The NJ Podcast

In the season finale, we talk about the talent triangle from PMI.

In this season finale, we talk about its brand name.

In this episode, we unpack lessons from Theo Baloyi.

He is the ex-accountant who left the comfort of employment to create a business that sustainably employs others. He started the fastest-growing sneaker brand in Africa from his township home in Alex. After being rejected 13 times Bhatu now has over 25 stores (and counting) sustainably employs over 200 people and has many great partnerships. The shoe brand is now recognized as one of the top 10 trusted brands in Africa. His exploits and passion have gotten him accolades such as Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 – South African Business Premier Awards; Forbes Africa 30 under 30 – 2019; BBQ Awards - Hennessy XO Businessman of the Year Award 2020; and Top Empowerment Awards 2020 - Top Empowered Young Achiever of the Year. His name is Theo Baloyi and here are some lessons we can learn from him.

What stops people from starting is the fear of failure or being overwhelmed by the vision they have and the time it will take to get to where they want to get to. However, every big company was once a start-up - every single one. They all started small in a garage, a room, or the boot of a car. It is the small beginnings that will help you remember where you came from and give you the strength to succeed. Starting small and struggling to grow develops a depth of character that perceived “overnight success” won’t give you. Theo always points to the story of him starting from the boot of his car and refusing to quit - always sacrificing and giving back into the business to build what he has today.

Despise not the days of small beginnings as they build the character you will need to stay at the top.

Hard work is a great deal of effort and endurance. In the world of business, you are 80% likely to fail. Therefore you will face hard times. You will be rejected. You will have times when you don’t want to get up in the morning. You will have times when you think you can’t make it anymore. When this happens, you need to remember that you are a gladiator and keep working.

Theo has definitely faced resistance, rejection, and ridicule on the path to success. He was first rejected 13 times before he got a meaningful partnership. Even at the zenith of success, he is still facing resistance, rejection, and ridicule. In spite of this, he has what I call his ‘work no matter what philosophy.”

They hate...You Work

They criticize...You Work

They speak ill of you...You Work

They copy...You Work

They sabotage...You Work

They Say No...You Work

They Plot evil...You Work

In favorable and unfavorable times...You Work

Work when things don’t go well, work when you don’t have money, work when you don’t have a favor, work when things go well, work when you don’t see light at the end of the tunnel - work no matter what. There are a lot of things you can’t control but you can control how hard you work.

It’s good to start small and to do small things well. It is not good to stay small if you have the opportunity to grow bigger. The bigger you grow, the more people you can serve. This is the thinking that has aided Bhatu’s success in growing fast. They have opened 8 stores in three months and grew over 300% in sales over a pandemic. This was not always the case when the brand started with sales happening from the boot of a car.

Your business serves people. More people need your service and can only get it once you decide to grow bigger as fast as you can while remaining patient.

One of the nine building blocks of the Business Model Canvas is the Key Partnerships you build. The right partner will help you build your business, give you more exposure and insights you never would have gotten on your own. The partnership Bhatu fostered with Somizi helped grow the brands’ exposure and sales, get more celebrities to wear the shoe, and partner with other brands such as Castle Lite, Steers, and Forbes Africa.

Find the right partner, build a relationship with them and grow your brand. Don’t get disheartened if some turn you down - the right partner will work with you at the right time.

There is a saying that the greater your goal, the quicker it comes true. This is because a grander vision communicates to you and your mind that you need to work harder, do more and become more to make the goal happen. A grand goal gives you a greater sense of urgency and a higher sense of responsibility and you will have less time for excuses. When you feel like quitting, it becomes harder because the bigger the goal, the harder you work, and the harder it will be to surrender. The uber focused have a grand vision that is bigger than them and hence they get more done and waste less time. Elon Musk wants to change the world and get us to another planet, hence he is achieving far more than the average man. Theo Baloyi has a grand vision that is bigger than him, the country, and the African continent. His vision spans the globe in making the sneaker brand a premier choice around the world. This was his vision when he started and in such a short period Bhatu has dominated the industry in the country and is on course to keep dominating and going global. Why? He stuck to and grew his grand vision.

If you really want to mobilize your efforts, create a sense of urgency and find it easier to quit, you need to create and stick to a grand vision.

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In this episode, we talk about how to kill your dreams.

In this episode, we talk about how fixed teams create better results.

In this episode, we talk about what is more important: IQ, EQ or GQ?

In this episode, we unpack lessons from Trevor Noah.

He is the comedic genius who took the art form global from South Africa. He built his career consistently over 10 years in front of an audience of 10 people to selling out Madison Square Garden in 2019. He can entertain a diverse crowd and gets people thinking with his observational comedy. He has earned millions of followers, garnered multiple accolades and is now friends with the greatest people on earth. Forbes listed him as the fourth highest-earning comedian in 2019. He is best know as the host of the political sketch show, The Daily Show. His name is Trevor Noah and here are lessons we can learn from him.

From the moment Trevor started to stand up comedy, he would not waste any opportunity and would not be afraid of taking any opportunity. When he set out to start his first special, some called him arrogant, not ready and that he would fail. This did not stop him and now he is South Africas greatest comedian with more than 10 specials. When he was approached to take over the daily show, he was afraid, there were many doubters but he took the opportunity and made the most of it. He didn’t succumb to fear because regret weighs heavier than fear. He even said, “If this comedy thing doesn’t work out at least I have poverty to fall back on.” Trevor worked, took every opportunity and made the most of them.

We should strive to live without fear as fear is a traitor that will leave us with the heavy weight of regret and robs us of opportunities. If you have 10 opportunities a day, then you should take every single one of them as it is the accumulation of executing on all your opportunities that will make you great over time - and if you miss them, you may never get them again. Take every opportunity without fear of failure. 

Trevor is known for his observational comedy, humorous takes and twists that have a message that is thought out and leaves the audience thinking. He uses comedy to provide his perspective and to challenge preconceived ideas without being dogmatic. From his sketches about South African politicians to American culture through to observations on accents and languages, there is always a message and critically thought out observation. One powerful perspective he shared was about accents. “Accents are not a measure of intelligence, it is just people speaking different languages with the rules of their own language,” said Trevor. He is a master of accents and observational comedy and shares different perspectives on a topic that challenges us to not be closed-minded while not forcing our way of thinking on someone else.

Critical thinking is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form an opinion. There can be a culture where people don’t want to think and push their own agendas on others without observing alternatives. This can limit how we interact and grow as people. It is important to have your own opinion and know-how to share it in a humorous and non-judgemental way that allows you to reach others and grow as a person yourself.

Trevor had the opportunity to open a show for the greatest stand-up comedian alive, Dave Chappelle. He didn’t know why he was asked and what he would say to the audience. “You are not here because you are funny, you are here because you are interesting,” Dave advised Noah. Trevor is an interesting person when you consider his story: he was born a crime in apartheid South Africa, has a Xhosa mom and a Swiss father (because the Swiss love chocolate), he has had many colourful characters influence his life and operated for a long time in the diverse country of South Africa. Because of his background, he is open to learning and getting new experiences. “I am open to being wrong. I want you to engage with me. Share your perspective, let me know about your world so I can learn,” explained Noah. “If there is one thing you will never waste your money on, it’s travel as you get to learn about other people.” To practice his accents, gain new material for shows and understand the world climate and guests for his shows, he constantly interacts with people and places that teach him.

If you stop growing then you regress and rob yourself of the best experiences that life has to offer. If you are open to learning then you become a more interesting, valuable and compelling character to whom many people will be drawn. What you learn from others may end up saving you and propelling you to superstardom so you can make a greater contribution.

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