Our podcast release today features the inspirational Wajdi Abrahams. He is the CEO of VKC as well as a mentor at the Raymond Ackerman Academy small business incubator. When you squeeze him mentorship, entrepreneurship and the passion to see others thrive comes out in heaps. Wajdi has many years of experience with helping others develop their economical muscle and be contenders on the world stage. Never one to back down from a challenge he helps local entrepreneurs navigate the challenging global economy and ensure sustainability. "Everything I do in my life, what drives me is entrepreneurship" Get in touch with him at Email: [email protected] and Mobile: 0828749873 As always, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch www.thestellareffect.com

Our podcast release today features the inspiring Ayanda Cuba. He is a young creative entrepreneur who along with friend and business partner, Buntu Matole is making waves in Cape Town, South Africa. Hailing from eKhayalitsha, commonly known in South Africa as a ‘township’, they have got a seriously hot hybrid business model and they are impacting their community and beyond in a massive way. Sporting Code is their NPO and this is funded directly by their for-profit business, ABCD Concepts. About Brands Communities and Designs Concepts (ABCD) seeks to better understand how people live, how communities interact, and how business and brands interact with communities. They aim to create practical and innovative solutions for people to have better access to resources, live healthy lifestyles and be active, and also to create a platform for businesses and brands to better market themselves in their communities. Get in touch with at www.abcd-concepts.co.za. As always, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch www.thestellareffect.com.

In today's podcast we interview the incredible entrepreneur, Webster Kushata. From Zimbabwe originally, he has been in South Africa for about 7 years and has grown a business from scratch (we're not even kidding...he started this business with R35 in his pocket). He owns Nzum Nzum group, a retail and distribution specialist focusing on providing excellent service to the township market. Webster was part of the Raymond Ackerman Academy of Entrepreneurial Development (RAA) 6 month programme from July to December 2016 and joined the the RAA's GESS programme, a small business incubator, in 2017. Webster is the epitome of hard work and has a 'can-do' attitude that leaves one wondering if there really are any problems in the world that he doesn't have a solution for. He has faced a number of personal and business challenges but really lives the Japanese maxim that if you get knocked down seven times, get up eight. He became a father for the first time last year amidst some huge business challenges. As Webster says, " there is never a perfect time for anything in business. Start with what you have. The harder you work, the luckier you become". For more information of the incredible work that the RAA does, check out their website www.ackermanacademy.co.za Get in touch with us at www.thestellareffect.com

Welcome to our podcast collaboration with the #RAAWESOME Raymond Ackerman Academy of Entrepreneurial Development. In our first podcast of 2018 we chat to Rashieda Panday. She is a social entrepreneur who is passionate about seeing more equality in the work place for people with disabilities. This has been a long personal journey for Rashieda as she grew up with a mother who is physically disabled and her dedication to see work spaces shift and be more accommodating of people with disability is in response to the very real challenges that they have faced as a family. She founded Mindshift Club in 2017 and has already done some incredible work in the sector as well as piloting an innovative programme that benefits both unemployed able bodied youth and people with disabilities called The Buddy Network. Take a listen to her story You can get in touch with Rashieda on Facebook or e-mail her at [email protected]. We'd love to hear of any other inspiring social entrepreneurs doing great things in the disability sector.

We had the privilege of meeting and chatting to the awesome social entrepreneur, Buhle Sithela. He is from Khayelitsha in Cape Town, South Africa and is also part of the 2017 Red Bull Amaphiko Academy cohort. His business model is simple: clean bins in Khayelitsha to finance his passion for bringing cinema to the township market. He's 22 years old and is already causing waves in his community and further afield. Here he shares his story and some of his learnings along the way. This man is going places. Keep watching. You can find Buhle on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/buhlenicholas.sithela

Megan Kate Swan. Private chef, food blogger, lifestyle vlogger and serial creative by The Stellar Effect