The Business of Influence

THE HAIRCUT IS TEMPORARY. THE WAY IT MAKES YOU FEEL IS NOT.In this episode of the Business of Influence Podcast, hosted by Leroy Marc, Sheldon Tatchell, founder and CEO of the Legends Corporation, sits down for a conversation about what it actually takes to build a barbershop brand from a cousin’s internet cafe in Eldorado Park into an 88-location operation spanning five countries. This is not a story about hair. It is a story about human connection, the discipline of knowing your customer and the audacity to build something legendary from exactly where you are.The origin story that opens this episode is one of the most grounded and compelling founder journeys this show has hosted. Sheldon started cutting hair at fourteen. He built his first business in a borrowed space with no formal infrastructure and no external funding. What he did have was a manual record of every customer’s preferences, their names, their styles, their stories, and that record became the foundation of a relationship model that has scaled across an entire continent.The philosophy that runs through every chapter of this story is deceptively simple. A haircut lasts a few weeks. The feeling of being seen, remembered and genuinely cared for lasts far longer. That distinction is not just a values statement. It is a business model, and Sheldon has proved that it scales.The growth conversation is where this episode gets most instructive. Legends did not expand by replicating a formula. It expanded by studying the failures and successes of others in the industry with enough humility to learn from both and enough confidence to do things differently. From standalone locations to strategic partnerships that place barbershops inside petrol stations, the expansion strategy has always been driven by accessibility and convenience without ever compromising the quality of the experience inside.The technology conversation is one of the most thoughtful in this episode. Legends has digitised its customer relationship management through a mobile app that gives any barber at any branch access to a customer’s full history and preferences, ensuring that the personal connection Sheldon built manually at fourteen is now available at scale across every location in every market. AI and technology handle the repetitive and the administrative. The human connection remains non-negotiable.This is what it looks like to build a brand on feeling rather than function and to scale that feeling without losing what made it matter in the first place.If you are an entrepreneur, a brand builder, a marketer or anyone trying to understand how human connection becomes a competitive advantage, this episode is essential viewing.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.—-Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeriesListen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaBSpotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYiInstagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqITikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0Follow Our Host and GuestLeroy:   / leroymarcn   Sheldon Tatchell:   / legend_sheldon   Legends Corporation:   / legends_barber   Email: [email protected] Produced by Emcee:   / emceeiii  #LegendsCorporation #CustomerExperience #HumanConnection #AfricanEntrepreneurs

BANKING IS NOT THE MOST EXCITING CATEGORY. MAKING PEOPLE TRUST YOU WITH THEIR MONEY IS.In this episode of the Business of Influence Podcast, hosted by Leroy Marc, Duduetsang Chappelle-Molloy and Amogelang Lenosi-Matenga from Access Bank Gaborone, Botswana, sit down for a conversation about one of the most underexplored and genuinely complex challenges in marketing. How do you build authentic, engaging, culturally resonant brand content in an industry that is fundamentally about one of the most sensitive things in a person’s life? Their money.The conversation opens with an honest acknowledgement that most banking marketers avoid. This is a regulated, serious industry and the rules of engagement are different. The humour that works for a fast food brand, the irreverence that earns a clothing label cultural credibility, the rawness that makes a lifestyle brand feel real- none of those tools translates directly into banking without significant risk. Amogelang and Duduetsang do not treat that as a limitation. They treat it as the creative challenge that makes the work interesting.The digital shift conversation is where this episode gets most practically useful. The transition to digital marketing has not just changed the channels banks operate in. It has fundamentally changed the consumer on the other side of those channels. Today’s banking customer is better informed, has higher expectations and can compare brands, products and experiences with a speed and ease that previous generations could not. The marketers who understand that are the ones building content that earns attention rather than demanding it.The two-way dialogue insight reframes what modern banking marketing actually looks like in practice. This is no longer an industry that speaks at its customers. It has to listen to them, respond to them and in the best cases co-create with them, which means handling direct feedback in real time, including the uncomfortable kind, and using it to build content and experiences that actually reflect the lives of the people the brand is trying to serve.The personalisation and AI conversation closes the episode with a framework that every financial services marketer needs to hear. Serving a customer base that spans youth to pensioners with relevance and precision requires technology, and Amogelang and Duduetsang make the case that AI is not an optional upgrade for modern banking. It is the infrastructure that makes personalised, timely and meaningful customer experiences possible at scale.This is the banking marketing conversation the industry has been needing to have honestly and openly.If you work in financial services marketing, brand strategy, digital marketing or the creator economy, this episode will challenge how you think about trust, authenticity and the business of making people feel safe with their money.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.—Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeriesListen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaBSpotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYiInstagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqITikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0Follow Our Host and GuestsLeroy:   / leroymarcn   Amogelang:   / amogelang-fiona-l-matenga-024068180   Duduetsang:   / duduetsang-colleen-chappelle-molloy-a35a5247   Access Bank Botswana:   / accessbankbotswana   Email: [email protected] Produced by Emcee:   / emceeiii  #AccessBank #CustomerExperience #Personalisation #FinTech

