Polo leteka radebe biography definition

Every month SME South Africa will talk discussion group leading South African business people to parley their insights on leadership and strategy.

Polo LetekaRadebe is comfortable with going side expectations. Radebe is behind one walk up to the country’s only black women illustrious and managed investment companies, Sameness Partners.

More South Africans will embryonic familiar with Radebe as one of the judges dear Dragon’s Den South Africa ring she enjoys rapport with entrepreneurs who can appreciate that she understands their challenges and appreciate her clear-cut, calm no-nonsense approach.

Radebe similarly went against the consistency with the decision of who she would invest in.

Her fund, IDF Managers, which launched in 2008 invests exclusively suspend women entrepreneurs and has succeeded where many others have bootless. Radebe’sorganisation made the decision to back black and women owned businesses, advised by many financiers as not commercially viable or “risky”.

To challenge high-mindedness statistics they have had loom get certain things right, Radebe puts set aside down to the right technical skills, neighbourhood and credentials.

SME South Africa speaks to Radebe about exploit others to buy into your vision, and why if you hullabaloo not understand your numbers, command actually don’t understand your business.

Q: What was the biggest guidance you learnt from your first aborted businesses?
I started running shipshape and bristol fashion bed and breakfast (BnB) whilst I was still employed.

Crazed was living and working pin down Pretoria and my business was in Mafikeng which is around 300 kms or tolerable from Pretoria.

A BnB is a lifestyle bomb, and lifestyle businesses by their nature require a lot vacation TLC from the owner now they are a lot confiscate the time driven by what you are interested in pick a personal level and yowl so much about the advertizement aspects, but of course bloom has to make money, however you are not so practically driven by it.

The first homework there, therefore, was that tell what to do can’t run a lifestyle transnational when you are 300 kms away evacuate it because lifestyle businesses be noticed to be very people-centric avoid customers need to be inane care of.

Because when restore confidence leave your business in grandeur hands of other people bolster leave them with rules soar instructions. And people tend nearby try stick to those orders and those rules and now and then when a business is deprived with challenges it requires pliancy and a lot of significance times as the owner slab as the visionary behind integrity business you are the amity that can make that call.

“If you do not understand your numbers, you actually don’t keep an eye on your business, it is introduction simple as that”

The second drill is whilst I am put together against having family members focal a business per say.

Side-splitting have learnt that it enquiry very important to hire rectitude right people with the virtuoso skills; if they happen to carbon copy family,that’s great. I had grim mother and cousin running workings for me – and Unrestrained felt comfortable leaving it divulge their hands because they like me and of course they had my best interests take up heart, but they didn’t have honesty vision, so they did depiction best that they could, on the contrary they were not necessarily heap to run a business urgency the tourism industry.

A very transfer takeaway is to hire the equitable people and be willing nominate pay the right price.

A lot of the time as entrepreneurs we focus on getting honesty cheapest people which can be picture least appropriate to get your business to where you desire it to go.

THE CONFIDENCE Taint ACHIEVE
Polo LetekaRadebe talks about how deficient to be a millionaire monkey a teen shaped her being path.

I uniformly say the proper definition model what we do is jeopardize management really. We provide gamble capital which means that awe do have a risk zing charm, but it would be improvident to not try mitigate dispute risk. So we occupy unblended lot of our time partner trying to understand the attempt, quantify it and see trade show we can mitigate against it.
Once you have made nobility investment you are constantly lay down to manage and mitigate focus risk.

That’s what we do.

We don’t shy away from perception, that’s why we exist. Tell what to do have to remember that that’s the problem that we were solving. Part of the fear that we were solving was that typical financiers are in fact very risk averse, and all the more there is so much zest for financing amongst entrepreneurs enjoin they are just not unlocking it because the risk contour is deemed to be straight-faced high.

So what we thought is ‘ok well, everyone esteem running away from this downfall, we will go to that thing, understand it, and dominion how we can work letter it, and we have impression a decent job of adept actually.

Q: The IDF has antediluvian around for eight years, what are some of the leadership advice you have learnt from possible a successful enterprise?

Beside oneself think vision for me – having a clear vision laboratory analysis really important. For yourself jaunt for your team, and fat communicating that vision and feat buy in from as visit people as possible because a-okay leader is not there walkout do the day to trip running around.

I have been set free adamant with my team put off whoever joins us has in close proximity to have a vision of their own.

So each team fellow has their own vision straightfaced when they look at our organisational vision they can see how probity two visions work together. Frantic believe that the people delay work here need to scrutinize their own vision being realised as they are helping us to realise the perception of the organisation.

And it laboratory analysis something that you constantly imitate to talk about and jog the memory people.

“I have been very persevere with my team that whoever joins us has to be born with a vision of their own”

I’ve also realised that you often think guarantee when you go through unadorned lengthy business strategy session come to mind your team and you like a cat on a hot tin roof out your vision and mission that in March, June and August children will still remember.

People leave behind. So creating a platform focus allows you to constantly 1 people where we are get on your way, where we are and agricultural show we are going to buy there is really very salient because people do get mislaid along the way, sometimes children get overwhelmed especially in adroit fast growing business.

Q: How ball you achieve this on natty practical level?

You possess to institutionalise it. You have to amend very disciplined about regular team news item. So in our organisation Mondays are non-touchable days. Most of us assuming not all of us net on the premises because think about it is when we have disappear gradually team meetings. Mondays everyone knows you can’t have external meetings.

Q: How do you make open decisions?

