarketingAgency #AgencyBusiness #DylanKohlstadt #ShiftONE #RateCards #AgencyDifferentiation #MarketingLeadership #AgencyTurnaround

Subscribe to my channels / @dylankohlstadt

Connect with me on all my social platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylankohlstadt/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylankohlstadt/   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dylankohlstadt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DylanKohlstadt/

In this episode of The DK Show, Dylan Kohlstadt, CEO of Shift ONE, sits down with Andre du Toit, “The Big Positive Guy,” for a powerful conversation about optimism, leadership, workplace culture, and building a better future.

Andre shares why optimism isn’t about blindly believing that everything will be okay. It’s about believing that tomorrow can be better than today and having an action plan to make it happen.

They explore how business owners and leaders can help their teams stay motivated, manage negativity, avoid burnout, and create a workplace where people believe in the future.

In this episode, they discuss:
• How CEOs and business owners can create a more positive workplace
• How leaders can motivate employees and manage negativity
• The difference between optimism and blind positivity
• Why having a clear action plan is essential to optimism
• How social media and constant phone use can affect our mental space
• Finding purpose in business and leadership
• Why successful entrepreneurs continue working even after achieving financial success
• How optimism can influence leadership teams, suppliers, and employees
• Building a company that believes in its future
• Staying positive when difficult things keep happening
• Why walking, disconnecting, and getting away from your phone can make a difference

Whether you’re a CEO, entrepreneur, business owner, manager, or employee, this conversation offers practical insights into creating a more positive mindset and a stronger workplace culture.

Connect with Andre du Toit:
LinkedIn:   / bigpositiveguy 
Facebook:   / andredt 

Connect with Dylan / Shift ONE:
[email protected]
https://shiftone.co.za

#Leadership #Business #Entrepreneurship #WorkplaceCulture #Optimism #PositiveLeadership #BusinessGrowth #CEO #Entrepreneur #ShiftONE #TheDKShow

Subscribe to my channels / @dylankohlstadt

Connect with me on all my social platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylankohlstadt/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylankohlstadt/   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dylankohlstadt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DylanKohlstadt/

Rizanne, CEO and Founder of ProfileMe, joins The DK Show to unpack how professionals can get the digital version of themselves into their clients' pockets, making a great first impression, building trust faster, and staying top of mind.

ProfileMe is South Africa's #1 client engagement tool, giving professionals one link to share everything clients need to do business with them: contact details, social profiles, booking links, and more. No designer, no developer, no big budget required.

In this episode, Rizanne breaks down:
– How fully customisable digital profiles keep brand consistency across teams, big or small
– Why one link beats a stack of business cards and PDFs
– How teams become brand ambassadors with individual profiles, instant updates, and zero print waste
– The simple process: sign up, pick your profession, choose a look, and make it yours

If you're in financial services, professional services, or any client-facing industry, this conversation shows exactly how to turn a digital profile into a competitive edge.

Check out ProfileMe - https://profileme.app

🎧 Watch the full episode for the practical breakdown of how ProfileMe works.

#TheDKShow #ProfileMe #ClientEngagement #DigitalProfile #B2BMarketing #FinancialServices #PersonalBranding #SouthAfricanBusiness #ThoughtLeadership #DylanKohlstadt

Subscribe to my channels / @dylankohlstadt

Connect with me on all my social platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylankohlstadt/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylankohlstadt/   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dylankohlstadt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DylanKohlstadt/

From receptionist to Sales Director and Board Member at Lecico South Africa, Jacky Rossouw shares her 23-year journey of grit, learning, and relentless relationship-building across Africa.

In this episode, we cover: 

-How Jacky went from unemployed to her first big break and used it as a launchpad for her career

- Why a learning mindset (not just hard work) was the real driver behind her growth into a sales leadership role  

- The power of asking “stupid” questions and never pretending you understand when you don’t  

- Letting go of day-to-day operations to empower senior staff, build a stronger sales team, and create a scalable business  

- How Jacky built sales relationships across African markets by investing in culture, trust, and value, not just price  

- Why sales is ultimately about connection, ease, customer experience, and making your customers’ lives simpler

If you're a business owner, entrepreneur, sales leader, or ambitious professional wondering how to grow your career without formal qualifications, overcome intimidation and learn on the job, open new markets in Africa, or step back from operations to focus on strategy and revenue growth, this conversation will inspire you to back yourself, pick up the phone, ask the questions, and build something meaningful.

Subscribe for more inspiring conversations on sales, marketing, business growth and leadership. Like, comment, and share if Jacky’s story resonated with you or helped you rethink your sales strategy.

#Sales #WomenInBusiness #CareerGrowth #AfricanBusiness #SalesStrategy #BusinessPodcast #Entrepreneurship #B2BMarketing #Leadership 

Subscribe to my channels / @dylankohlstadt

Connect with me on all my social platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylankohlstadt/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylankohlstadt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylankohlstadt/   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dylankohlstadt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DylanKohlstadt/