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An impromptu sit down with Dr. Denise Toussaint, a self-proclaimed recovered academic that started her own business in 2019. In this episode, we reflect on the aftermath of business in a Covid-19 world. Her business, StadtGold pre lockdown, was a thriving Airbnb operation with 20 clients/properties in the Western Cape. The journey of this startup is a familiar tale of figuring out contracts with clients, employing staff and dealing with that niggly thing called cash-flow. By December 2019 her business was rocking, so much so that she took on additional premises to further streamline the operational side of the business, like laundry. Then came lock-down and everything stopped. Tourists were leaving Cape Town in their thousands and the government closed the borders. And then the reality sets in, zero income. Perhaps its her academic background that stepped in at this point, but instead of climbing into a dark hole and hiding, she grabbed this forced period of reflection to start again. We talk about how a potentially devastating period of lock-down actually provided the perfect opportunity for a reset. This time, from a place of strength and resilience.

I sat down with George Gabriel, a mover and shaker in Cape Town, and a guru of all things community. I met George back in 2015 at a coworking conference representing a space he had created in Woodstock and the thing that stood out for me was unlike most, his focus was 100% on building community. Community building is the life blood of coworking, an obvious statement you might think, but you’d be surprised at how often this crucial element is overlooked for aesthetics and gadgets. In this time of Covid-19 the relevance of community and how to build and foster a thriving community is more relevant than ever. George shares his vision of a reimagined post lock-down economy in South Africa by using the innovation of the coworking movement and the shared economy model of Uber and Airbnb. We talk about business and how to go about reimagining capitalism in a world post-COVID-19.

I sat down with Chad Shapiro from Sotheby's to talk about lock-down life and how the real estate market has changed since COVID. Things are not as grim as you might think out there. In this brief and rather impromptu podcast we talk about how lock-down has been for his 77 year old mom, living 2000 km away from him and how he has managed to stay positive. From the things he’s missed the most to the best discoveries. Chad is one of those guys you want on your crew. He is the guy that out of thin air sparks up the craziest idea that becomes the highlight of your day. He is a real peoples person so it’s perhaps more vocational that he became a real estate agent. People are naturally drawn to him and find his infectious positivity in life irresistible. I think we captured a small bit of that magic in this podcast.

In this episode of the Business of People I sat down with Oliver Boyers, a recent convert to the lifestyle of a digital nomad. Oliver is a web developer by profession which means as long there’s good wifi, he can work from anywhere. We talk about his narrow escape from Chile, South America in the days leading up to our hard lock-down in South Africa. How things changed on the ground in a matter of days and some hairy moments in transit at Dubai airport. We also get into his lock-down project, Nomad Travel Tools, a web application that covers over 9,000 cities around the world providing crucial information for travellers during the planning phase of a trip. Like all great ideas, this one was born from a clear lack of this kind of information for travellers. Stuff like, internet speeds and cost of a coca-cola. What’s very cool too is that users of the tool can contribute too, so the information stays current and relevant. We also talk about surfing and getting his ass kicked by his girlfriend at Muay Thai.

I sat down with Khanyi Pupuma, Founder of Ekhaya Brewery a small business based in Cape Town, South Africa. Episode 1: I this episode we talk about the navigation of exporting goods to a neighbouring African Country and the challenges he faced. The newly launched African Conitnental Free Trade Area or AFCTA, looks so great on paper, but the reality on the ground as you'll hear from our conversation is littered with corruption, red tape and bribary.

Part two of my conversation with Khanyi Pupuma, Founder of Ekhaya Brewery we talk about the ethics of business in South Africa. Exploring this dilemma that finds so many people outside the loop of economic empowerment and the role of the Entrepreneur torn between profit and ethics. We talk about capitalism, a living wage vs the minimum wage and the role of government in setting the tone. Ethics in business is often not talked about, so here we explore this and ultimately socio economic equality in South Africa.

I sit down with Eloah Ramalho, a nomad from Brazil that now lives in Cape Town. We chat about what led her to Cape Town and what inspires her to stay in the Mother City. Eloah worked with corporate negotiations for 6 years in Brazil, married a Frenchman she met in Sweden at 22, followed her heart to complete a social entrepreneurship program in Europe for a year, divorced at 26, went through more than 10 countries (learning from programs like the Stanford University Storytelling Project) facilitating people and groups in transition and 2018 incorporated dance to mediation, games, biographical stories and mindfulness. Since 2016 she lives in South Africa, where she specialized in Sustainable Development, and now organizes experiences around the world to support the integration of the thousand faces of each of us, in deep connection with where we are! Tune in and listen to our conversation.

Welcome to the Business of People. As the founder and owner of a coworking space in Cape Town, I’ve met so many amazing people and decided what better way to share their stories, than a podcast! We’re all in the business of people, directly and indirectly, and sharing our tales of success and failure along the way matters. I hope to include as many useful tips and tricks in these conversations so that you, wherever you find yourself in your business journey. The conversations are light and informal and often unscripted, reflecting I believe, what being in business really is. The business of people is wonderful and messy with extreme highs and devastating lows, but we love it. The Entrepreneurial spirit is strong in all of us and it’s why we do what we do, day in and day out. There is no magic formula or lottery ticket for the majority out there hustling their gig day in and day out. We laugh and we cry, we learn and we grow and make some money along the way if we’re lucky. This is the business of people.