No Free Lunch Podcast – The Journey of a Young Entrepreneur – Mamello Mofokeng Interview

In This episode of No Free Lunch, Host Greg Stewart chats with Mamello Mofokeng, founder and CEO of IT company Saturated. Its a great conversation about the journey of an entrepreneur and Mamello shares her journey from a small-town upbringing to becoming a leading young Women leader in South Africa’s tech industry.

Despite her background in physiology and biochemistry, Mamello pivoted to data science, leveraging her coding skills and business acumen gained from her family’s business. She founded Saturated, a data and IT consulting company, which found its form and thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic as businesses were forced to go digital.

Mamello and I discuss the importance of mentorship, networking, and continuous learning for small businesses looking to leverage technology. She discusses the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship, including the need to adapt quickly, embrace failure, and foster a strong company culture.

Mamello also highlights the significance and key business success of collaboration and strategic planning in expanding her business across Africa. Her insights offer valuable lessons for SMEs aiming to grow and innovate in the tech landscape.

Listen Here:

Key quotes from Mamello Mofokeng:

• “I think the first lesson was to start and fail fast. And that’s what COVID assisted us with because you didn’t have a choice. We really started and even prior to COVID, we had that energy of, okay, let’s go to the market. Let’s test this. Let’s get the feedback and keep on growing the business and even seeing what types of services are relevant to the market.”
• “Persevering in business is a marriage. It really takes work. You commit to it. It’s gonna fight with you. You’re gonna fight with it back. You’re gonna lose money. You’re gonna make money. It’s a whole roller coaster ride. But if you’re in it and you committed to it, you really get to bear the fruits and see growth, see opportunities.”
• “Empowered people tend to want to empower people. So I feel like I’m someone who’s gotten empowered through many opportunities. So that’s what kind of drives me and always wants me to always kind of say to someone, okay, but have you tried this? Have you tried that? Let’s try this.