Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint-hearted: An insightful talk with CEO of Maredi Technologies, Maredi Thema - TopCo Media

Maredi Thema, Founder and CEO of Maredi Technologies ─ the ICT company providing ICT Infrastructure solutions to public and private sector clients ─ views his role as a leader as ‘the soil that nourishes the seeds of possibilities and potential in others’. Just this year, his company was granted the accolade of Best Employer of the Year at the BBQ Awards 2020. In previous years, Maredi has been recognised by the National Business Awards (2018) in the ‘Fast Growth’ and ‘Top Young Executive’ categories.

In this week’s Business Unusual podcast, Ralf Fletcher, CEO of Topco Media, engages in conversation with Maredi Thema to discuss the importance of having a healthy mind set and positive perspective as an entrepreneur, and understanding that a business is not a one-man machine. Maredi also chats about excellence and celebrating one’s successes.

Key takeaways to listen out for in this podcast:

• Being a business owner is not all ‘glitz and glam’. There is so much hard work required behind the scenes, so do not be naïve. This requires a certain level of resilience.
• Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint-hearted. You always need to find ways to motivate yourself to keep pushing and exceling.
• It goes beyond ‘just you’ as the business founder. You are responsible for the livelihood or your team members – it is bigger than just you.
• The good times will carry you through the challenging times. Remember to celebrate and savour these times, as you never know when they’ll come again – being an entrepreneur comes with lots of dark times.
• Be consistent and make sure you leave your mark so that when you leave the room, people specifically ask around for you.
• Having your name attached to your business is both a blessing and a curse: do not do anything to tarnish your name.
• Be mindful of the quality of input: multi-tasking is great, but remember to prioritise things that require more focus.
• Success goes hand in hand with excellence
• Travel if you can! These life experiences will open your eyes to all that you’re unaware of, boosting your business in the long run.
• The recruitment process is not easy. Those of us who have managed to get a foot into the business sector need to assist those who are positioned at a disadvantage, especially with regards to women.

Maredi Thema, Founder and CEO at Maredi Technologies, started trading in 2010 with a vision to provide ICT Infrastructure solutions to public and private sector clients. Maredi Technologies is 100% black-owned and 30% black-women owned. Maredi Technologies operates on the belief that business development comes from the satisfaction of clients, requiring optimised quality at all times. Prior to founding his ICT Company, Thema worked with Inala Technologies, Telkom and Business Connexion, equipping him with invaluable technical and sales experience. He obtained a certificate in Business Management through the University of South Africa, and also attended that University of the Free State, where he completed his Bachelor of Management Leadership degree, specialising in Organisational Leadership. Thema also took part in the Oxford Executive Leadership Programme at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

“Quality workmanship will lead to improvement in the quality of communication one call at a time.” ─ Maredi Thema, Founder and CEO at Maredi Technologies.

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