From ‘naughty lists’ to sprinting swans, wandering ducks to Amarula-based incentives, The First Kudu takes you on the roller coaster ride of a start-up, and dives into real learnings along the way.
The narrative invites you to journey through the chaos with the young team and unpacks in gritty detail what goes into building a tech start-up – with stories of fun and failure honestly told in equal measure.
The First Kudu tells the story of HouseME, a rental technology company founded in South Africa that grew to 34 employees and 50 000 registered users, processing hundreds of millions of rands each year. The company won awards, raised several rounds of funding and was sought after by competitors.
It was exciting.
It was excellent.
And then …
It was dead.
BEN SHAW (former CEO) and LORNE HALLENDORFF (former COO) provide a whirlwind tour of what goes into building a start-up at the southern tip of Africa and what they would do differently, were they to do it again.
As leaders are faced with the seemingly insurmountable task of rebuilding Africa’s economies, structures and systems, there is an argument to be made that leadership approaches should be uniquely and distinctly African.
Letlhokwa George Mpedi draws inspiration from African culture and African approaches to challenge the prevailing systems. By exploring select proverbs and sayings, Letlhokwa identifies the tenets of successful and effective leadership. Traversing the ages, sourcing from indigenous practices, drawing from different regions and exploring diverse cultural references from the continent, he finds common threads to rethink the practice of leadership.
From the Baobab to the Mosquito emphasises the value of collaboration and collective decision-making, reflecting the communal values that are at the heart of many African cultures. It offers a powerful reminder that leadership is not just about individual achievement, but about building strong relationships, fostering a sense of community, and making a positive difference in the lives of others.
Through this collection of African concepts in a contemporary context, Letlhokwa George Mpedi sounds the call for authentic African leaders.
LETLHOKWA GEORGE MPEDI is the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg and a Professor of Labour and Social Security Law at the same institution. Before his current position as Vice-Chancellor he served as Head of the Department of Practical Business Law, Vice-Dean, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic.
