Craig Rodney is in a unique position of being both an influencer and a consultant on influencer strategy. In this interview for the Heavy Chef Show, brought to you by Xero Cloud Accounting, Rodney talks candidly about his doubts and pessimism around this trendy topic and provides some rock-solid advice for anyone aiming to use influencer marketing to grow their brand value.

iXperience is one of the fastest-growing startups in South Africa. CEO and founder of iXperience, Aaron Fuchs sat down with Caley Africa to chat about his journey with tech, and what led him to start a new kind of education platform, with the objective of arming students with skills for the future.

Mo Flava is one of the biggest names in the South African communication and entertainment sector. A Metro FM radio host and music DJ, Mo speaks to millions of people through his show and through his own social channels. Mo is a true influencer. Here he speaks to Heavy Chef CEO Fred Roed about the importance of remaining authentic to oneself and the organic path that he’s chosen to take on his journey into influence.

Cliff Central is now five years into pioneering the South African podcasting market with its platform, which Gareth Cliff calls a 'content hub'. Cliff reveals what business journey has been like, looking back upon his plucky startup and reveals his view on what's around the corner for the format. In this punchy interview, Cliff talks to Heavy Chef CEO Fred Roed on his business journey in podcasting.

Heavy Chef anchor Caley Africa talks to the three founders of Veldskoen®, a small South African idea that suddenly hit the viral button when celebrities all around the world are suddenly wearing. In this interview, Nick Dreyer, Ross Zondagh and Nic Latouf unpack the incredible story of how they received funding from Ashton Kutcher and Billionaire investor Mark Cuban, how they're passionate about storytelling, and reveal the opportunity afforded by the mysterious AGOA law, which all African artisans should be taking advantage of.

NOTE: We apologise for the poor sound quality in this edit. We make mistakes sometimes, every now and then. Basically, we’re not perfect. At least not ALL the time.

Platinum Seed founder and CEO Bradley Elliot knows the true value of sparking action. Here, he chats to Heavy Chef's Caley Africa on the tiers of influence and how marketers can leverage these.

Discovery Insure CEO Anton Ossip recognises the value in supporting SMEs in a developing country. In order to solve the problem of unemployment and poverty, we need to create jobs - plenty of them. Stimulating the entrepreneur sector is probably the most powerful way we can create jobs right now. Ossip chats to Caley Africa about shared value and supporting entrepreneurship.

From dreaming of being a mermaid as a little girl to deep freediving and swimming with the sea’s magical creatures, Hanli Prinsloo is the definition of someone who is living her passion and protecting what she loves along the way. A writer, speaker and ocean conservationist, she’s also the founder I Am Water, an ocean conservation trust that’s committed to sustaining the world's oceans through human experiences.

Graeme Wilson, founder of award-winning legal firm Whipping The Cat sees law differently. At the start of his career he was pacing the hallways of large corporates, working for multi-national firms. In Part 1 he spoke about 'New Law' and how the legal profession is changing. In Part 2, Graeme talks about the bare bones basics of what entrepreneurs need to know in starting and growing their businesses. This is a must watch video for anyone who's embarking on an entrepreneurial journey.

Last month, the newly-hatched Heavy Chef Foundation collaborated with Nedgroup Investments to bring Niket Desai and Valter Adão to a scintillating event at Workshop17 in Sandton. Valter Adão is the Chief Digital Officer at Deloitte Africa and a member of Singularity University. Valter travels around the world teaching people about the Revolution that is happening and how our lives are being irrevocably changed. In this fascinating interview with Heavy Chef CEO Fred Roed, Valter shares some of these insights and what we can do to survive and thrive.

Jonathan Smit is the founder and MD of Payfast, which last week was at the centre of the largest-ever acquisition in the African payments sector, after selling a majority stake to Kenyan-based DPO Group. Heavy Chef anchor Caley Africa investigates the journey that Smit has been on over the past decade, growing Payfast into an international payments powerhouse.

Graeme Wilson, founder of award-winning legal firm Whipping The Cat sees law differently. At the start of his career he was pacing the hallways of large corporates, working for multi-national firms. This shaped his outlook on law, and underpinned his foundational belief that law should be accessible and mobile - and ultimately evolutionary. In this interview, the first of two parts, Graeme shares how law is being disrupted internationally and what we need to know. Graeme also shares the story behind the iconic name of his company.

In the first of Heavy Chef's Inspire Series of events, in partnership with Discovery Business Insurance, the two original co-founders of Discovery Health Adrian Gore and Barry Swartzberg shared the stage with Heavy Chef CEO Fred Roed to reminisce on their iconic company's journey over the past 25 years.

In a remarkable interview with a truly remarkable individual, Heavy Chef anchor Caley Africa chats to South African surfing legend Roxy Davis on her extraordinary rise from nine-times national surfing champion to creating the iconic surf apparel and experience company Roxy's Surfing Emporium. Roxy presents fascinating insights into what it takes to be a winner at sport, at business, and at life.

