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The Founder Files
By MetavolveBusiness
The Founder Files episodes
- 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/ywQSWiXQb742. Simon Hartley, WumDrop: https://youtu.be/q8wV9qxFqFA3. Matt Putman, iKhokha: https://youtu.be/K5fOq9Agg_U4. Justin Drennan, Parcelninja: https://youtu.be/5BS8itb9yUE5. Mike Scott, NONA: https://youtu.be/-ehxp0ycjWo6. Emilian Popa, Ilara Health: https://youtu.be/dlQH3ffwj2M----
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 Properties03:27 Simon Hartley, WumDrop12:07 Matt Putman, iKhokha21:02 Justin Drennan, Parcelninja29:20 Mike Scott, NONA39:45 Emilian Popa, Ilara Health54 min - 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 like10:14 Matt’s drive and how he motivates his team18:46 The founding story of iKhokha and finding product-market fit34:17 What product-market fit looked like for iKhokha38:22 Beginning the scaling journey45:05 Challenges after finding profitability48:05 Shifting from a problem-solving to a strategy mindset50:28 Entering a phase of learning56:15 The organisational design mindset shift you need to scale01:08:24 Avoiding shiny object syndrome01:15:21 How to keep entrepreneurship fun01:22:43 Challenges in attracting investors and talent being based in Durban01:37:50 What does the next 6 - 12 months look for iKhokha?01:40:42 Advice to entrepreneurs at any stage of the journey1 hr 45 min - 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?
1 hr 30 min - 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 Welcome04:59 What is Ilara Health?15:54 Executing on the vision21:28 Shifting Core Business Priorities26:14 Finding Product Market Fit36:21 The scale of Ilara Health39:07 More about the two different sides of the business42:22 Having autonomy and prioritising non-work things58:15 Founder-mode vs manager-mode01:02:23 Developing a great, trustful team01:11:50 Dealing with anxiety and the importance of looking after your health01:31:03 What does the next 6 - 12 months look like for Emilian?1 hr 39 min - 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 ADHD05:11 What does Parcelninja do?22:47 What is post-exit life like for Justin?25:41 How to hand over strategic knowledge when exiting37:50 The benefits of entrepreneur communities39:31 The scale of Parcelninja46:15 Challenges of geographical expansion50:35 Building a strong team to scale53:03 Complexities of integrating with a corporate58:31 Expanding to Brazil01:12:47 What does product-market fit actually look like?01:18:07 How to build a powerful network01:27:28 Building vs scaling mentality01:39:21 What the next 6 - 12 months look like for Justin01:41:20 Entrepreneurship's impact on family1 hr 46 min - 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!----
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 Environment17:38 How to Sell To Corporates25:19 Simon’s First Business37:40 Learning The Importance of Customer Experience42:26 Pivoting to a Delivery Service47:54 Scaling With Technology52:43 Brought To You By Metavolve54:06 Building Our Own Technology57:06 Fundraising Struggles and Mistakes01:01:14 Losing Your Co-Founder and Feeling Hopeless01:04:44 Getting Acquired by Massmart01:08:07 Struggles In The Scaling Journey01:13:49 How To Overcome Burnout01:23:33 Tips For Working With Corporates01:38:13 Becoming Coachable01:46:50 Getting Mentored by Sylvester John01:58:04 The Difference Between Management and Leadership02:04:42 How Metavolve Navigates Strategy, Leadership, and Scaling Challenges02:10:52 What does the next 6 - 18 months look like for Simon?02:13:26 Would Simon Change Anything About His Journey?2 hr 18 min - 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.----
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 Risk19:55 The Vision of Creating Sustainable Businesses26:18 Founding Story38:56 Using Merchant Capital Funding Properly46:49 Brought To You By Metavolve48:12 Where Does Merchant Capital Get Their Money From?59:59 Dealing with Corporate Partners and Small Business Customers At The Same Time01:03:37 Hiring A Great Leadership Team01:15:04 Building, Protecting and Strengthening Culture01:28:34 The Future of Merchant Capital01:32:41 Would You Have Done Anything Differently?1:35:40 Daniel’s Biggest Learnings From The Journey1 hr 41 min - 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 businessIf you're an entrepreneur on the path to scaling or interested in operational excellence, this episode is packed with practical takeaways just for you!----
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 Welcomes04:44 HouseHoppers' Business Model05:44 Getting A Coach During The Scaling Journey09:39 Revolutionising Industry Standards14:29 Finding Product-Market Fit17:20 Hiring A Great Team23:40 Overcoming Burnout & Breakdown28:51 Replacing Family With Strangers37:29 Growing Without Even Trying42:07 Brought To You By Metavolve43:30 Systems And Process Mapping51:48 Building And Structuring A Management Team59:58 What Does Cheri’s Job as CEO Entail?01:06:35 Creating Systems & Automations01:20:01 Managing Multiple Geographies01:24:40 Next Steps For HouseHoppers01:25:46 Advice For Entrepreneurs Starting The Scale-Up Journey1 hr 29 min - 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 chainIn between all of that, we hear about the challenges, triumphs and important lessons learned along the way.----
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 Welcomes04:37 Zulzi’s Business Model06:36 Zulzi’s Founding Story09:26 A look into one of Zulzi’s Dark Stores11:28 Lessons Learnt From Initial Naivety16:37 Pivoting From Electronics Into Groceries25:33 Building Out Tech Capabilities33:34 How To Keep Up With The Market40:43 Overcoming Scaling Challenges49:06 Brought To You By Metavolve50:29 Not Being Ready For Huge Growth57:35 Importance of Customer Experience in Scaling58:37 Running A Founder-led Company Successfully01:15:41 How To Build Out Management Layers01:24:19 Transition Into Dark Stores01:33:14 The Future Of Zulzi1 hr 45 min - 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 Welcomes03:02 Africrest’s Business Model06:28 The Scale Of Africrest Today09:12 Africrest Founding Story13:53 Starting A Property Company With No Cash20:47 Greg & Grant’s First Property30:34 Getting Useful Feedback From Customers36:53 Merging Into Africrest43:57 Brought To You By Metavolve45:20 How To Stay Aligned As A Leadership Team49:52 Making Sure You Choose The Right Partnerships58:24 Converting Office Buildings To Apartments01:03:29 Scaling The Business Through Covid01:11:58 Changes To Handle Rapid Growth01:21:28 Learnings From Rapid Expansion01:25:53 The Future Of Africrest01:28:29 Why Choose The South African Market?1 hr 32 min
About The Founder Files
From the publisher's feed
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 Cameron Coutts, each episode unpacks the complex journeys of scaling businesses, delivered by entrepreneurs who've walked the path. No script, no filter – just a fireside chat between growth-driven founders.
If you’re seeking practical advice and relatable stories to fuel your growth journey, this is your go-to resource. Subscribe now!