The Founder Files

By Metavolve

Rated #1 Podcast for Entrepreneurs in South Africa in 2023 by Feedspot.

The Founder Files is where founders come to explore proven growth strategies and real entrepreneurial challenges.

Hosted by Ca... more

· Business

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FAQs about The Founder Files:

How many episodes does The Founder Files have?

The podcast currently has 147 episodes available.

The Founder Files episodes:

November 11, 2024 Top 6 Mindset Shifts From Africa’s Top Founders
An important part of entrepreneurship that many founders overlook is mindset. So for this episode, we’ve compiled our favourite mindset shift insights and shares from this season so far.
If you found any of these insights valuable, be sure to watch the full episodes:
1. Grant Friedman, Africrest Properties: https://youtu.be/ywQSWiXQb74
2. Simon Hartley, WumDrop: https://youtu.be/q8wV9qxFqFA
3. Matt Putman, iKhokha: https://youtu.be/K5fOq9Agg_U
4. Justin Drennan, Parcelninja: https://youtu.be/5BS8itb9yUE
5. Mike Scott, NONA: https://youtu.be/-ehxp0ycjWo
6. Emilian Popa, Ilara Health: https://youtu.be/dlQH3ffwj2M
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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/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
----
As we gear up for Season 5, we want to make sure each episode is as valuable as possible for you. Your feedback is key, so we’ve put together a quick survey to hear what you think.
So if you'd like to help make The Founder Files even better, please take 5 minutes to fill out this survey: https://tally.so/r/wgZ2d4
----
To support The Founder Files:
🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE
⭐ Leave a review right here
💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts
----

