Why is Entrepreneurship in South Africa So Challenging? - Katlego Maphai, Yoco

What an honour to sit down with a South African fintech, whose hardware most of us have already been in contact with.

Katlego Maphai is the CEO and co-founder of Yoco, the market leader for SMB payments in South Africa.

Expect to learn:

• What Yoco does
• Katelgo’s insights on the structural and systemic issues preventing entrepreneurs from succeeding in this country
• What he is optimistic about in South Africa
• How he guides the sense of purpose, meaning and contribution into the values and culture of the company
• When you should formalise your approach to strategy
• How Katlego’s business and role have changed over the years, and also how he has changed

This is a fundamental example of how entrepreneurs evolve as their businesses evolve. As the scale increases, our perspective and our vision change as well.

Katlego is an amazing example and role model of what it means to be a leader and CEO of an entrepreneurial business in SA.

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This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

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00:00 Introduction

03:59 What is Yoco?

10:06 Breaking Down The Yoco Hardware

20:53 Getting A Cash Based Economy To Move To Digital Payments

28:33 A Big Mistake Founders Make

34:11 Why is Entrepreneurship in SA So Difficult?

43:41 Structural Challenges Holding South African Entrepreneurs Back

53:21 How Yoco is Breaking Down The Barriers to Entrepreneurship

56:23 Katlego’s Pessimism and Optimism About Entrepreneurship in SA

01:07:20 Translating The Company Vision Into The Culture

01:22:06 Moments When Everyone Doubted Katlego

01:27:11 When is The Right Time to Formalise Your Strategy?

01:30:51 How Has Yoco, Katlego And His Role Changed Over The Years?

01:42:31 Where is Yoco Going as a Company?

01:46:36 Reflection