About Delia Cupido

South African-born Delia Cupido is a seasoned entrepreneur with various businesses in Cape Town.  She is the founder of estate agency, Delia Properties, and owner of Chameleon Pre-schools and Toddler College through which she runs three early-childhood development centres and a junior school.  She also runs a teacher and parent training centre and employs around 50 staff in total.  Coming from a under-privileged  background, Delia started showing her flair for entrepreneurship at the tender age of eight when she sold polony in her community to generate an income.  She did not complete high school, but decided to go back to school at age 37 and managed to get her Matric Certificate.  A few years later she studied towards a LLB at the University of the Western Cape where she was exposed to property law.  She bought her first investment property not long after, and today she has a portfolio of 26 properties.

About Kieno Kammies

Kieno Kammies has become synonymous with asking tough questions. His frank and direct approach on the CapeTalk weekday Breakfast Show from 6:00 – 9: has won him many fans. Kieno often invites opinions challenging his own. But it’s not all hard talk with this experienced journalist and radio personality. Kieno cares deeply about the community in which he lives and works. His compassion for those less fortunate or those who have been wronged is evident.

His presence on the Breakfast Show has made big names a regular feature on CapeTalk. Kieno has interviewed CEOs, Ministers, industry leaders and trend-setters. Some of his interviews have resulted in changes in policy. A focus on MediClinic, for example, resulted in the group of hospitals changing the way they do triage. His interview with a mother who couldn’t afford the tuition fees of Stellenbosch University for her daughter who achieved seven distinctions, resulted in listeners pledging enough funds for her first year.

About Riaan Fourie

Riaan Fourie is an Artist Developer, a career he made up that involves using emotional development as a foundation for performers and artists (people in the business of expression), to help them maintain their integrity whilst creating accessible songs, whilst building an authentic brand, and accessing raw creative potential in the process. With a firm belief in the philosophy that an individuals’ authenticity manifests distinctly through their art, and with a stronger belief that artists can be entrepreneurs in their own right, Riaan has come to work with some of South Africa’s most promising talents helping them access what was already there to create an authentic experience for their audience.  His clientele includes, amongst others: Kyle Camble, Emmanuel Castis (South African TV personality), HC (from SAMA award winning Jax Panik), and Brian Soko (who won the Grammy for producing Beyonce’s “Drunk in Love”). These artists trust Riaan with their story and in turn he helps them create music that reflect who they truly are and what they value. His most recent working experience culminated in the song “Big Tings”, a Deaderthandisco song featuring Kyle Camble and iFani. The song skyrocketed to the #3 position on the 5fm Top 40 and was one of the chosen as one of the Top 100 songs of 2015.  Shying away from the conventional 9 – 5, Riaan uses his time fulfilling various roles and responsibilities with organisations and individuals he believes in, in a consultancy capacity. Previously he has worked as the Marketing Director for Genius Works, a consulting company facilitating corporations in the fields of leadership, creativity, change and innovation. Riaan has also been part of the social development programme “Boys to Men” and “BoysQuest”, projects lead by his mentor of over a decade, leading clinical psychologist Bernard Altman.

Riaan has documented his process of fine-tuning a service that effectively combines creativity, strategy and psychology in his book “How I Made Up My Job”. The book focuses on guiding young entrepreneurs in realizing their full potential with an outcomes based approach. Riaan regularly shares this knowledge, and has given keynote talks to post-graduate students at top tertiary creative institutions such as Red and Yellow and SAE.  Riaan believes one thing passionately: “We should connect more, and more often, to each other and with ourselves.” This is a philosophy that makes it possible for his clients to trust in him and share their story, in the hopes of inspiring and enabling other people to do the same for themselves.

About Gabriella Geffen

Gabriella Geffen works on the HRDC Enabling Entrepreneurship National Task Team. The aim of the unit is to develop South Africa into an entrepreneurial nation and to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurs across all stages of the ecosystem: in schools, universities and the small business space. She co-authored the national blueprint (draft sector plan) for implementing Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship and Employability Training into the National SA School Curriculum from Grades R-12, and is now involved in the implementation of the initiative. Currently, she is engaging in a national and international audit of best practice in entrepreneurial programmes and finding successful entrepreneurship networks to co-ordinate into a national strategy.