00:00 Introduction
01:43 Grant Friedman, Africrest Properties
03:27 Simon Hartley, WumDrop
12:07 Matt Putman, iKhokha
21:02 Justin Drennan, Parcelninja
29:20 Mike Scott, NONA
39:45 Emilian Popa, Ilara Health
...more
54min
November 04, 2024 Building One of SA’s Most Successful Fintech’s - Matt Putman, iKhokha
Today I’m joined by Matt Putman, CEO and co-founder of iKhokha, one of South Africa’s most inspiring FinTech success stories.
We kick things off by exploring how iKhokha pivoted from hardware to software, which led to a defining shift in product-market fit and reshaped the company’s future. From there, we cover the complexities of scaling, from attracting talent to raising investment—especially as a Durban-based business outside the major tech hubs.
Matt also opens up about his own leadership evolution, the mindset shifts he’s had to embrace, and how he now approaches organizational design. Whether it's transitioning from a single-product to a multi-product company, entering new markets, or structuring his leadership team, Matt shares invaluable insights about unlocking scalability and learning to trust a skilled team.
For anyone building and scaling a business, Matt’s stories, advice from his network, recommended books and practical wisdom offer an absolute goldmine of insights!
----
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/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
----
As we gear up for Season 5, we want to make sure each episode is as valuable as possible for you. Your feedback is key, so we’ve put together a quick survey to hear what you think.
So if you'd like to help make The Founder Files even better, please take 5 minutes to fill out this survey: https://tally.so/r/wgZ2d4
----
To support The Founder Files:
🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE
⭐ Leave a review right here
💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts
----
00:00 Introduction
05:03 iKhokha’s scale and what life for Matt is like
10:14 Matt’s drive and how he motivates his team
18:46 The founding story of iKhokha and finding product-market fit
34:17 What product-market fit looked like for iKhokha
38:22 Beginning the scaling journey
45:05 Challenges after finding profitability
48:05 Shifting from a problem-solving to a strategy mindset
50:28 Entering a phase of learning
56:15 The organisational design mindset shift you need to scale
01:08:24 Avoiding shiny object syndrome
01:15:21 How to keep entrepreneurship fun
01:22:43 Challenges in attracting investors and talent being based in Durban
01:37:50 What does the next 6 - 12 months look for iKhokha?
01:40:42 Advice to entrepreneurs at any stage of the journey
...more
1h 45min
October 28, 2024 Growth Through Passion, Serendipity, and Innovation - Paul Raphaely, NOMU
In this episode, we sit down with Paul Raphaely, the co-founder and CEO of Nomu, South Africa’s celebrated food brand known for its premium spices, skinny hot chocolate, and more.
From launching the brand with just 12,000 Rand to exporting to over 30 countries, Paul shares the unfiltered story of how Nomu grew from a small kitchen project into a household name.
Discover how Paul and his wife, Tracy, turned countless challenges—including economic crises and the demands of scaling—to their advantage through relentless innovation, self-belief, and a dose of serendipity.
This is a must-listen for any entrepreneur interested in running a business with your spouse, dealing with stress, building a strong loyal team and much more.
----
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/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
----
As we gear up for Season 5, we want to make sure each episode is as valuable as possible for you. Your feedback is key, so we’ve put together a quick survey to hear what you think.
So if you'd like to help make The Founder Files even better, please take 5 minutes to fill out this survey: https://tally.so/r/wgZ2d4
----
To support The Founder Files:
🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE
⭐ Leave a review right here
💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts
----
00:00 Introduction
05:46 What is NOMU?
07:52 NOMU’s unique product innovation process
10:45 Where the business is at now
12:44 How NOMU started
18:38 What it’s like starting a business with your spouse and how to make it work
32:27 How to deal with stress
38:28 How NOMU reacted to the global economic crisis of 2007
51:00 Pivoting and how it happened
55:38 Figuring out distribution after finding a winning product
01:03:15 Balancing new product development and optimising what’s already working
01:13:34 Running the business with a new approach
01:16:57 What does the next 6 - 12 months look like?01:21:10 How to choose who to hire?
...more
1h 30min
October 21, 2024 Empowering Healthcare Providers Across Africa - Emilian Popa, Ilara Health
In this episode, we sit down with Emilian Popa, co-founder of Ilara Health, to explore how he's tackling one of Africa’s biggest challenges—access to quality healthcare.
Emilian shares his journey of providing essential diagnostic tools, pharmaceuticals, and practice management software to small informal and formal clinics in Africa.
We discuss the complexities of growing a healthcare business in fragmented markets, finding product-market fit across different aspects of the business, and how technology is reshaping healthcare in underserved regions.
We dive into building a strong management team and trust in leadership and Emilian also opens up about his personal health journey and the drive behind his mission to create sustainable healthcare solutions.
Enjoy the episode!
----
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/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
----
As we gear up for Season 5, we want to make sure each episode is as valuable as possible for you. Your feedback is key, so we’ve put together a quick survey to hear what you think.
So if you'd like to help make The Founder Files even better, please take 5 minutes to fill out this survey: https://tally.so/r/wgZ2d4
----
To support The Founder Files:
🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE
⭐ Leave a review right here
💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts
----
00:00 Introduction
04:20 Welcome
04:59 What is Ilara Health?
15:54 Executing on the vision
21:28 Shifting Core Business Priorities
26:14 Finding Product Market Fit
36:21 The scale of Ilara Health
39:07 More about the two different sides of the business
42:22 Having autonomy and prioritising non-work things
