The Founder Files

Yaron Assabi, founder and CEO of Digital Solutions Group (DSG), has spent 27 years evolving his business from one of South Africa’s first e-commerce players during the dot-com boom into a group of companies that power customer experiences for major retailers.

Yaron shares his journey from running a single business unit to leading multiple companies with CEOs reporting to him. He breaks down what it takes to create a truly data-driven, customer-centric business, how to gather and act on feedback, and how to build a system where anyone in the company can manage a customer relationship from a single source of truth.

But his insights go beyond business. As a cancer survivor who chose to forgo chemotherapy and instead transformed his health through lifestyle changes, he reflects on how that experience reshaped his leadership, his approach to culture, and his outlook on the future.

This is a conversation about resilience, evolution, and the mindset needed to scale and sustain success in an ever-changing world.

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Book a curiosity call with Cameron: https://www.metavolve.co/curiosity-call

This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve is a team of focused experts committed to helping entrepreneurs like you scale their businesses successfully. Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/

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00:00 Introduction

03:21 What Is DSG?

12:15 The Current Scale of DSG

14:29 Tips for Maintaining a Strong Customer Experience

21:42 How Yaron Thinks About Bringing on New Clients

25:46 Handling Customer Experience Challenges While Scaling

44:51 How to Get High-Quality Customer Feedback

51:29 Building a System Where Anyone Can Manage Customer Relationships from a Single Source of Truth

58:13 Surviving Cancer Without Chemotherapy—How It Changed Yaron

01:22:01 The Future of DSG and Yaron

01:23:43 Two Key Pieces of Advice for Entrepreneurs

In this episode of The Founder Files, we sit down with Greg Smith, the co-founder and CEO of Onespark, now known as Dis-Chem Life.

Greg takes us through the journey of building one of South Africa’s most disruptive insurtechs, and the exciting partnership and 50% acquisition by Dis-Chem.

We also discuss scaling, how founders become bottlenecks, and how Greg shifted to "founder mode" to unblock his team. Greg highlights the challenges of maintaining quality and culture during rapid growth and the strategic value of the Dis-Chem partnership in accelerating success.

If you’re an entrepreneur navigating the challenges of scaling, building partnerships, or dealing with the growing pains of business growth, this conversation is packed with invaluable insights for you.

----------

Book a curiosity call with Cameron: https://www.metavolve.co/curiosity-call

This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve is a team of focused experts committed to helping entrepreneurs like you scale their businesses successfully. Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/

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To support The Founder Files:

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⭐ Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts

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00:00 Introduction

03:32 OneSpark’s Partnership with Dis-Chem Life

08:50 What Is OneSpark?

12:02 How OneSpark Uses AI for Advanced Risk Analysis

18:31 Breaking Down the Tech Behind OneSpark

25:26 Finding Product-Market Fit and Overcoming Challenges

32:06 The Hard Part After Landing Your First Sale

42:17 The First Major Bottleneck And How They Fixed It

57:38 How Greg Is Elevating His Management Team

01:02:52 Why Quality and Customer Experience Get Worse Before They Improve

01:10:00 The Cultural Shift of Integrating with a Corporate Giant

01:17:19 How OneSpark’s Strategy Is Evolving

01:29:23 The Future of Dis-Chem Life

01:33:16 Why Choosing the Right Co-Founders Is Critical

01:38:46 Final Reflections

Felix Norton is the founder and MD of Woww Digital, one of SA’s award-winning marketing agencies.

With 40 people across SA, Europe, and the UK, Felix shares how they’ve scaled, niched down, and built a sales process that converts — achieving a 33% website conversion rate!

We dive into how Woww stands out in a saturated market, the lessons from working with a sales coach for 2.5 years, and how they’re scaling using the Traction framework.

This episode is a must-watch for agency owners and founders looking to grow smarter.

----------

Book a curiosity call with Cameron: https://www.metavolve.co/curiosity-call

This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve is a team of focused experts committed to helping entrepreneurs like you scale their businesses successfully.

Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/

----------

To support The Founder Files:

🔔 Subscribe and turn post notifications on

⭐ Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts

💭 Share your thoughts on LinkedIn and tag Cameron Coutts

🔗 Connect with Felix:LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/felixwnorton/

🔗 Connect with Cameron:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefounderfilespodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-metavolve/

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00:00 Introduction

03:43 What is Woww Digital?