Inspirational Springbok Captain Siya Kolisi visited one of Heavy Chef's most entrepreneurial community members, Sikelela Dibela, at his vibrant coffee shop in the heart of Khayelitsha. Siki's makes one of the best brews in the Western Cape, and his shop is constantly filled with local entrepreneurs, artisans and creatives who love the combination of wifi and silky smooth cappuccinos. Heavy Chef CEO Fred Roed and Heavy Chef Project Manager Siyabonga Mbaba spoke to Kolisi about his leadership experience and some of the most salient lessons he's learned along his incredible journey.

JONGA is a low-cost community-based alarm system for townships and other low-income areas that allows for real-time crime reporting and community responses. Safety is a basic human right, and Ntsako recognized a great injustice in security companies that were not offering affordable security measures to South African's. In this interview, we learn what motivated Ntsako to start JONGA, during his second year of studies.

Being a finalist on Top Chef SA brought Ayabonga Gope into the public eye as a rising star in the food industry. The experience was one of Ayabonga's highlights in his career and equipped him with the confidence needed to pursue the culinary profession full-time. How did Ayabonga go from making eggs, rice, and tomato sauce for friends, in his home in Khayelitsha, to cooking for high profiled guests in their homes around Cape Town? Click on to hear the interview.

Heavy Chef introduces a special guest onto our Show, Zolani Mahola, lead singer of the proudly South African band, Freshlyground. Zolani Mahola truly embodies the image of prosperity for many aspiring South African artists. In this interview, she (in a stunning locally-made outfit) speaks from her heart with our amazing Heavy Chef anchor, Caley Africa (also in a stunning outfit), about 'the business side of creative output'.

Last week, the newly-hatched Heavy Chef Foundation collaborated with Nedgroup Investments to bring one of Silicon Valley's brightest stars to South Africa. Niket Desai started his first company in college and sold it to Google before his 25th birthday. Niket now presides over a $120b fund for the University of California. In this fascinating interview, Heavy Chef CEO chats to Desai about the early days of startup life to the heady period of rapid scaling.

The story of Ukhamba is rich with history and tradition in the African Culture. Head brewer and co-founder of Ukhamba Beerworx, Lethu Tshabangu talks with Siyabonga Wilson Mbaba about what it takes to start a successful brewing company in South Africa. The story of Lethu’s successes and Ukhamba Beerworx is motivation for anyone to turn their passion into a business.

Orgasmic Gawulo is a fine-dining restaurant in the heart of Gugulethu, founded by Thulani Mguda and Tumi Mayenge through love, sweat, and tears. Thulani's story is one of trials and tribulation with a thread of hope and vision running through every word he speaks. In this Heavy Chef interview that he gave to Siyabonga Wilson Mbaba, Thulani takes us along the tough road he walked to get where he is today.

In this interview, we host the power couple, Tim Withers and Danielle Withers LeChat to talk about what companies can do better to protect the rights of women and mothers in the workplace. Tim and Danielle share their Individual experiences of the challenges they faced in the workplace when Danielle fell ill with serious hyperemesis gravidarum, the infamous and potentially deadly morning sickness-ailment related to pregnancy.

In this inspiring interview, we get up close and personal with Thulani' DJ Fosta' Headman, the Operations Manager of Bridges For Music, an education facility in the heart of South Africa's oldest township, Langa. This incredible NPO recognizes the abundant creativity of the youth in South Africa, Bridges For Music nurtures musical talent with the necessary business, self-care and technical skills that each artist needs to further their success on international platforms.

Verity Price pushed the boundaries of the music industry back in 2005 when she started the first music crowdfunding campaign in SA to raise R300,000 for the release of her album. Amongst her many other successes, Verity is a well-known South African Singer/Songwriter who was forced to think outside of the box to bring her next album into fruition.

We lock down the Bolt Country Manager in the Heavy Chef hot-seat to talk about Bolt for Business, an inventive platform that offers a convenient and cost-efficient solution to business travel. In this interview, we hear from Gareth Taylor on why Bolt sees an opportunity for their 'Bolt for Business' model to succeed in South Africa

Thursdays Lingerie and Swimwear is going for gold in the African crowd funding space. After having financed the start up through traditional means of boot strapping, obtaining loans from family and friends, and even venture capital on the reality investment show Shark Tank South Africa, Thursdays CEO, Shona Macdonald has set her sights on a largely underutilised form of finance in the African Landscape, crowdfunding.

It's Youth Month in South Africa, and we're casting the net out looking for young people making a strong impact on society. There is an art gallery in the heart of Khayelitsha called Fugly, where two young ladies are making waves. Heavy Chef anchor Ondela Mlandu chatted to them about their aims and aspirations, why art is so important to the community, and how creativity can equate to making a living for young people today.

Mandisi Sindo also known as Dr. Disi is a South African theatre practitioner, activist, alternative art spaces innovator, actor and presenter. Heavy Chef also recognises Mandisi as a pioneer in the art world, with his Non-Profit company called “Theatre4Change Arts Project”, also known as Khayelitsha Art School and Rehabilitation Centre (KASIRC) or the “Shack Art School”. Heavy Chef Anchor Ondela Mlandu chatted to this remarkable individual to find out about how art can change the world.

