Wayne Zwiers on gearing up shop amidst COVID-19, and tracking key trends post COVID-19 to reinvent your business model and re-energise your team culture

Founder and CEO at BASALT, Cape Town, Wayne Zwiers, is passionate about being a tech solutions builder, witnessing amazing advancements in society from brilliant African tech companies,  creating a holistic workplace environment that inspires employees. He is a Board Member at the Entrepreneur Organisation (EO) and the Founder of Tech Relief (NGO). His philosophy encompasses two main elements: Discipline and Decompression.

In this week’s Business Unusual podcast, Ralf Fletcher, CEO of Topco Media sits down with Wayne Zwiers to chat about his recent success and lessons learned from it, including re-investment for accelerated growth, the need for strong leadership and healthy team culture, and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of your team members. Wayne provides insight on key contributing factors in the success of start-ups, and provides solutions for bridging the gap between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ via tech innovation and investing in education.

Key takeaways to listen out for in this podcast:

1. As 2021 approaches, much disruption is still to come – business owners need to remain calm, steer away from being reactive, and conserve energy and assets where possible.

2. This year’s buzzword was ‘reinvention’. This trend is likely to endure well into 2021. So, keep engaging in critical conversation with your peers and investors to keep your finger on the pulse.
3. Your customers are essential case studies; you need to learn from your customers as thy will provide you with essential data and KPI’s for future strategies that may uplift your business model.
4. People are tired of just being seen as a ‘number’ in the corporate space – you need to energise your team members for better results.
5. Save time and energy; companies need to spend less time focusing on unimportant details and prioritise things that are vital to improving company culture. Your employees are invaluable assets, so take better care of them.
6. Remember that in today’s age, Tech is driving business – it’s not the other way around. Be ready to learn new things, adapt, and innovate with technological advancements.
7. Successful start-ups, in fact any business in general, relies on the following: Business formula, a holistic culture, and intuition.
8. Lead by example, inspiring your employees, and conveying the strong messages behind both your success and failure stories. Embracing the ‘human essence’ will make you more relatable, and thus more impactful, as a business leader.
9. To re-invigorate yourself as a business owner, and your team members, by allowing for ‘Decompression Sessions’, where flow and balance can be restored. Make mindfulness and excellence a healthy habits exercised for holistic success that goes beyond financial rewards.
10. Start at home; South Africa is filled with untapped potential. Empower our economy before branching out internationally. Also, be prepared for international challenges by doing in-depth research before jumping the gun.

Wayne Zwiers is the Fintech Entrepreneur and Futurist behind BASALT (previously named Black Beard) – the global Fintech studio focusing on designing and developing digital banking and insurance solutions for the future. With a passions for addressing children’s educational needs, he is also the Founder of Tech Relief (NGO), creating a platform for people to donate their old devices, such as iPads, Notebooks, Desktops, and cellular devices, to children who could benefit from such items, using these devices to enrich their practical learning experience in classrooms.

Zwiers comes from a media background, and has seasoned marketing and sales skills. In 2004, he received a Senior Diploma in Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia, from 5^th Dimension College of Visual Arts, in Johannesburg. After that, he obtained a Diploma in Financial Management, from UCT. Quite eager to learn and build his skills set, Wayne picked up a Certificate in Business Administration and Management from WPP First Chair Executive Development. He then went on to attend Wits Business School, completing its Management Advancement Programme (MAP), and then completed the Disruptive Strategy Course through the Harvard Business School Executive Education, located in Boston, USA.

To date, Wayne Zwiers has achieved much recognition for his excellence and major contributions to the South African Tech and FinTech space. Most recently, he was named the Africa Tech CEO of the Year Award at the recent 2020 Africa Tech Week Awards. Wayne was also a finalist in this year’s Africa Tech – Best Technology Start-Up category.