07:36 The Founding Story

08:38 Building a Successful Agency with Great Clients

11:54 How to Compete and Stand Out as an Agency

21:40 The Problem with Trying to Be Everything to Everyone

25:16 Landing a Project with Ogilvy

29:09 Scaling Woww Digital

33:19 Expanding into International Markets

40:39 Shifting from Time-Based to Value-Based Pricing

44:23 The Strategy Behind Expanding into London

47:58 How to Compensate and Retain International Talent

56:08 Building a Sales Engine That Lets You Choose Your Clients

1:10:34 The Sales Questions That Convert Best

1:14:39 Gaining Clarity, Control, and Time Freedom as a Founder

1:22:26 What’s Next for Felix and Woww Digital

1:27:26 Current Challenges on the Journey

1:30:38 The Biggest Lever for Woww’s Success

1:32:57 Final Reflections

In this episode, I sit down with Nick Durrant, founder and CEO of Bluegrass Digital—a Cape Town-based software development firm that started in London 23 years ago. With two decades of entrepreneurial experience, Nick has navigated market shifts, economic crises, and industry disruptions while growing and scaling his businesses.We dive into:- How his side project became one of South Africa’s top 5 publications- Adapting to major economic crises like 2008, COVID, and now AI- Evolving sales models and forging strategic channel partnerships- Lessons from decades of resilience, reinvention, and growthIf you want to learn how to adapt, pivot, and scale in an ever-changing world, this episode is a must-listen.

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This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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00:00 Introduction

03:14 What is Bluegrass Digital?

10:36 The Scale of Bluegrass Digital

15:41 Nick’s Other Businesses

18:03 Navigating a Declining Market

35:16 How Did The Business Model Change When Moving to Digital?

41:40 From A Dying Market to Top 5 Publications in South Africa

44:30 The Founding Story of Bluegrass Digital

54:02 Pros and Cons of A Partner Channel Model

01:01:37 Omni-channel Approach To Generating New Leads

01:09:16 How Nick Successfully Navigated The Credit Crisis of 2008

01:20:19 How The World Has Become So Disruptive From A Macro Perspective

01:22:45 The Impact Covid Had on The Business and How Nick Adapted to That?

01:25:20 The Impact of AI Business

01:29:31 The Future of Bluegrass Digital

01:31:50 Advice to Other Entrepreneurs

What an honour to sit down with a South African fintech, whose hardware most of us have already been in contact with.

Katlego Maphai is the CEO and co-founder of Yoco, the market leader for SMB payments in South Africa.

Expect to learn:

• What Yoco does
• Katelgo’s insights on the structural and systemic issues preventing entrepreneurs from succeeding in this country
• What he is optimistic about in South Africa
• How he guides the sense of purpose, meaning and contribution into the values and culture of the company
• When you should formalise your approach to strategy
• How Katlego’s business and role have changed over the years, and also how he has changed

This is a fundamental example of how entrepreneurs evolve as their businesses evolve. As the scale increases, our perspective and our vision change as well.

Katlego is an amazing example and role model of what it means to be a leader and CEO of an entrepreneurial business in SA.

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This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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To support The Founder Files:

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⭐ Leave a review right here

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00:00 Introduction

03:59 What is Yoco?

10:06 Breaking Down The Yoco Hardware

20:53 Getting A Cash Based Economy To Move To Digital Payments

28:33 A Big Mistake Founders Make

34:11 Why is Entrepreneurship in SA So Difficult?

43:41 Structural Challenges Holding South African Entrepreneurs Back

53:21 How Yoco is Breaking Down The Barriers to Entrepreneurship

56:23 Katlego’s Pessimism and Optimism About Entrepreneurship in SA

01:07:20 Translating The Company Vision Into The Culture

01:22:06 Moments When Everyone Doubted Katlego

01:27:11 When is The Right Time to Formalise Your Strategy?

01:30:51 How Has Yoco, Katlego And His Role Changed Over The Years?

01:42:31 Where is Yoco Going as a Company?

01:46:36 Reflection

Every founder who’s scaled beyond product-market fit knows the challenge: where do we focus our attention next?

In this episode, I sit down with Chris Ball, co-founder of Finch Tech, to unpack how his team is navigating this exact question.

We dive into how Finch scaled their products and built their business model, the tough decisions around which growth strategies to pursue, how Chris and his co-founders protect their team from the noise and the biggest challenges they're facing right now in their growth journey.

This conversation is a must-listen for anyone facing the overwhelming options of what got you here vs. what will get you there. If you're in the scale-up phase, you'll find huge value in how Finch is approaching this pivotal stage of business growth.

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This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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To support The Founder Files:

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⭐ Leave a review right here

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00:00 Introduction

02:41 What is Finch Technologies?

13:23 Where is Finch At Now?

16:12 Understanding The Business Model

21:40 How Does Finch Get This Data?

39:10 Expanding Further Along The Value Chain

43:26 Product-Market Fit Journey

47:43 Current Scaling Challenges

53:57 Splitting Focus Among The Team

01:00:10 Do We Really Want To Build a Large Team?

01:06:58 Struggling to Get Out of Customer Service

01:14:17 Which Direction Should Finch Grow Into?

01:22:54 What Does The Future Hold For Chris and Finch?

01:25:45 Why be an Entrepreneur?

01:27:51 Reflection

Pineapple Insurance has taken the South African insurtech space by storm, and today, we’re diving deep into their journey with co-founder Ndabenhle Ngulube.

From their viral marketing campaigns to their unconventional branding strategies, we explore how Pineapple carved out a unique position in the market. Ndabenhle shares insights into their customer segmentation, growth strategy, and the genius behind their long-term vision.

