“You know, you hear someone say, ‘I’m an entrepreneur, I’m not a numbers guy’. What are you talking about? You have to be a numbers guy to be an entrepreneur,” says Ciko Thomas, Group Managing Executive: Nedbank Retail and Business Banking. In the latest Business Unusual Podcast, Topco Media’s CEO, Ralf Fletcher, chats to Ciko about his journey from entrepreneurship to corporate leadership. They reflect on the importance of sales, leading with humanity, understanding what motivates individuals and Ciko emphasises the importance of adapting to working with people on their terms, rather than their own and more.

Ciko also shares the lessons he’s learnt in his career, including the marketing lessons he learnt in the failed repositioning of the Lion Lager brand. Ciko believes that being commercially savvy, having a great product or offering, and maintaining good relationships are key factors for entrepreneurs’ growth and success in business.

Key takeaways to listen out for in this podcast:

1. Always obsess about your customers
2. Lead with humanity
3. Follow the rule of five: Only focus on five things at a time
4. Even when you’re a maverick, it’s important to be able to adapt to your environment
5. “If you haven’t learnt the art of connecting, engaging, coaxing, negotiating, accommodating other people, you’re never going to get people to care about where you are. You could be the greatest design genius on earth. You’re never going to get the ideal product”
6. You need to create a safe space for people to learn and experiment fast
7. Being prepared is key. If you want people to invest you need to be able to get into the boring details that investors want to know about
8. If there’s an underlying commercial reason for things, you need to prove it
9. “You have to be a numbers guy to be an entrepreneur”
10. “If you don’t have the personality to build relationships, you’re not going to be successful in business

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