The Finance Ghost Plugged in with Capitec

The Finance Ghost

The Finance Ghost Plugged in with Capitec is hosted by entrepreneur and ex-investment banker, The Finance Ghost. From side hustles to success stories, the podcast explores what it really takes to build a business in SA. Whether you're starting out or deep in the journey, there’s something for you.

Episodes

  1. Ep6: Noodles without borders: bringing miso to Mzansi

    DEC 12

    Ep6: Noodles without borders: bringing miso to Mzansi

    Lu-ise Hattingh and Ruan Botha are a great example of the power and value of travel. After spending time in Japan, they fell in love with the culture and food. As all great entrepreneurs do, they also took the opportunity to learn about the Japanese approach to consumer brands. That curiosity eventually sparked a business idea they brought back home. Today, Lu-ise and Ruan are rolling out Market Kokoro franchise stores in South Africa and especially the Western Cape, tapping into the existing Market Kokoro infrastructure in South Africa and adding their particular flavour of experiential retail. If you love the thought of cooking your off-the-shelf noodles in the store, then Market Kokoro is for you. In bringing miso to Mzansi, one of the biggest insights is about the importance of meeting customers where they are, both in terms of tastes and locations. On episode 6 of The Finance Ghost Plugged in with Capitec, Lu-ise and Ruan share the journey behind building a cross-cultural brand. Episode 6 covers: How travelling sparked the idea for Market Kokoro – and how this married couple turned a dream to bring this culture and food back home into a working business Why their unique mix of skills (Ruan as an attorney and Lu-ise with a background in film and hospitality) lead to success The background to Market Kokoro in South Africa and their involvement with the business What makes the retail landscape in Cape Town different from Johannesburg – and how they adapt to each Why additional sources of income are crucial while getting a business off the ground The benefit of tapping into governmental organisations to help launch in a specific city The consumer licensing opportunity in South Africa and how Japan’s model inspired their approach   Chapters (00:00:00) - Businesses in South Africa(00:00:32) - Market Kokoro(00:01:28) - A Taste of Japan(00:05:04) - Jetro(00:05:41) - This Chinese Couple Captured Her To Japan The First Time(00:06:40) - How to get out of your legal rut(00:08:30) - Mixing Acting and Retail(00:12:38) - How to Win Your Love Life(00:13:17) - 7 Pro Tips for Being in Business Together With Your Wife(00:16:59) - When You Set Up Your Love Shop(00:17:36) - A Taste of Market Kokoro in South Africa(00:18:48) - Market Kokoro South Africa(00:24:29) - On Working Full-Time(00:26:15) - Starting a Business: The Secret to Success(00:27:36) - How to start a business in South Africa(00:29:34) - Cape Town vs Joburg: The retail environment(00:33:38) - Interview(00:34:26) - West Grow: Our support for business in Cape Town and Joburg(00:37:43) - North Africa's consumer product licensing culture(00:38:57) - Economist(00:41:03) - Anime and Pop Culture in South Africa(00:44:45) - Podcaster: Can Capitec Help My Business?(00:47:03) - Interview

    50 min
  2. Ep5: From espresso to enterprise with Bootlegger

    NOV 12

    Ep5: From espresso to enterprise with Bootlegger

    Ricky Ruthenberg has truly taken a ground-up approach to his career. Adapting to opportunities as they present themselves is clearly a powerful skill. From waiting tables at Col’Cacchio to helping launch the first Bootlegger in Sea Point, he’s gone on to build the team that runs a national chain of nearly 100 Bootlegger restaurants. From espresso to enterprise, this is the story of building something from nothing. Hard work, perseverance and self-belief are the ingredients in this delicious recipe. On episode 5 of The Finance Ghost Plugged in with Capitec, Ricky talks about what it takes to grow a local brand into a national success story. Episode 5 covers: The hard work required when opening a restaurant and why owner involvement is critical in the early days Building the Bootlegger brand and overcoming challenges along the way Why the group runs a mix of corporate-owned and franchise stores and how that creates opportunity The pros and cons of having master franchisees vs many individual franchisees How the retail store model helps drive brand awareness and loyalty How his role has evolved from cooking and closing up the first store to leading a national team as CEO Managing coffee price volatility and the strategies behind it How the Bootlegger survived COVID and thrived afterwards The value of Capitec as a franchise funding partner   Chapters (00:00:00) - Bootlegger's Success Story(00:01:09) - Which keeps you up more at night? Strong coffee or a newborn(00:01:44) - Coffee Bootleg(00:04:29) - Bootlegger's story on becoming an Equity Partner(00:06:41) - Bootlegger Coffee Co.(00:08:28) - Bootlegger's secret to success(00:10:16) - Peter and Ricky Bloom on Their Early Years(00:12:00) - The Coffee Chain's philosophy(00:15:02) - Bootleggers Coffee: A National Brand(00:17:12) - Keurig Coffee: Going Mainstream with Retail Stores(00:20:09) - When I was CEO, my role changed(00:24:31) - How Hard Do You Work In the Morning?(00:24:55) - Bootlegger's hybrid franchise model(00:29:49) - How to start a business with multiple stores(00:31:47) - Input costs in the coffee business(00:35:46) - Bootlegger's story of survival during the Covid Pandemic(00:38:46) - Franchise Banking: Capitec Funding(00:40:38) - What Keeps You Motivated?(00:42:17) - Support Your Local Bootlegger