Gabriella Geffen also works in Business Development and Partner Relations at the Maharishi Institute – a non-profit institution providing access to holistic, values-based tertiary education to students who would otherwise be unable to afford university. The goal of the Maharishi Institute is to educate and develop 100 000 deep, wise, ethical business leaders for Africa, with the inner strength, values and mindsets that will shape a better future.

Gabriella has a passion for the vital need to approach education differently, with a critical, questioning mind-set towards established norms and concepts, in order to develop the kind of citizens that we need for a thinking, proactive, cohesive society

About Craig Hoggins

Craig Hoggins started his Entrepreneurial and Digital Journey in 2003 when he first owned an Internet Cafe. Craig has always had a strong calling for sharing his acquired knowledge including the empowerment and personal development of his audiences, clients and the individuals that come into contact with him on a day to day basis.

During the early part of this journey local business owners quickly started tapping into his digital expertise and strategies and needless to say a newly found passion for technology, the internet and all things digital was born.

When Craig is not found at the helm or his boutique agency Online Marketing Guys, presenting workshops or speaking at seminars, you will find him in the kitchen cooking for his wife and two daughters or on his yoga mat unwinding from his busy schedule.

Craig is a Google Certified Partner

About Douglas Kruger

Douglas Kruger helps you to position yourself so that business comes to you.

He is an internationally renowned speaker and business author, who is passionate about growing brands, equipping sales teams and creating thought-leaders. Douglas is the author of 4 business books, including the highly acclaimed ’Own Your Industry – How to Position Yourself as an Expert,’ with Penguin Books. A multiple award-winning speaker, his clients include senior management and sales teams at companies like BMW, Liberty, and HP. Douglas speaks globally on how businesses and brands can compete by innovating and by positioning themselves as industry experts.

With 11 years industry experience, 5 1^st place wins in National Speaking Championships, 6 books written and over 150 articles published professional speaker and business author Douglas Kruger is changing mindsets, creating experts and building brands, one organisation at a time.

About Sabirul Islam

A UK Teen-Trepreneur, global motivational speaker and author and founder of the bestselling book: “The World at Your Feet” and ‘Teen-Trepreneur.”

With a vision to want to achieve success as a young entrepreneur, Sabirul Islam, an ordinary East London teenager who grew up witnessing crime and violence within his community, made the jump to setting up a web design business at the age of 14. Having run the web design company for a period of 2 years and generating a healthy income whilst still in school, Sabirul felt it was best to leave web designing as it became “very common.”

Sabirul quickly discovered the benefits of risk-taking at a young age and, with a passion for networking and big organisational support. Sabirul took a step forward to become a junior trader at the age of 16, having been given the opportunity by Merrill Lynch to learn how to trade whilst in New York.

With a wealth of knowledge and experience as a young entrepreneur and investor, Sabirul had the vision and desire to inspire young people across the nation which led him to write his first book called “The World at Your Feet” aged just 17. The launch of his first book presented the opportunity for Sabirul to become a motivational speaker, sharing his message at 379 events in nine months and selling over 42,500 copies of his book.

Sabirul not only wants to inspire young people, but to educate them about the world of entrepreneurship and taking risks. This motivated him at the age of 18, to invest £20,000 of his own money into developing and launching his own business board game called “Teen-Trepreneur.” The game itself has sold in 14 countries worldwide and is now used as part of the BTEC Business Qualification in over 450 schools across the UK. Launched alongside the board game was Sabirul’s second book, “The World at Your Feet: Three strikes to a Successful Entrepreneurial Life”.

Sabirul set up his second business named after his book ‘The World at Your Feet’ which consists of many small enterprises and programmes that deliver inspiration, empowerment and entrepreneurial initiatives. This includes ‘Teen-Speakers,’ bringing together the ‘World Best’ young influential speakers aged 16-25, all on to a single platform to inspire & empower a global audience.

His venture also consists of Teen-Publishers, a platform for young writers aged 5-25 a platform to get their books professionally published & selling via online retail channels. Sabirul also launched the Teen-Trepreneur Success kit, a training program to help nurture youth to become successful entrepreneurs.

Now aged 20, Sabirul’s vision to inspire young people has expanded to a global scale having reached out to millions of people across the UK, Europe, USA, Nigeria, South Africa, Japan & the Maldives. Enabling Sabirul to launch the ‘Inspire1Million,’ with a vision inspire, engage and transform the lives of 1 million people in 20 countries within 12 months.

