Shows
Entrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastExit Intentionally — An M&A Playbook for Founders with DanaFor founders thinking about selling, Dana offers one message: exit intentionally. In this EO Ignite 2025 episode, the Cape Town–based M&A adviser explains why most sellers should have three advisers—commercial corporate finance, legal, and tax—to navigate complexity and capture value.
He breaks down how buyers actually value companies: discounted cash flow, net present value, returns on capital, and strategic synergies, not just multiples. Dana also shares when lifestyle businesses may be worth keeping, how management buyouts can be structured through vendor finance and bank support, and how to select advisers with aligned fee structures that r...
2025-09-1218 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastLearning, Culture & AI — Richard Rayne on Building iLearn & EO LeadershipFor Richard Rayne, entrepreneurship has always been tied to education and growth. As the founder of iLearn Corporate Education, he has spent 24 years helping South African corporates close skills gaps through accredited training, bridging compliance needs while empowering first-time entrants into the workforce. He also launched MyMastery, a local masterclass-style platform born during Covid, to make thought leadership more accessible.
In this Ignite 2025 conversation, Richard shares personal and professional reflections: how DJing became creative therapy during divorce, how EO has been a safe space for vulnerability since he joined in 2012, and why Ignite’s 5% talks matter for au...
2025-09-1210 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastFinding Purpose & Confidence — Family Business & Growth with Zafir KurjiFor Zafir Kurji, Ignite 2025 was more than a conference—it was a mirror. As a next-generation leader in his family’s IT business (Apple solutions, ArchiCAD, facilities management, and digital printing presses), Zafir confronted imposter syndrome, learning to balance gratitude for privilege with confidence in his own capability.
In this candid conversation, he shares how gratitude, journaling, and celebrating wins are becoming family traditions, and how Ignite’s biohacking sessions inspired him to embrace cold showers and ice baths as tools for resilience. Most importantly, Zafir explains why clarity of identity, values, and purpose is now his compas...
2025-09-1210 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastLeading with Heart — Vulnerability & Women in EO with Gaynor & Julia BedfordIn this EO Ignite 2025 conversation, Gaynor (current EO Cape Town president) and Julia “Jules” Bedford (former president) explore how vulnerability and authenticity have transformed their leadership journeys. From shifting away from “armoured” leadership to modelling openness in teams, they show why authenticity is not a weakness but a strength.
They share candid insights on imposter syndrome, the importance of mentorship, and the power of community in giving women the confidence to step into leadership. Gaynor reflects on her presidency and the need to “make your own shoes,” while Julia discusses her 50% women board and why representation matters. Both leaders...
2025-09-1212 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastNomad at Heart — Building Connection Platforms with Randolf JorbergRandolf Jorberg is a nomad at heart—and a builder of communities wherever he goes. German-born and based in South Africa for nearly two decades, Randolf has created ventures from a German Reddit-like site to Beerhouse, all driven by a single mission: platforms for connection. In this EO Ignite 2025 conversation, Randolf reflects on his EO journey (Johannesburg, global bridge, nomadic forums), the reality of digital nomad life (80% uplifting, 20% lonely), and why he continues to choose movement as a way to reset and learn. He also introduces his latest project: creating circles of belonging accessible beyond revenue thresholds, inspired by EO...
2025-09-1210 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastPayroll with Purpose — Empowering Youth & Paying It Forward with Rylin SubrayanFor Rylin Subrayan, payroll and HR software is just the platform—the real mission is empowering people. In this Ignite 2025 episode, he shares how his company hires for potential, entrusts young talent with rapid responsibility, and rewards performance regardless of age—helping 21-year-olds earn top wages while building confidence and life skills.
Rylin explains how daily wellness and learning practices—from morning movement to shared hikes—fuel resilience and interpersonal growth. His purpose is rooted in personal experience: after facing limited opportunities due to a cannabis-related criminal record in his 20s, he’s committed to creating a culture of...
2025-09-1209 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastBuilding & Selling for Value — How Founders Should Think About M&A with DanaDana knows that when it comes to selling a company, multiples are just the starting point. As a former tech founder turned M&A advisor, she explains why value is ultimately about cash flows plus synergies, and how founders can build strategic cases that earn a premium.