58:15 Founder-mode vs manager-mode
01:02:23 Developing a great, trustful team
01:11:50 Dealing with anxiety and the importance of looking after your health
01:31:03 What does the next 6 - 12 months look like for Emilian?
...more
1h 39min
October 14, 2024 Scaling One of South Africa's Biggest E-Commerce Exits - Justin Drennan, Parcelninja
Logistics is often the least exciting aspect of e-commerce. That’s where Parcel Ninja comes in, taking care of all the logistical hassles for e-commerce businesses.
By providing top-notch logistics services, Parcel Ninja empowers small to medium-sized e-commerce players to have the same logistics capability as the largest players in South Africa.
In today’s episode, we dive deep into the success story of Parcel Ninja with co-founder and former CEO Justin Drennan.
We begin by discussing the autonomy and freedom Justin enjoys post-exit and what that means for entrepreneurs. He shares insights on how Parcel Ninja tackled its own challenges, what product-market fit looked like for them, and the strategies they used to build a strong team and scale internationally.
We also explore the significance of entrepreneur communities, the complexities of international expansion, and the process of integrating with large corporates.
Expect to learn about the essential mindsets and skills that every entrepreneur needs, including the importance of building a solid network, the value of giving before taking, and ensuring you have a robust support system to combat loneliness, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt.
This episode is packed with invaluable insights and offers something for entrepreneurs at any stage of their business journey.
----
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/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
----
As we gear up for Season 5, we want to make sure each episode is as valuable as possible for you. Your feedback is key, so we’ve put together a quick survey to hear what you think.
So if you'd like to help make The Founder Files even better, please take 5 minutes to fill out this survey: https://tally.so/r/wgZ2d4
----
To support The Founder Files:
🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE
⭐ Leave a review right here
💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts
----
00:00 Introduction
03:27 Entrepreneurs and ADHD
05:11 What does Parcelninja do?
22:47 What is post-exit life like for Justin?
25:41 How to hand over strategic knowledge when exiting
37:50 The benefits of entrepreneur communities
39:31 The scale of Parcelninja
46:15 Challenges of geographical expansion
50:35 Building a strong team to scale
53:03 Complexities of integrating with a corporate
58:31 Expanding to Brazil
01:12:47 What does product-market fit actually look like?
01:18:07 How to build a powerful network
01:27:28 Building vs scaling mentality
01:39:21 What the next 6 - 12 months look like for Justin
01:41:20 Entrepreneurship's impact on family
...more
1h 46min
October 07, 2024 Building and Scaling Africa's Largest Last Mile Delivery Service - Simon Hartley, Wumdrop
In this episode, we get to chat with Simon Hartley, the founder of WumDrop, which is Africa's largest last-mile on-demand delivery service.
Simon shares his incredible journey from launching a B2C retail business to pivoting into the B2B delivery space, unlocking product-market fit and scaling to success.
We dive into the challenges of growing a logistics business, raising funds, investing in technology, and dealing with the pressures of scaling—while managing the constant threat of burnout.
Simon also shares insights about WumDrop’s acquisition by MassMart in 2021 and what it’s been like navigating a three-year earnout period. He shares the lessons learned along the way, everything from leadership, hiring senior executives, and dealing with corporate politics and stakeholders.
This episode is packed with practical lessons from all stages of the journey that you won’t want to miss!
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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/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
----
As we gear up for Season 5, we want to make sure each episode is as valuable as possible for you. Your feedback is key, so we’ve put together a quick survey to hear what you think.
So if you'd like to help make The Founder Files even better, please take 5 minutes to fill out this survey: https://tally.so/r/wgZ2d4
----
To support The Founder Files:
🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE
⭐ Leave a review right here
💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts
----
00:00 Introduction
03:30 What is WumDrop?
09:38 WumDrop’s Competitive Environment
17:38 How to Sell To Corporates
25:19 Simon’s First Business
37:40 Learning The Importance of Customer Experience
42:26 Pivoting to a Delivery Service
47:54 Scaling With Technology
52:43 Brought To You By Metavolve
54:06 Building Our Own Technology
57:06 Fundraising Struggles and Mistakes
01:01:14 Losing Your Co-Founder and Feeling Hopeless
01:04:44 Getting Acquired by Massmart
01:08:07 Struggles In The Scaling Journey
01:13:49 How To Overcome Burnout
01:23:33 Tips For Working With Corporates
01:38:13 Becoming Coachable
01:46:50 Getting Mentored by Sylvester John
01:58:04 The Difference Between Management and Leadership
02:04:42 How Metavolve Navigates Strategy, Leadership, and Scaling Challenges
02:10:52 What does the next 6 - 18 months look like for Simon?
02:13:26 Would Simon Change Anything About His Journey?
...more
2h 18min
September 30, 2024 Unlocking Growth for SMEs - Dov Girnun and Daniel Moritz, Merchant Capital SA
Merchant Capital is South Africa's leading non-bank alternative lender for SMEs. In this episode, we discover how they grew from zero to 10 billion rand in loans for their clients over the past 12 years.
You'll learn how they initially financed this venture, scaled the business through partnerships, invested in hiring the country's top CTO, and successfully navigated a culture shift.
We also get insights into their innovative business model and product, explore the challenges they faced, and discuss hiring and culture strategies you can apply to your own business.
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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/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
----
To support The Founder Files:
🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE
⭐ Leave a review right here
💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts
----------