Sabirul Islam, an ordinary East London Youth who is still only 20, is rapidly developing an empire that inspires, educates and provides the opportunity for an ordinary individual to become an “extraordinary entrepreneur.”

ABOUT DAVID CHAIT

David has been an entrepreneur since the age of 19 when he started his first business while at Varsity. Years later, at only 22 years of age, a failed business venture placed him in debt of R150 000.

This experience did not sink his entrepreneurial spirit. Instead, he headed for the cruise ships to save up money with an action plan of getting himself out of the debt.

He has since made major strides in business and having triumphed over those struggles he is now known publically for his successful business interests in Vida e Caffe, Rikki’s Taxis and Mr Delivery.

ABOUT SIMON MANTELL

Simon Mantell was born in Cape Town. He completed his tertiary education at UCT where he studied towards a B.Com and a CTA. He wrote and passed his Board Exam in 1984 and completed his articles with Price Waterhouse in 1986 – this was the only time where Simon was formally employed. His working career started in earnest in 1976 as a 13 year old when he sold mirrors door to door in what was then the new suburb of Mitchell’s Plain. After qualifying as a CA (SA) he started a car wash business with one employee and gradually built the business up before selling it.

All his ventures have been characterised by:
• Starting with no capital
• Starting small
• Building brick by brick

Simon owns a biscuit factory called Mantelli’s which manufactures premium biscuits for local and international markets. In addition, he owns a media company managing and selling media space on airlines.

Simon has a keen interest in the print media and his op-ed pieces can be read in Business Day, The Argus, The Cape Times and The Star. Simon served as a public representative on the Appeals Panel of the Press Council of South Africa from 2007 until 2012 and currently sits on the board of the Field Band Foundation.

He feels that it is critical that the youth of South Africa be allowed to dream and more importantly, they must be provided with the tools to help them realise those dreams and the discharging of this responsibility must be shared by government and private enterprise.

ABOUT MARTIN BROWN

Martin Brown is an inspiring business and motivational speaker who focuses on overcoming adversity and instilling creative thinking with true inspirational leadership. Martin’s talks build on his own story of his obsession with the guy who broke his neck and how he turned this obsession and his greatest tragedy into his greatest success, thus demonstrating how his extraordinary experience shaped his unique view on inspirational leadership.

Martin Brown has developed an amazing global business designing and manufacturing custom-built all-terrain powered wheelchairs with great success over the past 15 years. It was a business born out of necessity as in 1997 Martin broke his neck and became paralysed to the C4 level a quadriplegic, only being able to move his head.

The accident motivated him to produce for himself, then later for customers worldwide, a series of custom-designed and built innovative new wheelchairs – and as a result he has won several entrepreneurial achievement awards along the way:

• “Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® 2010 SME Award” 
• “Inseta Business Leadership Award – 2011” 
• “SEDA Most Promising Job Creating Entrepreneur – 2011” 
• “SEDA Most Promising Entrepreneur with a Disability – 2011” 
• “Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® 2012 Finalist” 
• “Finalist for the Industrial Category the 2013 Africa SMME Awards Competition” 

Martin was born in Cape Town, South Africa. His interests after high school led him firstly into the engineering field and thereafter, into the medical field. He achieved National Colours in Acrobatics and was a member of the Acrobatic Federation of South Africa as well as being a Provincial Colours Athlete and a Professional Ballroom and Latin Dancer, yet in his second year of medical studies, Martin was injured in a freak diving accident which changed his life path forever.

Afterwards, calling fully on his engineering background, which combined with his medical experience, Martin forcefully took charge of circumstances and began to climb the entrepreneurial ladder through personal experience to become the successful, award-winning businessman he is today.

By continuously reinventing the way he approached his life and his company approaches the current market has seen Martin become a leader in his industry. He believes that the reason he is where he is, is because of pushing boundaries of himself and his team to think outside the box and think innovatively. Every year they introduce a new product to the market.

Martin story is spellbinding, yet he himself presents with ease and humour to all levels of corporate or general audiences. He keeps his audiences captivated by interweaving his own experience into his tailored materials. The audience will leave inspired, feeling that nothing is impossible and they might just even be the next ‘Inspirational Leader’ within your business.