THE BRANDS THAT WIN IN CULTURE ARE NOT THE ONES THAT PLAY IT SAFE. THEY ARE THE ONES WILLING TO GO LEFT WHEN THE WORLD GOES RIGHT.In this episode of the Business of Influence IMC Series, hosted by Leroy Marc, Suhayl Limbada, Chief Marketing Officer of KFC India, sits down for a conversation about what it actually takes to market a global brand in a way that feels genuinely local, why fear is the single biggest barrier between a brand and its audience, and why the future of marketing in an AI-saturated world is not more technology but more humanity.The localisation conversation that opens this episode is one of the most practically useful things this show has put on record. Suhayl has worked across multiple international markets and the insight he has carried from every one of them is the same. The brands that earn genuine cultural belonging are the ones curious enough to learn the local rituals, to understand the humour, to sit inside the culture rather than observing it from a distance and translating it through a global lens that was never designed to fit.The fear conversation is where this episode gets most honest. Marketers know that culture is edgy. They know that the content that creates the deepest connections is rarely the content that clears every approval layer without a single note. And yet the fear of getting it wrong keeps most brands producing work that is safe enough to publish and forgettable enough to scroll past. Suhayl’s argument is direct. That fear is the thing standing between a brand and the audience it is trying to reach, and the marketers who learn to move through it rather than around it are the ones producing work that actually matters.The core essence versus flexibility framework in this episode is the most useful strategic tool for any brand team navigating this tension. Going left when the world goes right does not mean abandoning brand identity. It means maintaining the foundational brand-building layer that stays true to positioning while creating space for culture-driven, viral campaigns on a quarterly cadence that keep the brand feeling alive, relevant and worth paying attention to.The listening philosophy that runs through Suhayl’s entire approach to marketing is deceptively simple and almost universally ignored. The best consumer insights are not sitting in research reports. They are sitting in social media feeds, in the language people use to describe their own experiences, in the problems they articulate to no one in particular and the moments of joy they share with everyone. A marketer who reads those feeds as carefully as they read a brief is a marketer who seldom runs out of ideas worth executing.The episode closes with the shift that defines this moment in the industry. As AI floods every channel with generated content, the thing that becomes most scarce and therefore most powerful is genuine human presence. Suhayl’s position is clear. Brands that show up as one hundred per cent human in an increasingly artificial landscape are the ones that will retain the consumer trust that everything else in marketing depends on.If you work in brand strategy, marketing leadership, content creation or the creator economy, this episode will challenge how you think about culture, risk and what it means to build a brand that people actually feel something about.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.—Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeriesListen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaBSpotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYiInstagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqITikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0Follow Our Host and GuestLeroy: https://www.instagram.com/leroymarcn/ Suhayl Limbada: https://www.instagram.com/kfcindia_official/ Email: [email protected] produced by Emcee: https://www.instagram.com/emceeiii/#KFCIndia #CulturalMarketing #MarketingLeadership #LocalMarketing

