The Entrepreneur's Narrative Podcast

JCKFRUT
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  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Monthly

The Entrepreneur's Narrative is a safe space where we talk entrepreneurship, it's difficulties and connect with fellow entrepreneurs to have an honest chat about the reality of doing business. Join the conversation!

  1. Sep 28

    The Marketing Skill Behind an Audience That Keeps Buying | E13 with Matthew Leighton

    Matthew Leighton grew One Day Only's newsletter from zero to 1.5 million subscribers, then left to start Unyfy, where his email campaigns now pull 30 to 50 percent open rates. He joined us to explain exactly how he writes things that get people’s attention.In this episode, Matthew breaks down why most businesses only market to the 5% of their audience who are ready to buy right now, why "we're proud to be 10 years in the industry" is a losing subject line, and why his best-performing subject line ever had zero words in it. Michelle reads him four real emails from her inbox, including one from a scammer, and he rewrites each subject line on the spot.If you send newsletters, run a small business, or write your own marketing copy, this is a masterclass in what actually gets opened. Watch the full episode on our Youtube: The Entrepreneur's NarrativeThe Entrepreneur's Narrative is a podcast by JCKFRUT, a Web Design and Marketing Studio based in Cape Town, co-founded by your hosts Michelle and Ato.#EmailMarketing #SmallBusinessTips #TheEntrepreneursNarrative

    The Marketing Skill Behind an Audience That Keeps Buying | E13 with Matthew Leighton

  2. Aug 12

    40 Years of Business Advice from 6 Entrepreneurs in Just 25 Minutes

    This is the episode to start with if you've never heard of us before.We pulled the most useful, most honest moments from this season of The Entrepreneur's Narrative Podcast into one episode. We're having real conversations about pricing, failure, networking, marketing, and staying sane while you build something from nothing. Whether you're still deciding whether to start, or you've been running your business for years, there's something in here that's going to feel like it was made for exactly where you are right now.Featuring: -Thandeka Dladla-Jamie Wyngaardt-Arthur Mexico-Yolanda Mabuto TIMESTAMPS0:00 Intro00:58 How Many Times a Day Do You Want to Quit?02:24 You Don't Need Money to Start — You Need It to Scale03:40 Go Fast Go Alone, Go Far Go Together06:40 Sustainable, Sustainable, Sustainable09:44 Brilliant Product, No Customers12:33 You're Not Charging Enough14:09 Trust Doesn't Happen Overnight15:05 It's A Numbers Game 17:39 Hire Better Than You18:01 We Shipped It Before It Was Ready19:07 Why Nobody Talks About Failing21:49 Can I Have Your Card?Follow TEN POD:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenpod_/?hl=enTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenpod_Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/20QYmuR6IFo2n7PSGqiqIf?si=yHPlYKfmTyKCS4ogWPXnTgWebsite: https://jckfrut.co/New episodes every Month. Subscribe if you want a place that actually understands what running a business is like.

    40 Years of Business Advice from 6 Entrepreneurs in Just 25 Minutes

  3. Jun 30

    Can AI Actually Build You a Billion Dollar Business? | The Entrepreneur's Narrative E11

    Most founders use AI to go faster. The ones building real businesses use it to execute on strategy they already own.On this episode of The Entrepreneur’s Narrative, we cover the difference between technically functional output and strategically useful output, why generic prompts produce generic results, and how to treat Claude or ChatGPT like the best intern you've ever hired. Includes the Medvi cautionary tale, PayPal's 10x fraud detection case, and how we use AI inside our day to day business at JCKFRUT.If you found this useful, subscribe and share it with a founder who needs to hear it.#AIForFounders #TENPod #BusinessStrategyChapters:0:00 The $450M one-person company built with AI2:37 What Medvi actually did (and why they got sued)6:35 Why most founders misuse AI8:12 Authorship: bringing yourself to the work9:24 How Claude and ChatGPT actually work14:07 Why aren't we all billionaires yet?19:10 Using AI as a research assistant22:42 Technically functional vs strategically useful23:27 Research first, AI second32:15 PayPal's 10x fraud detection case34:22 AI is the best intern you'll ever have37:41 Outro

    Can AI Actually Build You a Billion Dollar Business? | The Entrepreneur's Narrative E11

  4. Jun 2

    Too Spicy for LinkedIn: Answering Spicy Business Questions Over Hot Wings

    Watch our video reactions here: https://youtu.be/RrjZw5DUZgw We tried Hot Ones and the questions were spicier than the sauces.We grabbed hot wings, hot sauce, and a stack of questions we'd normally never answer on camera. The plan was simple: no dodging questions.We talk about the client red flag we both saw from day one and ignored because we needed the money, what we'd actually be relieved about if JCKFRUT failed tomorrow, business guru advice that's quietly ruining people and the time a client made the most ridiculous request we've had so far at JCKFRUT. Follow TEN POD: Youtube: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenpod_/?hl=enTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenpod_Website: https://jckfrut.co/#TENPod #HotWingsChallenge #entrepreneurpodcast #SouthAfricanPodcast #ClientStoriesFromHell