In this EO Ignite 2025 conversation, Dana shares her career journey from due diligence to corporate finance in London, shaped by scarcity and serendipity. She unpacks the buyer’s perspective, forecasts, discounted cash flow, return on capital, and gives frank advice to lifestyle businesses: sometimes keeping the company, or structuring a ma...
2025-09-1114 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastFrom Law to Fractional Sales — Focus, Mentors & EO Growth with Rebecca CameronRebecca Cameron traded a law career for entrepreneurship—and found her stride building Sales Mate, a fractional sales firm helping founders scale B2B outbound without the hiring risk. Just two years in, Sales Mate has grown into a ten-person team embedded inside client businesses, combining strategy with execution.
In this EO Ignite 2025 conversation, Rebecca reflects on her entrepreneurial path: bootstrapping during Covid, embracing focus over fragmentation, and sharpening financial discipline through EO Accelerator forums. She credits mentors for small but pivotal nudges, including the push to make her first hire, and shares how she now experiments wi...
2025-09-1111 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastKeep Blooming — Purpose, Gratitude & Women’s Advancement with Nox MagwazaFor Nokuthula “Nox” Magwaza, growth isn’t just business—it’s life itself. As the founder of Bloom Marketing, Bloom Infinite Digital, and Bloom Inside Out, she has spent over two decades helping brands land with cultural relevance while championing women’s advancement and authentic storytelling.
In this EO Ignite 2025 conversation, Knox shares why gratitude is her operating system, how vulnerability unlocks true growth, and why she believes EO is fertile soil for scaling both business and impact. She revisits lessons from her early career at Unilever, explains the seeds-and-soil metaphor that guides her leadership, and highlights how Bloom di...
2025-09-1108 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastPutting the Client First — Ego, Service & Top-Rated TV with Mpho Lengane
Mpho Lengane, founder of Barker’s Media, has built a reputation for producing some of South Africa’s top-rated television dramas and reality shows. But for her, the real product isn’t just ratings—it’s national conversation. By putting rural, township, and urban perspectives on the same screen, she sparks dialogue that resonates across communities.
In this Ignite 2025 episode, Mpho opens up about the setbacks that shaped her—being fired three times in 2021, formalizing her business in 2022, and discovering that self-awareness and humility fuel real growth. She shares a pivotal boardroom lesson from Ocean Basket on the meaning...
2025-09-1112 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastEggs, Income & Impact — Alice Chang on Scaling Hatch Africa Across Six Countries
Alice Chang believes that small flocks can drive big change. As part of Hatch Africa, she explains how providing dual-purpose chickens and feeds helps smallholder farmers across Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire improve family nutrition, raise incomes, and create real choices—from education and healthcare to reinvestment.
Alice’s path spans the US, Shanghai, and Bain & Company before moving to Uganda to scale solar access. That experience led her to agriculture, where an income-first approach ensures sustainable impact. In this Ignite 2025 conversation, she also shares how EO practices like lifeline exercises and one word...
2025-09-1110 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastFrom Jeddah to Durban — Real Estate, Angel Investing & Endurance with Samer ShaabanFor Samer Shaaban, Ignite 2025 is about more than attending his first EO regional event—it’s about connection, rejuvenation, and growth. A veteran of Jeddah’s real estate sector with over 20 years of experience, Samer reflects on his EO journey so far, from early forum experiences to embracing the Power Within theme of Durban.
He also introduces his path as an angel investor, focusing on fintech, SaaS, and gaming startups that can scale. His criteria? Character, humility, and coachability in the founders he backs. Alongside his business ventures, Samer shares how endurance routines like running and Ironman races...
2025-09-1110 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastPrevent Before You Treat — Tech, Habits & Mental Performance with Steve StavsSteve Stavs believes the future of health is about prevention, not treatment. In this EO Ignite 2025 episode, he introduces Medicine 4.0: proactive, personalized, and performance-oriented health. Steve explains why clinical “normal” isn’t always optimal, why VO2 max is a true predictor of longevity, and how wearables can guide smarter training and recovery.
He also highlights the mental side of performance, introducing the concept of a “mental quotient” for entrepreneurs aiming to sustain creativity and resilience under pressure. With practical hacks—from circadian rhythm hygiene to high-quality sleep—Steve gives leaders a science-based playbook for staying sharp, healthy, and future-rea...
