Get ready to uncover the untold story of J'Something, the powerhouse frontman of Mi Casa, celebrated chef, and groundbreaking entrepreneur. In this episode of Ozow-On-Air, we go beyond the music and the kitchen to reveal the creative mind behind his innovative restaurants, business ventures, and inspiring partnerships.

From captivating audiences worldwide with his soulful voice to setting trends in the culinary and business worlds, J'Something is more than an artist—he’s a visionary reshaping industries.

Join us for an exclusive, never-before-heard conversation as we explore his entrepreneurial journey, uncovering the passion, drive, and ingenuity that fuel his success. Whether you’re a fan, a foodie, or an aspiring entrepreneur, this episode will leave you inspired and motivated.

Akani Simbine isn’t just fast—he’s a mentality monster. As the fastest man in South African history and one of the top sprinters globally, Akani has consistently dominated the 100m track. With a personal best of 9.82 seconds, he’s shattered records, pushed boundaries, and solidified his status among the world’s elite. His relentless dedication, razor-sharp focus, and ability to perform under pressure have earned him medals at the Commonwealth Games, Olympic finals, and multiple international championships.

But Akani’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges. In 2023, he faced heartbreak, missing out on the World Championships final after a false start in the semis, and saw his African record fall to Ferdinand Omanyala. These setbacks could have stopped anyone, but Akani bounced back stronger. Facing his own battles with depression, he fought through adversity, marking a career milestone in 2024 by claiming Olympic silver in the 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics.

This episode dives deep into the mentality behind this extraordinary athlete. What does it take to be truly elite? How do you rise above setbacks and continually outperform the competition? And how does that winning mindset apply to business, leadership, and life beyond the track?

This interview is more than just a story of speed—it’s a blueprint for greatness.

In this episode, we sit down with Gidon Novick, the visionary serial entrepreneur behind Lift Airlines, Lucid Ventures, Circle Senior Living, and the socially conscious SA Harvest. Gidon shares his journey from corporate success at Comair, where he launched Kulula.com and expanded the British Airways franchise, to pioneering innovative ventures in the airline and senior living industries. He opens up about the importance of building customer-centric brands, his formula for disruptive innovation, and how his ventures are making a lasting impact on South Africa's business and social landscape.

We also explore Gidon's socially minded approach through his work with SA Harvest, tackling food insecurity using technology and data. Additionally, he offers valuable insights into scaling businesses, and what it takes to thrive in South Africa’s nuanced market.

Learn how Gidon balances multiple ventures, stays grounded through his personal practices like yoga and travel, and continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in business.

Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or simply curious about innovation and social impact, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical advice from one of South Africa’s most dynamic business leaders.

Mathieu Coquillon is the Co-founder of Mama Money, the worlds first social business for remittance, enabling low-cost cashless money transfers internationally.

Mathieu cut his teeth in the corporate world before taking a sabbatical to travel the world. While on a mission to hitchhike to Cairo, he met his fellow Co-founder, Raphael Grojnowski who offered him a lift in his yellow bus.

A year later, Mathieu and Raphael met again and developed the idea for a socially conscious money transfer business, and Mama Money was born.

Launched in 2013, the company was built on the foundation of providing affordable and accessible money transfer services to migrant workers in South Africa, helping those paying as much as 20% to get their money across the border to pay as little as 3%.

Under Mathieu’s leadership, Mama Money has expanded its services to over 50 countries, leveraging mobile money technology to facilitate triple digit growth year on year. At the core of the founder’s vision is Mama Money’s conscious business practices, being led by social impact and not financial targets.

For this reason, Mathieu has received numerous accolades for his role in driving financial inclusion and empowering migrants through accessible financial services.

Today Mama Money has grown to over 200 employees and expanded its ecosystem to include card services, WhatsApp payments, and most recently its banking offering.

With remittances sent to, and within, Africa totaling 95 billion dollars in 2023, and a market of over 200 million people, Mama Money is geared for significant growth in the coming years.