    Too Spicy for LinkedIn: Answering Spicy Business Questions Over Hot Wings

  5. Apr 20

    Networking Expert: How to Network When You Feel Like You Have Nothing to Offer

    In this episode of The Entrepreneurs Narrative, we sit down with Yolanda Mabuto, a powerhouse in the energy sector who went from the Cape Flats to sitting on BRICS boards and judging for the Milken-Motsepe Innovation Programme. She shares the exact approach she uses to turn casual introductions into career-defining opportunities, and why most entrepreneurs are networking completely wrong.Learn how to introduce yourself to a CEO (we do a live role play), what to do when you feel like you have nothing to offer, and the one networking mistake that closes every door.GET YOUR FREE WEB REVIEW HERE 👇👇👇https://website-audit.jckfrut.co/We're offering a free website review to help you identify where your business can improve online. Click the link to claim your free review and start growing your business in the right direction!Chapters0:00 - Trailer1:26 - Intro3:32 - Meet Yolanda Mabuto 7:03 - From Humble Beginnings to the Global Stage21:23 - How to Network Without Being Transactional (Relationships over Transactions)28:25 - Practical Tips: Ice-Breakers & Follow-Up Tips35:02 - Role Play: Introducing Yourself to a CEO 41:26 - What to Do When You Feel Like You Have Nothing to Offer47:04 - How to Convert Connections Into Business 49:45 - The Biggest Networking Mistake Entrepreneurs Make54:18 - Final Thoughts

    Networking Expert: How to Network When You Feel Like You Have Nothing to Offer

  6. Mar 15

    Our Product Launch Went Completely Wrong. Here's Every Mistake We Made | The Entrepreneur's Narrative Podcast

    When we launched our product, we made a lot of marketing mistakes. In Episode 8 of The Entrepreneur’s Narrative Podcast, we talk openly about the lessons we learned while trying to promote a new product: advertising on Meta (Facebook & Instagram), figuring out our target audience, and dealing with scope creep. If you're an entrepreneur experimenting with marketing, this episode might help you avoid some of the mistakes we made. Follow us here:Instagram: www.instagram.com/jckfrut_ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/jckfrut-web-design Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/JCKFRUT Our Website: https://jckfrut.co/ Topics in this episode include: Product launch mistakes, Meta and Facebook advertising in South Africa, Finding your niche and target audience, Scope creep and managing product development, Lessons from marketing experiments, South African entrepreneur, startup marketing South Africa, Facebook ads South Africa, Meta ads South Africa, entrepreneur podcast South Africa, Cape Town startup, scope creep, digital marketing South Africa, finding your niche, target audience marketing, Instagram ads South Africa, startup podcast, entrepreneur mistakes, how to market a product, small business marketing South Africa

    Our Product Launch Went Completely Wrong. Here's Every Mistake We Made | The Entrepreneur's Narrative Podcast

  7. 12/19/2025

    80% of Businesses Fail !? — Plantmade, Ami Cole, Apple & OpenAI | The Entrepreneur's Narrative Podcast

    In the 7th episode of The Entrepreneur’s Narrative, Michelle and Ato get honest about what the last year of building a business has really looked like. The pressure, the slow months, the fear of failure, and the quiet moments founders don’t post online.We unpack why struggle is such a normal part of entrepreneurship, yet so rarely spoken about. From personal experiences running a growing web design studio, to real examples like Plantmade, Ami Colé, Apple, Amazon, and OpenAI, this conversation looks at what success actually hides: losses, anxiety and hard trade-offs. Chapters0:00 - Trailer 1:52 - Reflecting on the year and its struggles 13:21 - Do business failures feel like personal failures 19:25 - Plantmade’s Story 27:01 - Ami Cole’s Story 33:36 - Why is failure so hard to admit? 41:37 - How to be more transparent about it? 48:19 - Despite everything, we are having fun!

    80% of Businesses Fail !? — Plantmade, Ami Cole, Apple & OpenAI | The Entrepreneur's Narrative Podcast

  8. 11/19/2025

    "This will be the biggest industry in South Africa!" | The Entrepreneur's Narrative Podcast E6 with Arthur Mexico

    The Entrepreneur's Narrative | Episode 6 Welcome back to The Entrepreneur's Narrative Podcast! In this Episode, we are joined by Arthur Mexico, an entrepreneur who leads his organisation (Access Network Africa) to be more social impact focused than profit oriented. We sat down with him to discuss sustainability concerns, entrepreneurship as a skill and the biggest misconceptions surrounding funding a social enterprise. Arthur's Socials:Instagram: @arthur_mexicoLinkedin: Arthur MexicoFacebook: Access Network AfricaWebsite: accessnetworkafrica.com

    "This will be the biggest industry in South Africa!" | The Entrepreneur's Narrative Podcast E6 with Arthur Mexico
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The Entrepreneur's Narrative is a safe space where we talk entrepreneurship, it's difficulties and connect with fellow entrepreneurs to have an honest chat about the reality of doing business. Join the conversation!

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