2025-09-1010 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastFrom Jeddah to Durban — Real Estate, Angel Investing & Endurance with Shabbir BarbhayaFor Shabbir Barbhaya, Ignite 2025 is both a first EO regional experience and a chance to connect across borders. A veteran real estate developer from Jeddah, he reflects on building trust in forums, finding renewal through endurance sports, and embracing EO’s theme of The Power Within.
Shabbir also shares his growing role as an angel investor, backing ventures in fintech, SaaS, and gaming, with scalability and founder character as his guiding filters. He explains how mentoring fuels his purpose, and why he’s considering a lightweight podcast as a natural extension of his coaching. This conversation blends entr...
2025-09-1009 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastFrom Bespoke Builds to Big Bets — Trevor Gowing & Decode Development at Ignite 2025For Trevor Gowing, one bold pitch became the foundation for a company. As co-founder of Decode Development, he shares how a collaboration with Sea Monster led to winning the Lemonade Day US project, building a kids’ app and mentor/admin platforms, and resigning to launch the business. What clinched it? Visible commitment and skin in the game.
In this EO Ignite 2025 conversation, Trevor also introduces Decode’s model: bespoke software for purpose-driven companies, balancing off-the-shelf solutions with custom builds, and supporting clients through fractional CTO advisory and embedded engineering teams. He opens up about the challenge of mark...
2025-09-0912 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastBelief to Breakthrough — Protecting Lives & Building Resilience with Louisa GarlandFor Louisa Garland, belief has always been the starting point—and sometimes the lifeline. Founder of Imperial Armour, she reflects on 25 years of building a company that protects lives with body armour and UN demining gear, all from a base in Durban. Louisa shares how her toughest season in 2018 nearly closed the doors, and how support from her children—and her own faith—helped her find stillness and resilience. The very next day, she received her largest-ever order.
In this EO Ignite 2025 debut, Louisa also opens up about her first EO conference, the community connections she’s most exc...
2025-09-0910 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastExperience Is Everything — XD, Content & Goosebump Moments with Gary SundelowitzFor Gary Sundelowitz, founder of Clarity, the future of marketing is experience design (XD)—and the measure of success is the “goosebump moment.” In this EO Ignite 2025 episode, Gary traces his journey from pure digital into XD, sharing client stories from Sony, Vodacom, Cell C, and Eduvas, where every touchpoint—digital or physical—is designed to deliver measurable impact.
Gary also makes the case for founder-led content: short, authentic clips from the CEO outperform polished brand posts. He explains how to build consistency by tying content creation into daily workflow and how a lean, partner-powered model allows small team...
2025-09-0409 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastYouth at Work — Pathways, Purpose & Impact with Erika KempkonIn this Ignite 2025 episode, Erika Kempkon, founder of Youth at Work, explains how her organization is building real pathways for South Africa’s youth. As a YES implementation partner, they connect young people to 12-month work placements across industries like manufacturing, automotive, finance, solar, and tech—while tracking retention, completion, and post-program absorption into jobs, entrepreneurship, or further study.
Backed by a bespoke CRM and AI intake system, Youth at Work achieves ~92% retention and monitors not just youth outcomes but also the business growth of host companies. Erika also shares the multiplier effect of education, the entrepreneurial ener...
2025-09-0411 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastUnbecoming - Identity Before Brand & Authentic Marketing with Bhavya KalsiIn this EO Ignite 2025 conversation, Bhavya Kalsi (business and personal branding coach) shares why identity must come before brand. Drawing from her TED-style talk “Unbecoming,” Bhavya explains how authentic branding isn’t about performing but about anchoring in your truth. She unpacks why attention is the new currency, how to design lean and flexible business operations, and why founder-led marketing is the engine behind solopreneur growth.
Bhavya also reflects on her EO journey—from founding member in Uganda to regional community builder—and previews her upcoming show Be Unleashed, spotlighting women entrepreneurs. Her take on harmony over “balance” and...
2025-09-0413 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastGratitude, Growth & Global EO Journeys — Kushal Sanhraska at Ignite 2025For Kushal Sanhraska, Ignite 2025 marked more than his first EO global event—it was a chance to step into leadership, deepen connections, and bring fresh rituals back to his team. As a family business leader in Kenya’s construction and finishes sector, Kushal shares how simple practices like “one word” and “yesterday’s best” have transformed culture by embedding gratitude and presence into daily work.
