BizCrush

Episode 12: Venete Klein

BizCrush Sponsored by the SLC Group: https://slcgroup.co.za
Venete Klein, a renowned business author and the owner of a highly successful consulting firm, shares the winning formula for success: "Keep your focus sharp and outwork everyone around you."
With humble beginnings as a waste clerk in the banking sector in 1978, Klein's determination propelled her to become the first female Executive Director for Barclays in South Africa in 2005.
In 1997, she participated in the Nelson Mandela professional development program, which provided valuable international experience in the US banking sector.
As the first female president of the Afrikaans chamber of business, Klein emphasizes the importance of making a meaningful impact and understanding the intricate details of one's business to ensure sustained growth.
 

Episode 11: Jason Morris

BizCrush Sponsored by the SLC Group: https://slcgroup.co.za
Jason Morris's journey started in the cinema business before taking a daring leap and founding a freight company with just R750, resulting in an impressive R20 million turnover in one year. Later, excelling in law as a debt counsellor, Jason emphasizes the importance of an information-driven society and advanced technology, giving the younger generation a 'business headstart.'
As the Managing Co-Director of Snaid and Morris, a prominent law firm in South Africa and the UK, they specialize in insolvency, litigation, and family law, thriving on strong relationships, even attracting foreign interest. Jason's tenacious "do-it-yourself" attitude keeps him ahead in the game. 

Episode 10: Thina Nodada

BizCrush Sponsored by the SLC Group: https://slcgroup.co.zaEven as a young schoolboy, Thina Nodada showcased his entrepreneurial spirit, standing out from the crowd. However, he soon realised that he had a burning desire to carve his own path. With this fierce determination, Thina embarked on a transformative journey, honing his skills through a rigorous graduate program focused on imports and exports while working for a prominent logistics company.Driven by a vision to make a lasting impact, Thina Nodada founded Waymaker Trade Solutions in 2018—a groundbreaking global trade solutions company. Acknowledging the untapped potential of Africa, he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. While the continent exported its valuable resources, it wasn't producing enough goods for its own needs, but this represents an immense opportunity for Africa from a trading standpoint. klipkouers.com

Episode 9: Brian Lupton-Smith

BizCrush Sponsored by the SLC Group: https://slcgroup.co.zaThe director of a company needs to stay close to the coalface, yet remain detached enough to effectively direct the business.This, according to Brian Lupton-Smith, has been the key to the success of Witon Chemicals over the past quarter of a century.Witon is a Latex Compounding organisation servicing the local Textile and Flooring industry.Born in the Cape but bred in KZN, Brian’s character as a young man was shaped through experiences on the Unicorn Shipping fleet and during the Border War, before being mentored in the Carpet industry by Stephan Colle at Belgotex.Brian places a high premium on mentoring, as he believes Witon is all about its people.As he says, “If they can grow, they will grow the business…” klipkouers.com

Episode 8: Yaron Assabi

BizCrush Sponsored by the SLC Group: https://slcgroup.co.za#DoingSomethingGreatThis is Yaron Assabi’s mission in life.As a proud cancer survivor, Assabi is an entrepreneur who is passionate about ICT.The Digital Solutions Group (www.dsg.co.za), established in 1998, was his brainchild. DSG specialises in relationship marketing solutions. The art of relationship marketing, says Assabi, is about having real relationships.As was the case with his fight against cancer, Assabi also believes that one has to be resilient, and have the necessary tenacity, to make it in business.Most of all, however, you need to keep things exciting, and have fun!

Episode 7: Mike Stekhoven

BizCrush Sponsored by the SLC Group: https://slcgroup.co.zaAlthough not as hands-on as he used to be 20 years ago, Duram MD Mike Stekhoven still has his finger firmly on the pulse of the paint industry.The Duram family business originated in 1981, when Stekhoven bought a company that had developed a polyurethane waterproofing product called Duram 195.Since then, Duram has continuously pushed the boundaries of ‘smart paint’ over the past 40 years.Such as their introduction of Raincote, the first acrylic waterproofer for the retail trade in South Africa.Describing an entrepreneur as the eternal optimist, Stekhoven maintains that focus, in business, is the most critical ingredient for success. klipkouers.com

Episode 6: Alex MacPhail

BizCrush Sponsored by the SLC Group: https://slcgroup.co.zaAlex MacPhail had a fascination with flying from a young age and has been a professional pilot for 21 years.Trained as an Air Force pilot, MacPhail spent three years flying formation aerobatic displays with the Silver Falcons. Thereafter he piloted Airbus and Boeing airliners all over the world for 12 years, before being retrenched due to the demise of SAA.MacPhail’s entrepreneurial instincts took over, though, and he now shares insights, from more than two decades of professional aviation, as a keynote speaker.And, as host of 'Alex MacPhail Podcast' and 'World Championship Air Race' podcast, he has interviewed more than 100 world class performers from across the globe.
www.klipkouers.com #klipkouers #podcast

Episode 5: Bernard Swanepoel

BizCrush Sponsored by the SLC Group: https://slcgroup.co.zaAs one of the continent’s most knowledgeable leaders in Mining Engineering, Bernard Swanepoel demonstrated, as CEO of Harmony Gold, the ability to manage the delicate balance between cost and optimised productivity through team work.With more than 40 years’ experience in the South African mining industry, of which a quarter of a decade was in executive management, Swanepoel was recently appointed an independent non-executive director of construction and engineering group Aveng’s board, and he also serves on the boards of Impala Platinum, Zimplats and Omnia Holdings.As a leader, he has passionately strived throughout his career to flatten the corporate hierarchy and remove unnecessary layers of management. klipkouers.com #klipkouers #podcast

Episode 4: Paul Higgins

BizCrush Sponsored by the SLC Group: https://slcgroup.co.zaPaul Higgins' see possibilities and make things work has been key in establishing DINGO as an industry-standard in predictive maintenance.Originally from Queensland, Australia, Paul completed an MSc in Engineering Management in Missouri, USA, before spending a number of years with Clorox in California, leading maintenance improvement efforts at 34 manufacturing facilities worldwide.Returning Down Under in 1994, he joined DINGO Software, where he swiftly introduced an innovative approach to mining maintenance that dramatically increases operational efficiency and saves millions of dollars by proactively caring for equipment.As Paul quips, it takes some sort of a genius to believe in the unknown. klipkouers.com #klipkouers

Episode 3: Duncan Blackburn

BizCrush Sponsored by the SLC Group: https://slcgroup.co.zaDuncan Blackburn, retired owner of Karbochem Holdings, boasts extensive experience in process engineering and change management.He explains how Karbochem became a private holding company, holding assets purchased from Sentrachem Ltd. The buyout signalled the start of an era focusing on innovative product development, process improvement and environmental best practice. However, Duncan suggests that, due to the current political and economical climate, South Africa has become a rather negligible part of the global market and that the chemical industry faces challenging times. To succeed, companies need to follow the example of one of Karbochem’s former subsidiaries, SLC, who are developing new, revolutionary products that enable them to still compete globally. klipkouers.com #klipkouers