FORD HAS BEEN IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR OVER A CENTURY. THE SECRET IS NOT THE CARS. IT IS THE COMMUNITY.In this episode of the Business of Influence IMC Series, hosted by Leroy Marc, Tarryn Knight, Head of Marketing at Ford Motor Company South Africa, sits down for a conversation about what it means to lead the marketing of a brand that has spent more than a century embedded in the fabric of South African life, and why the strategy that has kept Ford relevant is not the one most people would expect from a global automotive giant.The industry context that opens this episode is one every marketer and business leader needs to understand. The automotive sector contributes five per cent to South Africa’s national GDP, and the pressures it is navigating right now- consumer affordability, the shift to new energy vehicles, advances in drivetrain technology and the geopolitical conversation around maintaining a level playing field between local manufacturing and importing- are not just automotive challenges. They are national ones. Tarryn speaks to all of this with the clarity of someone who understands that marketing a car brand in South Africa is inseparable from understanding the country itself.The Ready Set Ford positioning that anchors the brand’s strategy is a masterclass in moving away from self-promotion toward genuine consumer centricity. Ford is not in the business of telling people how great its vehicles are. It is in the business of showing people what those vehicles make possible: the freedom to move, the ability to pursue a dream, the feeling of capability that comes from sitting behind the wheel of something built for the life you are actually living. That shift from product to possibility is the difference between a brand people buy and a brand people belong to.The user-generated content conversation in this episode is one of the most honest takes on brand co-creation this show has hosted. Ford’s customers, not its marketing team, are often the ones defining why the brand is loved, and rather than trying to control that narrative, the brand has leaned into it. AI and content creation tools have democratised the ability for passionate owners to share their experiences at scale, and Ford has recognised that as a strategic asset rather than a communications risk.The co-creation philosophy extends far beyond content. Ford’s commitment to South Africa is expressed through education, wildlife conservation and community partnerships that have nothing to do with selling vehicles and everything to do with earning the kind of long-term loyalty that no media budget can manufacture. This is a brand that has spent a century helping build a nation, and Tarryn makes the case that the next century will be built the same way.The episode closes with a look at what is coming next, including the launch of the Super Duty, a vehicle targeting a new segment in South Africa with enhanced towing and carrying capabilities, and a continued commitment to co-creating with the country rather than simply operating within it.If you work in automotive marketing, brand strategy, consumer intelligence or the creator economy, this episode will challenge how you think about the relationship between a brand and the community it serves.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.---Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeriesListen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaBSpotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYiInstagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqITikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0Follow Our Host and GuestLeroy:   / leroymarcn   Tarryn Knight:   / fordsouthafrica   Email: [email protected] Produced by Emcee:   / emceeiii  #FordSA #AutomotiveMarketing #UserGeneratedContent #ReadySetFord

PUTTING A BRAND IN FRONT OF PEOPLE IS NOT MARKETING. MAKING THEM CARE IS.In this episode of the Business of Influence IMC Series, hosted by Leroy Marc, Thato Lekgetha, Brand Consultant at VW Group, sits down for a conversation about what it actually takes to market one of the world’s most recognisable automotive brands in a South African market that is more complex, more competitive and more culturally specific than any global playbook can fully account for.The shift that anchors this episode is one every brand needs to internalise. The era of simply placing a brand in front of consumers and expecting attention is over. With influencers, content creators and journalists now sharing the narrative that brands once controlled entirely, the job of marketing has fundamentally changed. It is no longer about visibility. It is about demonstrating real value and genuine utility in a consumer’s daily life, and the brands that have not made that transition are already losing ground to the ones that have.The automotive sector conversation is particularly sharp. VW is navigating intense pressure from Asian competition, rapid technological advancement and a rising cost of living that makes every purchase decision more considered than it has ever been. Thato is honest about what that pressure requires: not control of the conversation but an embrace of its decentralisation, working with the influencers and journalists who are already shaping consumer perception rather than trying to override them.The localisation story is one of the most compelling parts of this episode. VW is a German brand. It is also a South African one, with local manufacturing rooted in the Eastern Cape and marketing campaigns built around real human stories rather than paid actors. The documentary-style approach behind the Golf 8.5 campaign is a case study in what happens when a global brand trusts local authenticity over global formula, and the results speak for themselves.The Night School initiative reframes what purpose-driven marketing can look like at its best. Rather than anchoring an initiative to a product launch, VW built a road safety programme specifically addressing night driving education, a genuine community need with no direct sales agenda attached. That is the kind of brand behaviour that earns long-term loyalty in a way that no campaign ever could.The episode closes with the tensions the industry still needs to resolve. Balancing technical innovation with affordability. Ensuring that the technology built into vehicles is actually useful rather than impressive. And managing online discourse around pricing and stereotypes in a market where the conversation moves faster than most brand teams can respond to.If you work in automotive marketing, brand strategy, content creation or consumer intelligence, this episode will change how you think about what it means to build a brand that people actually choose.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.---Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeriesListen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaBSpotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYiInstagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqITikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0Follow Our Host and GuestLeroy:https://www.instagram.com/leroymarcn/ Thato Lekgetha: https://www.instagram.com/thatoallday/ Email: [email protected] Music Produced by Emcee: https://www.instagram.com/emceeiii/#AutomotiveMarketing #VWGroup #IMCSeries #ConsumerIntelligence #PurposeDrivenMarketing #Localisation