    43 min
  3. Ep2: A business glow-up with Rabia Ghoor from swiitchbeauty®

    AUG 18

    Ep2: A business glow-up with Rabia Ghoor from swiitchbeauty®

    Rabia Ghoor, founder of swiitchbeauty® and winner of multiple awards, is one of South Africa’s most celebrated young entrepreneurs thanks to her fascinating backstory of starting the business at the age of 14 and dropping out of high school shortly thereafter. But in the decade or so since then, Rabia has built a powerhouse of an eCommerce business – a business that deserves the limelight beyond its founder. On episode 2 of The Finance Ghost plugged in with Capitec, we gave the business lessons from the journey building swiitchbeauty® just as much attention as Rabia’s story. Episode 2 covers: The entrepreneurial DNA in Rabia’s family and how an upbringing surrounded by the hustle contributed to her brave and unusual decision in high school. The initial innovation that sparked the business, namely the use of Instagram and other social media channels in a way that traditional competitors weren’t doing. The value of building an authentic online community over a long period and using that as the foundation for a brand. Curating a product range over time and developing key differentiators, with the importance of ‘just starting’ without necessarily knowing all the future answers. The advantage of building a business on a foundation of low personal overhead and responsible risk-taking. Advice for businesses on how to get the most out of social media. The biggest mistake made along the way. Chapters (00:00:00) - South African entrepreneur Rabia Ghoor on her journey to(00:01:55) - Rabia On Starting a Business At 16(00:08:20) - When I Dropped Out Of School(00:12:36) - What Makes Switch Beauty So Successful?(00:16:34) - How Facebook Made Beauty Personal(00:19:27) - What's Your Brand's Differentiator?(00:21:33) - How to Start a Business(00:27:51) - The Real Face of Makeup(00:28:19) - The Risk of Starting a Business(00:33:19) - Follow Your Lead on Social Media(00:36:57) - What's been your biggest learning from the Supply Chain journey?(00:38:16) - Rabia on The Biggest Mistake of All Time(00:40:13) - Plugged in with Capitec

    40 min
  4. Ep1: Bootstrapping a brownie business (TheHungryMute)

    JUL 16

    Ep1: Bootstrapping a brownie business (TheHungryMute)

    Makomborero Mutezo, founder of TheHungryMute and winner of the Capitec Rising Star award, is in the early stages of building a food design empire. With a mix of culinary and design skills, plus a curious mind, he shares delicious insights in episode 1 of The Finance Ghost plugged in with Capitec. Major points covered include: The backstory to the business - how travel to Germany inspired a love of food design and connecting cultures. The critical importance for entrepreneurs of being curious about the world around you. How a combination of skills can create a unique business, but makes it more difficult to scale. The long-term value of bootstrapping a business. The biggest (and most expensive) mistake made along the way. How family support makes such a difference to the process. The Finance Ghost plugged in with Capitec is made possible by the support of Capitec Business. All the entrepreneurs featured on this podcast are clients of Capitec. Capitec is an authorised Financial Services Provider, FSP number 46669. Chapters (00:00:00) - The Finance Ghost plugged in with Capitec(00:01:16) - TheHungryMute(00:04:02) - Starting a business with just a few ideas(00:07:08) - Starting a business after travel(00:12:41) - The search for a unique combination of skills(00:19:10) - Finding a person to help in the business(00:21:02) - Getting access to finance for SMEs(00:21:38) - Why bootstrapping is good for business(00:25:06) - What's your biggest mistake?(00:28:22) - Conversations about the future(00:31:43) - The role of family

    34 min

About

The Finance Ghost Plugged in with Capitec is hosted by entrepreneur and ex-investment banker, The Finance Ghost. From side hustles to success stories, the podcast explores what it really takes to build a business in SA. Whether you're starting out or deep in the journey, there’s something for you.