00:00 Introduction
03:39 What is Merchant Capital?
09:59 Loan Financing or Equity-Based Financing?
16:59 Mitigating the Default Risk
19:55 The Vision of Creating Sustainable Businesses
26:18 Founding Story
38:56 Using Merchant Capital Funding Properly
46:49 Brought To You By Metavolve
48:12 Where Does Merchant Capital Get Their Money From?
59:59 Dealing with Corporate Partners and Small Business Customers At The Same Time
01:03:37 Hiring A Great Leadership Team
01:15:04 Building, Protecting and Strengthening Culture
01:28:34 The Future of Merchant Capital
01:32:41 Would You Have Done Anything Differently?
1:35:40 Daniel’s Biggest Learnings From The Journey
...more
1h 41min
September 23, 2024 Scaling Efficiently, Building Systems and Hiring a Management Team - Cheri Afonso, HouseHoppers
In this episode of The Founder Files, we dive deep into the scaling journey with Cheri Afonso, the CEO and co-founder of HouseHoppers—a relocation concierge business that's revolutionising the moving industry.
Cheri shares her powerful story of building a business that thrives on operational excellence. From restructuring her role as CEO to managing branches across multiple geographies, Cheri takes us through her journey of mastering processes, building a management team, and ensuring customer satisfaction—while navigating the complexities of logistics.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How HouseHoppers revolutionised industry standards and achieved product-market fit
- The keys to building a management team that drives business growth
- How to stop wearing all the hats as an entrepreneur and scale efficiently
- Cheri’s process for expanding into new locations without permanent teams
- The importance of systems, processes, and standards in scaling any business
If you're an entrepreneur on the path to scaling or interested in operational excellence, this episode is packed with practical takeaways just for you!
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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/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
----
To support The Founder Files:
🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE
⭐ Leave a review right here
💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts
----------
00:00 Intro
04:00 Welcomes
04:44 HouseHoppers' Business Model
05:44 Getting A Coach During The Scaling Journey
09:39 Revolutionising Industry Standards
14:29 Finding Product-Market Fit
17:20 Hiring A Great Team
23:40 Overcoming Burnout & Breakdown
28:51 Replacing Family With Strangers
37:29 Growing Without Even Trying
42:07 Brought To You By Metavolve
43:30 Systems And Process Mapping
51:48 Building And Structuring A Management Team
59:58 What Does Cheri’s Job as CEO Entail?
01:06:35 Creating Systems & Automations
01:20:01 Managing Multiple Geographies
01:24:40 Next Steps For HouseHoppers
01:25:46 Advice For Entrepreneurs Starting The Scale-Up Journey
...more
1h 29min
September 16, 2024 Zulzi’s Secrets to Rapid Growth and Quick Delivery - Donald Valoyi, Zulzi
Imagine ordering groceries and getting them delivered in 15 minutes. Well, Zulzi does just that!
In this episode, we dive deep with Donald Valoyi, the founder and CEO who's turning the retail world on its head. You'll discover:
- The secret sauce behind Zulzi's lightning-fast 15-minute deliveries
- How Valoyi navigated hypergrowth and cash flow challenges
- The game-changing strategies that keep customers coming back for more
- Insider tips on staying ahead in a cutthroat market
- The bold move that gave Zulzi total control over its supply chain
In between all of that, we hear about the challenges, triumphs and important lessons learned along the way.
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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/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
----
To support The Founder Files:
🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE
⭐ Leave a review right here
💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts
----------
00:00 Introduction
03:52 Welcomes
04:37 Zulzi’s Business Model
06:36 Zulzi’s Founding Story
09:26 A look into one of Zulzi’s Dark Stores
11:28 Lessons Learnt From Initial Naivety
16:37 Pivoting From Electronics Into Groceries
25:33 Building Out Tech Capabilities
33:34 How To Keep Up With The Market
40:43 Overcoming Scaling Challenges
49:06 Brought To You By Metavolve
50:29 Not Being Ready For Huge Growth
57:35 Importance of Customer Experience in Scaling
58:37 Running A Founder-led Company Successfully
01:15:41 How To Build Out Management Layers
01:24:19 Transition Into Dark Stores
01:33:14 The Future Of Zulzi
...more
1h 45min
September 09, 2024 Scaling a Property Business from Scratch - Greg Blend & Grant Friedman, Africrest Properties
In this episode of The Founder Files, we chat with Greg Blend and Grant Friedman from Africrest. From starting with nothing but ambition and a few naive assumptions, they scaled their property business to managing over 3.3 billion rand in assets!
We delve into how they managed to scale their business without initial capital.
We also explore their unique approach to sourcing feedback from tenants and customers at scale, ensuring that property improvements are based on tenant input and preferences.
Additionally, they share insights on building robust systems during rapid expansion and scaling their team effectively to sustain growth and success.
----
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/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
----
To support The Founder Files:
🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE
⭐ Leave a review right here
💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts
----------
00:00 Introduction
02:37 Welcomes
03:02 Africrest’s Business Model
06:28 The Scale Of Africrest Today
09:12 Africrest Founding Story
13:53 Starting A Property Company With No Cash
20:47 Greg & Grant’s First Property
30:34 Getting Useful Feedback From Customers
36:53 Merging Into Africrest
43:57 Brought To You By Metavolve
45:20 How To Stay Aligned As A Leadership Team
49:52 Making Sure You Choose The Right Partnerships
58:24 Converting Office Buildings To Apartments
01:03:29 Scaling The Business Through Covid
01:11:58 Changes To Handle Rapid Growth
01:21:28 Learnings From Rapid Expansion
01:25:53 The Future Of Africrest
01:28:29 Why Choose The South African Market?
...more
1h 32min

FAQs about The Founder Files:

How many episodes does The Founder Files have?

The podcast currently has 147 episodes available.