“Innovation is not just about technology; it’s about finding new ways to solve old problems”

Sheldon Tatchell started cutting hair when he was 14 to escape the realities of living in poverty. Learning his skills from the local barbers in the area, Sheldon would cut hair for free to master his craft.

In 2011, Sheldon set up his pop-up barbershop on the stoep of his cousin’s internet Café, cutting hair on the weekends while he worked at Standard Bank. He would ride his scooter to people’s houses at night, after work, to cut hair until he eventually realised that this was his calling and he quit corporate to pursue his passion full time. And Legends Barber was born.

Within the first 3 years of operating, Legends had expanded to 5 stores and has now grown to over 70 across South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, and Namibia.

Sheldon’s passion lies not just in his Barbershop empire, but in the impact he is making on those around him. He set up the Legends training and development centre to empower aspiring barbers who, upon graduation, would get the opportunity to work at a Legends Barbershop.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Sheldon though, soon after opening his first shop, it was closed down after leaving it in the care of his business partner at the time, leaving him with nothing. As an entrepreneur, this moment made Sheldon question if his dream was a step too far.

Today Legends Barber is the number 1 rated barbershop in South Africa, with competitors looking to Legends for the next innovations in the industry. Their line of hair care products has disrupted global FMCG brands, being available in major South African retailers such as Takealot, Dis-chem, Clicks, and Spar.

Sheldon is a pioneer in his field, where others would never look at haircare as a scalable business, he has built a R500 million+ brand with a vision of 200 shops, a billion in sales, and a Legends Barber in every African country.

In this episode, Sheldon discusses his journey from humble beginnings to leading a barbershop empire, touching on key topics such as the influence of his upbringing, the anticipated growth of the African personal care market, and Legends' unique selling propositions. He also shares insights into his approach to innovation, the role of mentorship, and how he maintains the culture and standard of excellence within his growing franchise. Additionally, Sheldon talks about his experiences at The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship and his ambitious vision for the future of Legends Barber.

EBANX is an end-to-end payment service provider born out of Brazil. Founded in 2012, their mission was to support enterprise companies grow their business in Latin America, giving millions of consumers access to international products and services.

Like Ozow, EBANX also started their journey as a small fintech as part of the Endeavor program. Fast forward and you’ll know EBANX as one of the few unicorns of Brazil, with the 700+ ebankers having their sights firmly set on being the top performing payments partner, leading global companies to success in rising economies such as Africa and India.

EBANX was founded by Alphonse Voigt, Wagner Ruiz and Joao Del Valle. Joao is the mind behind the first codes of the EBANX platform. He took over the CEO position in 2021 after more than three years as Chief Operations Officer and 7 years before that as Chief Technology officer. Durning Joao’s tenure as COO, he was at the forefront of key expansion projects such as building the global commercial team and launching 50 new integrations and payment methods.

As CEO, Joao is now responsible for leading the expansion of EBANX to new markets, increasing their portfolio to 18 countries. EBANX Processes payments for global brands like Uber, TikTok, Meta, Amazon and Spotify to name a few.

My co-host today is Lyle Eckstein, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Ozow. Lyle brings his expertise in online payments in South Africa to unpack local market trends in terms of the growing adoption of online payment mechanisms being driven by new age digital commerce techniques, and where he sees the South African consumer in the near future.

Chapters & Topics:

• Early days and challenges
• Early days of businesses and foundational moments
• Business origins and payment methods
• Cross-border payments and payment methods
• João Del Valle on business growth and leadership
• Hyperscaling and growing a global business
• Discussion on emerging markets and e-commerce opportunities in Latin America and Africa
• Rapid Payments Program (Payshap) and PIX comparison
• Discussion on PIX and its developmental phases
• The impact of PIX and other payment mechanisms in emerging markets
• Entrepreneurial insights and market opportunities
• Scaling and infrastructure challenges

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