AJ Venter and Gus Byleveld - Starting From Scratch

Damien Dossin has started from nothing twice. He left East London for Belgian military service without a word of French or Flemish, then followed his American wife to New Jersey in 1997 and built a career of more than two decades in beauty packaging, starting with a bag of samples and a calling list. In this episode he tells Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe why the moves that shaped his career came through relationships rather than resumes, and why newcomers abroad sometimes have to push their way into a circle. He also speaks openly about the stage four cancer diagnosis that stopped him at the height of his career in 2018, and how it changed the way he handles stress and conflict. This is for South Africans starting over in a new country, salespeople who live with rejection, and executives approaching their next chapter and wondering what comes after the career. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:27 Springbok Memories From Brussels to Baltimore 04:19 Lessons From Selborne College 06:30 Choosing the Belgian Army 10:19 No French, No Flemish, No Friends 15:20 A New Marriage and a Move to America 19:09 Starting Over, Twice 22:55 How South Africans Took Over Baltimore 25:45 A Bag of Samples and a Calling List 29:30 The Diagnosis That Changed Everything 39:27 Why Relationships Beat Resumes 46:39 Giving Back Through Music 49:58 Raising American Kids With South African Roots 55:46 Turning 60 and Deciding What's Next 1:01:46 A South Africa That Works for Everyone Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

Glen Grundy spent 27 years building a Bearing Man Group business in Witbank, starting in the stores on a first paycheque of R750. Then his partner walked into his office with a number on a piece of paper, and he said yes in 24 hours. In this episode he tells Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe how a family gap year turned into a second business in Utah, sealed by a franchise agreement that is still one text message long, and an eleven-year road to US citizenship. This is for founders weighing an exit, operators starting over in a new country, and South Africans abroad who feel they have to pick a side. Glen's answer is that you don't: be greedy, take both, and never turn your back on the country that made you. KEY TAKEAWAYS A good exit is rare. When a clean one arrives, with no earn-out and the cheque in the bank tomorrow, be ready to decide. Know your number before anyone asks. A recent, honest valuation turned a surprise offer into an easy decision. Trust compounds. A friendship from the army became a franchise agreement with no contract. Sell results, not "smoke and mirrors". Glen asks advertisers to track calls and hold him to account. Relationships open doors that applications can't. Glen is in Utah because two friendships happened to cross there. Staying connected beats staying cynical. Complaining about politicians helps no one; showing up for people back home does. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:31 Three One-Pointers in Paris 07:01 From Boarding School to Tank School 11:20 Back on Civvy Street 14:34 Succession, Then a 24-Hour Exit 18:46 A Gap Year Around the World 21:54 Falling for Utah and a One-Line Deal 25:18 "Measure Me": How The Home Mag Works 28:44 The 11-Year Road to Citizenship 30:39 Pretoria Boys High and Giving Back 36:47 1,000 Miles Nonstop With His Son 38:55 Looking Back With Honesty 41:38 Back to School at 62 47:20 Dakar and the Oil Trail 53:06 Don't Write Off South Africa Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

Honorata Nel spent eleven years chasing a South African pole vault title. She left corporate and built a business so she could train, then moved her family from Pretoria to Cape Town, New York and Amsterdam. Only after all that did she realise the achievement was never going to give her what she expected. In this episode she tells Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe how a denied green card, a job hunt into a pandemic and two years of trying to do it all forced her to rethink what winning means. This is for driven professionals and South Africans abroad who perform hard in every part of their lives and are quietly wondering what it costs them. Hon is candid about the trade she made, a step back in title in exchange for presence with her kids, and about why serving others gave her more energy, not less. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:20 The 1995 World Cup Through Immigrant Eyes 04:30 A Squiggly Career Built Around Training 07:54 The Letter That Ended New York 12:55 Made in Poland, Born in South Africa 17:08 Eleven Years to a National Title 21:22 What Now After the Gold? 22:51 The Book That Changed Her Definition of Winning 28:35 Why New York Was Only Meant to Be Two Years 30:27 Having a Baby Far From Home 32:27 From Performance to Presence 37:57 Two Years to Crack 40:12 A Reset Through Serving Others 43:52 Helping South Africa From Abroad 46:13 Why the Dutch Are Hard to Crack Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

What does starting over look like when you have already built a business across five continents?

After a tough first year at boarding school, Sean Temple wrote a ten-page letter to Arnold Schwarzenegger — and the signed bodybuilding encyclopaedia that came back set the direction of his life.