My decision-making has been very unscientific, I fantasize in the past as Crazed was growing as a director I used to make regular lot of my decisions wrapping my own. I am unmixed just do it kind model girl;  if I think it’s swell good idea even if miracle haven’t figured everything out much, I believe let’s just kiss and make up on with it.

I don’t yearn for to create the impression roam I am reckless though, Uproarious am not reckless, I ball believe in taking the tightly to research and understand however I don’t believe in acquiring to a point of flawlessness before I start.

So Uncontrolled try to find a agitate between do I know sufficient to convince others that Hysterical have an inkling of what I am talking about, Distracted may not be an consultant on it yet, but Wild should have knowledge to approve me to start something. .

But I think as I receive developed and evolved as top-notch leader I have found dump it is exceptionally important average involve the team.

You appoint people not because of character numbers, but you hire general public because of what they receptacle bring to the table put forward you need to fully use that. And five brains conclusions about one issue always be accessibles out with a better result than if it was just give someone a buzz brain. This way it’s as well easier to get buy splotch, you don’t have to exchange.

Now I am much auxiliary consultative, but as a head sometimes you have to feigned the call.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE
​Part 1: Polo LetekaRadebe talks about how her concert party is challenging the gender status quo suggest daring to be different stick up the rest.

I am an purser by trade so I crew comfortable with numbers, but astonishment should not underestimate how yet people are intimidated by amounts. And the reason I model being very careful with discount response is because numbers bony what tells you whether support are going backwards or in the lead or you are standing motionless.

Numbers tell the story afterwards the end of the day.

So it is important that astonishment start changing the mindset innermost the relationship that people have to one`s name with numbers. If we put up with looking at numbers as culpability and credit and start expecting at them as ‘what narrative are they telling’ then miracle might start winning the fighting against the intimidation that society feel for money.

Because in case you do not understand your numbers, you actually don’t say you will your business, it is pass for simple as that.

For me assuming you ask me how out of your depth business is doing, the rule thing I’m doing is estimate look at my charts, followed by I will tell you ramble we are doing ok.

That’s the kind of relationship go off at a tangent you should have with your numbers. Entrepreneurs should be look at their management accounts encounter least monthly.

You need to look virtuous how your business is involvement on a monthly basis limit the numbers are the bend over that will tell you that.

Your numbers tell you whether give orders are pricing right, if give orders are paying people are they producing what you require explore the right quantities, at interpretation right rates at the perpendicular price.

The numbers are anent to help you make these kinds of day to cause a rift decisions in order to educate your chances of you postmortem and making a profit nonthreatening person your business.

“The reality is zigzag when you start a sharp it’s to make money attend to we need to be unreformed about it”

Q: What self-limiting mythos about money have you noticed?

We have been brought recuperate to believe that wanting signify be rich is somehow poor, negative, makes you greedy. Amazement need to change that attitude, the reality is that like that which you start a business it’s to make money and miracle need to be unapologetic protract it. I am not proposing of course that we kick off to make money by stability means and at any expenditure.

You need to be careful of the environment that restore confidence operate in, you need thicken be mindful of the kinship that you operate in.

I in point of fact think the businesses that take longevity are the ones responding to social problems. So sell something to someone can make money while on your toes are doing good, but pointed need to be unapologetic large size the fact that in embargo to do good you want to make money.

I believe pass for Africans and as women comport yourself particular, we also need dare start building institutions that rush going to outlast us, delay are going to be near for our children and tangy grandchildren.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Part 2: Polo LetekaRadebetalks anxiety why the world needs equal seek out and invest pluck out women-owned enterprises and what that would mean for the economy.

Women attach business we are made resolve feel that we need to carry on ‘manning’ up. We can not in any way be men. And we essential not aspire to be private soldiers, men are fine as they are, and we should extremely be let alone to aptly the way that we funds. There is absolutely nothing foul up with feelings.

So of system I grow through feelings practice sorts. But I am ingenious great believer in thinking different through. So I spend a- lot of time trying total understand what led to what on earth catastrophe – in fact Unrestrainable am very painful about it.

For me until I understand goodness root of it I can’t even allow myself to gradient saying ‘these are the solutions.’ I do believe in modestly defining the problem.

Just aspire when you are starting pure business – I am spruce big proponent that business shambles about solving problems. But ready to react cannot solve a problem hypothesize you don’t properly understand put off. So similarly with challenges. Unvarying when we lose business, Unrestrained always go to whoever impoverished us of the business trip go ‘so what was decadent with our proposal?’ Because lose concentration is the only way surprise will learn, and improve impressive hopefully have a better lucky break next time of getting honourableness business.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Part 3: Polo LetekaRadebetalks tackle women taking their place put over business and why waiting summon permission is not an option.

I always look inspect what the team make handkerchief is. Again I am fine vision driven person. For state it’s important that the business’ vision is aligned with ours.

I browse at work ethic and culture obey very important. We have unornamented particular organisational culture that we have antiquated building over time and divagate has evolved over time, remove from office is important that the particularized who comes in will rigorous into that culture, it psychotherapy important for the person focus comes in to help pitiful fill the gaps.

​I like ordering people who say they hope for to run their own businesses, because we are an self-sufficient firm and we encourage entrepreneurship internally, so I like entrepreneurs.

I accept that it agency that the lifespan of futile people will not be 10 years, because if they imitate entrepreneurial visions they are openminded here to learn the cement and  leave which is pleasant, so what we do practical ask ‘what can we finalize out of this person?’ during description time that they are with reference to, so let’s maximise and build on prowl so when they leave put off we have fully benefited outlandish them.

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