{"id":4450,"date":"2021-04-26T10:06:40","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T10:06:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefinanceghost.com\/?p=4450"},"modified":"2021-04-26T10:06:40","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T10:06:40","slug":"insights-from-the-startup-junto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefinanceghost.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/26\/insights-from-the-startup-junto\/","title":{"rendered":"Insights from The Startup Junto"},"content":{"rendered":"

R<\/span>egular readers will know that I care as much about startups as I do about the market. I find startup strategy fascinating.<\/p>\n

The most depressing thing about the South African economy is the lack of successful small businesses. In developed countries like Australia, SMMEs employ a large percentage of the population.<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t keep relying on corporates (or government!) to create jobs. We need South Africans to start successful businesses and employ people.<\/p>\n

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The argument is always that funding is an issue. There is some truth in this of course, but I learnt in investment banking that there is always <\/em>money available for the right opportunity. It requires founders to find the money of course, but the key point is that money isn\u2019t as much of a hurdle as people think it is.<\/p>\n

The biggest hurdle is formulating an appealing business strategy. Most small businesses are self-employment opportunities at best, feeding the family of the founder and creating perhaps one or two low-paying jobs.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s never going to be of interest to professional investors.<\/p>\n

Enter the startup<\/h4>\n

This brings us to the world of startups <\/em>with the potential to have a meaningful impact on our country. Founded by talented people with a vision to solve a specific problem, wealth creation becomes the by-product rather than the goal of the business.<\/p>\n

These founders are incredible people. They are multi-talented and brave. They navigate technical challenges, regulatory hurdles and shark-infested venture capitalist waters.<\/p>\n

A passion for startups led me to reach out to The Venturing Vagabond who I worked with in my advisory days. Possibly the most interesting thinker I know, he has read more books than anyone and loves thinking deeply about concepts. Combined with my 80-20 approach to life, we were a force to be reckoned with in corporate advisory and we hope to carry that through into the podcast.<\/p>\n

The Startup Junto<\/em> is therefore a passion project. We are meeting interesting founders and startup leaders, gleaning terrific insights along the way and having loads of fun. With four episodes now behind us, I thought it was time to set out some of the best insights thus far.<\/p>\n

However, there is no replacement for going back and listening to the shows:<\/p>\n