This week, we welcome Nic Frangos, whose fingerprints are all over some of South Africa's biggest business moments—yet you've probably never heard his name.

Nic became Unilever's youngest senior manager in the world before stepping into entrepreneurship to build Mercedes Information Technology (MIT), the country's most successful technology group. He went toe-to-toe with IBM and global giants, pioneered the biometric payment system that ended up in the Smithsonian, and pulled off the legendary "sardine eating the whale"—acquiring Unisys, a company 3-4x MIT's size, and paying it back in just four years.

But this conversation goes far beyond the deals. We dive into the moment three directors confessed to fraud on his first day as CEO and how he handled it, why customer obsession beats product attachment every time, and the brutal reality of "you don't know what you know until you know what you don't know."

After three decades as an operator, Nic distilled his experience into the All-In Strategy methodology. We explore why most CEOs struggle with strategy, how to actually structure your time to think strategically, and why the real fun of entrepreneurship is in applying yourself and learning, not just executing on intuition.

Tune in for a masterclass in strategic thinking, integrity-driven leadership, and building businesses that last.

---------- To support The Founder Files:🔔 Subscribe and turn post notifications on⭐ Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts💭 Share your thoughts on LinkedIn and tag Cameron Coutts🔗 Connect with Nic:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-frangos/🔗 Connect with Cameron:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefounderfilespodcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-metavolve/

In this episode of The Founder Files, we sit down with Stephen Walker, founder and CEO of Ground 2 Tap, the South African engineering company transforming how homes and industries access clean water.From brewing beer in his parents’ garage to building one of the country’s most trusted water-engineering brands, Stephen shares how he bootstrapped Ground 2 Tap from scratch, with no investors, no shortcuts, and a relentless focus on systems, people, and purpose.He opens up about early failures (and leaking pipes), designing his business to scale from day one, and why he believes real success isn’t measured by funding rounds but by freedom, faith, and impact.This conversation is a blueprint for founders who want to build something that lasts; intentionally, sustainably, and on their own terms.We dive into:• How a home-brewing experiment sparked Ground2Tap• Early failures and the lessons that built resilience• Designing scalable systems before scaling revenue• Using AI to personalize sales and build customer trust• Building a purpose-driven business that blesses others• Why freedom is worth more than fundingIt’s practical, honest, and proof that purpose-driven engineering can change lives, one drop at a time.---------- Book a curiosity call with Cameron: https://www.metavolve.co/curiosity-callThis episode is brought to you by Metavolve.Metavolve is a team of focused experts committed to helping entrepreneurs like you scale their businesses successfully. Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/---------- To support The Founder Files:🔔 Subscribe and turn post notifications on⭐ Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts🔗 Connect with Stephen:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-walker-g2t/🔗 Connect with Cameron:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefounderfilespodcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-metavolve/---------- Chapters00:00 Introduction01:00 Growing up with entrepreneurial parents03:30 From UCT engineer to Bain consultant06:00 The beer experiment that sparked Ground2Tap09:15 Simplifying complex engineering for everyday people14:30 The first leaking prototype & break-even beginnings18:50 Early clients, Day Zero, and the first wave of growth26:30 Building systems that scale from day one33:40 Why his second hire was a salesperson41:20 Cloning his voice with AI to personalize every proposal47:00 Qualifying clients through empathy and education59:40 Managing two markets, residential vs commercial1:08:45 Bootstrapping, control, and saying no to investors1:17:10 Defining success: freedom, faith, and purpose1:23:50 Building a business that’s a blessing to others1:42:30 Creating culture, trust, and people-first leadership

How do you scale a global brand without losing your purpose?

In this episode of The Founder Files, we sit down with Samantha Skyring, founder and CEO of Oryx Desert Salt, the South African brand turning a natural Kalahari resource into an international success story.

From selling her home and starting in a Wendy house to landing on shelves in Whole Foods USA, Samantha shares the deeply human story behind building a purpose-driven brand that refuses to compromise on integrity or sustainability.

She opens up about surviving cash-flow crises, manifesting opportunities through intention, and why she believes gratitude and clarity are her ultimate business tools. This conversation is a blueprint for founders who want to grow globally while staying grounded in their values.

We dive into:

• Turning 34 tons of salt into a global business

• Surviving early crises and finding the right investors

• The power of intention and long-term vision in entrepreneurship

• How Oryx got into Whole Foods and scaled to 23 countries

• Building a sustainable brand: “Refill, not landfill”

• Why meditation, gratitude, and mindset are the real growth strategy

This episode is packed with lessons on building with belief, leading with heart, and proving that purpose and profit can grow together.

---------- Book a curiosity call with Cameron: https://www.metavolve.co/curiosity-callThis episode is brought to you by Metavolve.Metavolve is a team of focused experts committed to helping entrepreneurs like you scale their businesses successfully. Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/---------- To support The Founder Files:🔔 Subscribe and turn post notifications on⭐ Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts🔗 Connect with Samantha:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthaskyring/🔗 Connect with Cameron:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefounderfilespodcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-metavolve/----------Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

10:20 The real story behind salt

17:00 From NGO to selling her house for 34 tons of salt

23:00 Finding partners, crises & networking to survive

27:00 Scaling to 23 countries & Whole Foods

30:00 Building a sustainable brand: “Refill not Landfill”

38:00 The COVID shock & the power of intentional focus

46:00 Running a low-margin, high-volume business

59:30 Vision, focus & meditation as a founder tool

1:17:00 The power of long-term intention

1:23:00 Gratitude as a founder superpower