Gabriel Lephadi made the leap from corporate to a successful entrepreneur with the right coaching
“Believe in yourself. Keep going. Don’t stop. After all, if you’re crazy enough to think that you can change the world, you will.”
Those are the main lessons Gabriel Lephadi took away from a recent incubation programme organised with the help of the Sobona coaches.
Gabriel used to be a successful business analyst in a corporate environment. When COVID hit, Gabriel – like so many South Africans – faced retrenchment. But, instead of looking for another ‘job’ in the corporate world, Gabriel decided to take a leap of faith and develop his innovative idea as an entrepreneur.
“I am a self-taught producer, producing music for a couple of artists and I also compose music for TV, film and games,” he explains. When Gabriel saw an ad for an incubation programme that was on the lookout for creatives with innovative ideas, he just knew it would be a good fit.
The Idea
Gabriel explains finding talent is a major pain point in the creative industry. For a recent project, it took Gabriel more than six months to find the right artist. “I don’t like to turn to mainstream artists. I’m always looking for new and unknown talent, but that can be difficult and time-consuming,” he says.
For the moment, finding talent in South Africa is all about who you know. Talent is mostly found through ‘a friend of a friend’. It’s not a very reliable or efficient process. And – as Gabriel points out: “In our industry: time is money.”
To solve this issue, Gabriel decided to connect artists with each other and with companies. A tinder for creatives, as he jokingly calls it. “The platform allows creatives to connect with each other and reach out for projects and assignments with the help of push notifications.”
Creatives can upload their portfolio, references, and rates. That eliminates the need for lengthy meetings and presentations. The platform will operate on a subscription model with a freemium option, set price, and a premium offering.
The Sobona Solution
Gabriel had an innovative idea and a good business head to make it a reality, but as he admits himself: Sobona helped him unearth the idea, streamline it and reframe it. “I wouldn’t have been able to make this idea a reality without the help of Sobona coaches Tshepo and Sipho.”
The coaches asked me questions, nudged me in the right direction and gave me the tools to move forward as an entrepreneur by pointing out my competitors as well as the opportunities my business could embrace. They helped me with business advice as well as with the self-confidence needed to make it as a start-up.
“There’s a lot of self-doubt when you’re an entrepreneur and you’re starting out. You don’t know what you’re doing, you question every decision. With the help of the Sobona coaches, I realised I had what it took to succeed. They taught me to believe in my ideas, to keep pushing and to never stop,” concludes Gabriel.