If you want to grow your business - cold email, newsletters, and email marketing are one of the easiest ways to start. In this HC interview, Jason unpacks what it takes to land more sales meetings using outbound lead generation using cold emails, where to build a list of people to email and how to stay away from spam filters.

Jason Bagley is the CEO of Firing Squad, the only hyper-specialist email marketing, and lead generation consultancy in South Africa.

Nowadays, everyone seems to be creating a new YouTube channel. Ondela Mlandu spoke to Danilo Acquisto, TV celebrity, radio show host and CEO of Special Effects Media, about the viability of YouTube and how realistic it is to make money out of the platform. Danilo is a remarkable mind when it comes to video strategy and, in this highly insightful interview, he reveals to Heavy Chef about the various ways that individuals and businesses can create an impactive online video presence. Danilo explains about the three models that creators can deploy and the single most important piece of advice that creators need to hear.

South African comedian Riaad Moosa talks to Fred Roed about leaving a career in medicine for his instinctual drive to pursue stand-up comedy. Riaad shares some laughs with Fred as he talks about how that instinct has now developed into a focused career with the goal of combining both his passions in a powerful way. Riaad shares his approach to his work, to social media and talks about his movie, Material. His latest experience with Netflix also brought about valuable lessons about connecting with people, becoming better at what you do, and scaling your personal brand.

Employing the right people is crucial for business success. In this week’s episode, Fred Roed talks to industrial relations and wellness experts about how to take care of your best asset while running your business. Get to know what fosters loyalty, attracts talent and how to create an inclusive culture. As you reach targets, it’s important not to lose focus of the people you employ. The discussion highlights mental wellbeing in the workplace and points out experts to guide you. The lesson? Be sure to make employee wellbeing part of your business goals for greater success.

Businesses are prone to all kinds of liabilities, from theft and fire to load shedding and road accidents – but InsureTech can protect your assets, clients, employees and revenue in a worst-case scenario. Fred Roed speaks to Robin Burgess, Technical Manager at Discovery Business Insurance about how sophisticated, granular tech information is being used to reduce business risks and to make tailored insurance a seamless part of your business.

There are five new viruses or pieces of malware set loose on the internet every second of the day. Small businesses are especially vulnerable to cybercrime. Fred Roed chats to Charl Ueckermann, CEO of AVeS Cyber Security, about ‘black hat hackers’ and ‘white hat hackers” and their roles.

Don’t lose your livelihood over a tweet! This week Fred Roed gets to hear about the many risks of social media as he chats to Emma Sadleir, Africa’s leading social media law expert. They keep the conversation real and Fred even exposes what he terms the “underbelly” of social media. Get all the facts you need from this candid talk, filled with trends among teenagers and real-life examples to protect the reputation of your business in a digital world.

If you have a small business and don’t have much to spend on marketing, how do you build a brand in an impactful way? Market research maestro and experienced entrepreneur, Musa Kalenga, started his first business at the age of 19. Hear what inspired him as he talks to Fred Roed about building a business and personal brand. A seasoned researcher, Musa believes your sales and research need to happen simultaneously. He shares how to do that and how to change your focus in marketing for services and marketing for goods. Listen as Fred and Musa share a laugh in between contemplating the future of marketing for a new generation living in a technology age.

This week on the HealthyBusiness show, the conversation goes to sales. Can anyone be in sales? What are the differences between B2B and B2C sales processes? Fred Roed chats to two seasoned sales professionals, Sean Raymond who is the founder of The Sales Department and Claire van Wyk, a certified financial consultant. Answering some tough questions, they share experiences and tips on how to be successful in sales as an individual and as a business.

Keet van Zyl, co-founder of Knife Capital, and Dov Girnun, founder and CEO of Merchant Capital, talk about the exciting environment that entrepreneurs find themselves in. In conversation with Fred Roed, they delve into the different aspects that funders of initial capital and funders for growth would look at to invest in a business. Get their top tips to guide your thinking around funding and gather some pearls of wisdom on how to make sure your business stands out in a crowd of attractive investments.

Having the right partners with the right resources can make all the difference to your business. What are some of the secret ingredients to solid business relationships? For this week’s guests, Mike Anderson, CEO of National Small Business Chamber, and Jos Dirkx, an international consultant and entrepreneur, learning to listen is an important skill in partnerships. Fred Roed speaks to these seasoned entrepreneurs about their personal experiences and the main attributes in attracting lasting business partnerships.

In developed nations, the SME sector contributes around 90% to employment, while in South Africa it sits around 50%. Endeavor South Africa, a not-for-profit organisation, has dedicated years to mentoring high-impact entrepreneurs and knows just what SA businesses need to take off. Catherine Townshend, former MD of Endeavor South Africa, speaks to Fred Roed about the importance of good, high-quality mentorship, support providers focused on SME development and the different life cycles of a business. “Do your homework, know your blind spots, and get the right support to navigate your business through each life cycle.”