We also break down how they scaled to a 215-person team, the evolution of their company structure, and how they use OKRs to drive execution across all levels. Plus, the challenges of building a strong middle management team—and much more.

This episode is packed with actionable insights for any founder looking to scale fast and stand out.

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This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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To support The Founder Files:

🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE

⭐ Leave a review right here

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00:00 Introduction

03:06 What is Pineapple?

07:21 The Founding Story

12:16 10 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Customer Experience

14:59 Ndabenhle’s Super Power

21:14 Buying 60k Pineapples for the New Product Launch

25:41 What Scale is Pineapple at Right Now

28:08 Making Insurance Affordable for Lower-Income Individuals

37:10 The Genius Growth Strategy Allowing Pineapple to Take Market Share

59:11 Managing Company Identity While Evolving Product Offering

01:06:36 Handling Competition in an Oligopoly

01:12:05 Pineapple’s Team Structure and Execution System

01:28:46 Challenges in Building Out Management Layers

01:33:27 What Does The Rest of 2025 Hold For Pineapple

01:34:57 The Future of Insurance in South Africa

01:36:41 Reflection

We all love a good disruptor who shakes things up in an industry dominated by a few big players.Meet Calvin Collett, the CEO and founder of Melon Mobile. You might not have heard of Melon Mobile yet, but they’re about to make a big splash in the telecommunications industry.In just 18 months, Calvin went from having no employees to a team of 47 people! That’s incredible, especially in a highly competitive and established industry.We’ll dive into how he did it, talk about his sales and marketing strategies, and how he prioritised them in his business, as well as some valuable lessons about culture and the importance of valuing people.We’ll also discuss his current scaling journey and how he’s expanding his business geographically, building out into retail and physical stores, and forming partnerships with companies like Lyft to reach new customers.There’s a lot going on with Melon Mobile, and Calvin shares his insights on how he’s managing it all while keeping his mental health in check.Enjoy!

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This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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To support The Founder Files:

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⭐ Leave a review right here

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00:00 Introduction

03:04 What is Melon Mobile?

08:18 The Stage Melon Mobile is at Right Now

14:02 How to Compete in an Established Industry

20:22 Step 1 is Culture

27:18 Finding Product Market Fit in 18 Months

35:56 How to Know When You Have Product Market Fit

41:43 10 Questions About Customer Experience to Ask Yourself

44:27 Why Calvin Founded Melon Mobile

52:40 The Scale of Melon Mobile

54:19 Why Majority of The Staff is Customer Service

57:43 Why Does MTN Let Melon Mobile Compete With Them?

01:02:27 Getting Sales and Marketing Right

01:14:24 Why Calvin Says They’re a Sales and Marketing Company First

01:20:37 Melon Mobiles Current Scaling Strategy

01:29:22 Team Structure to Execute The Strategy

01:34:42 How to Find Work-life Balance

In this episode, we chat with Mark Collie, the co-founder of Airvantage.

Expect to learn what they were able to unlock with alternative credit scoring with mobile network operators and their consumers, how to run effective exco & management meetings, how to build a high-performance culture with almost zero employee turnover and more!

We also get into a macro-level view of Africa’s digital & financial evolution, organizational design, strategy, and execution management.

This episode is filled with practical insights that any founder can use. Enjoy!

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This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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To support The Founder Files:

🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE

⭐ Leave a review right here

💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts

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00:00 Introduction

02:44 What is Airvantage?

10:08 How to Achieve a High Uptime

14:17 Why Can’t Your Customers Just Do It Themselves

18:07 Play Where The Market is Going, Not Where The Cash is Right Now

23:18 What Airvantage Can Do for Digital Inclusion

29:54 Why We Started The Founder Files

32:03 Mark’s Involvement in Driving Entrepreneurship in the School Curriculum

39:23 Creating a Start-up Within Airvantage

47:50 Appointing a CEO for the Core Business

52:53 How Does the Structure of the Business Work Now?

57:14 Learnings From Transitioning Leadership

01:11:32 How Airvantage Created a Culture That is Attractive for People to Work at

01:16:58 Mark’s Biggest Entrepreneurship Lessons

01:21:56 Why Start a Company in South Africa?

01:25:32 Conclusion

In this episode, we dive into the story of Donkey Long Tong, a uniquely South African business founded by Marcel Hattingh and Nic Eve.

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This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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To support The Founder Files:

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⭐ Leave a review right here

💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts

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00:00 Introduction

02:09 What is Donkey Long Tong?

25:28 The Issues Scaling Donkey Long Tong

29:22 Building Strong Relationships With Suppliers

33:31 Why We Started The Founder Files

35:40 Creating a Very Authentic Brand

39:37 Developing a Manufacturing Process That Allows for Scale

53:51 Charging a Premium Price and Maintaining Premium Quality

01:02:29 How to Get Staff to Take Ownership and Care About Their Work

01:17:11 Scaling Internationally and How it Affects Branding and Marketing

01:33:36 Impacting South African Tourism

01:48:39 Goals & Challenges of Donkey Long Tong’s Scaling Journey

01:54:32 Conclusion