He also reflects on his path from science geek to business operator, his passion for podcasts and learning, and his ongoing health journey as he prepares for fatherhood. With plans to moderate, lead GSEA Keny...
2025-09-0308 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastFrom Antarctica to Wildfire AI — Security & Scale with Gavin Hough at EO Ignite 2025This no-fluff conversation with Gavin Hough connects the dots between cutting-edge science and real-world impact. After 14 months in Antarctica and a PhD in space physics, Gavin helped build RGBZ camera systems that detect fires early, forecast spread, and turn data into rapid, life-saving decisions. He opens the hood on 4-minute camera sweeps, triaging dozens of simultaneous ignitions, and the on-the-ground realities of safety and evacuation.
Then the lens widens: South Africa’s security landscape, theft at remote sites, and why protecting power and batteries is now as critical as spotting smoke. Finally, Gavin makes the EO ask—globa...
2025-09-0311 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastMental Health, Open Source & Global Community — Bashar (KuwaitNet) at EO Ignite DurbanThis charged, no-pretence conversation with Bashar (KuwaitNet) maps a podcast built where tech meets mental health—and why founders in the region need to talk openly about both. He shares how therapy stigma shows up in business, why he’s turning his company’s lightning-talk rituals into a repeatable show format, and how an open-source mindset (think Kuwait’s Linux/Ubuntu community) fuels real knowledge-sharing. Along the way, Bashar taps EO’s global reach—bridge chapters, RLA, and university events—to take ideas from a small market to a worldwide audience. He also opens up about a defining chapter—“the president who...
2025-09-0111 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastServant Leadership, Self-Awareness & Legacy – Ashif Kassam at EO Ignite DurbanIn this grounded conversation from the EO Ignite 2025 conference, Ashif Kassam (RSM Eastern Africa) traces a leadership inflection point—receiving tough feedback—and the deep self-work that followed. He shares a clear purpose, a legacy-first lens, and two deceptively simple leadership tools he uses before every meeting to shift from blame to better outcomes. If you’re serious about growth, culture, and leading with integrity, this one will stick with you.
🔗 Links
EO Durban: www.eodurban.co.za
Podcast: eodurban.podbean.com
🎙️ Produced by TIM Africa.
2025-09-0112 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastThe Happiness Business, Self-Mastery, and Happier Teams – Alon Sachs at EO Ignite DurbanIn this insightful episode, Alon Sachs introduces “The Happiness Business,” a practical framework for becoming happier and more effective by rebuilding the most important relationship you have — the one with yourself. Drawing on EO-inspired growth mindsets and weekly team rituals, Alon shares how simple shifts (and one memorable “cheque from the universe” exercise) can open doors to opportunity and change culture from the inside out.
If you’re a founder or team leader looking for grounded tools (not just platitudes), this conversation gives you concrete steps to move from a mindset of lack to one of abundance — and to watch y...
2025-09-0109 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastLeading with Heart – Alan Chung at EO Ignite DurbanRecorded live at EO Ignite Durban, this powerful episode features Alan Chung, EO Global Board Member and incoming MEPA liaison, in conversation with Wesley.
Alan reflects on the spirit of Durban, the emotional power of the EO community, and his vision for a 360° EO ecosystem that includes families and global support networks.
Discover how peer-to-peer learning, cultural connection, and purpose-led leadership define the future of EO.
🎙️ Produced by TIM Africa.
🔗 www.eodurban.co.za
2025-08-2011 minEntrepreneurs’ Organization Durban PodcastNiche, Network, and Never Settle – Mark Kalkwarf at EO Ignite DurbanIn this energizing episode, entrepreneur Mark Kalkwarf—founder of Atypical Agency, shares his journey from new EO member to industry leader.
Recorded at EO Ignite Durban, Mark opens up about embracing discomfort, learning from global peers, and scaling with focus and intentionality.
If you're in marketing, startups, or scaling a team, this one’s for you.
🎙️ Produced by TIM Africa.
🔗 www.eodurban.co.za
2025-08-2013 min