Shades & Layers

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This is an oldie but goodie from the archives. This conversation was recorded in 2024, but its principles and teachings are timeless. Susanne Mariga is an expert in finance and she's been doing taxes for clients since she was a 14-year old in her dad's accounting office. 
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If your business is busy but your bank balance never reflects it, something is broken and it’s not your work ethic. Suzanne Mariga, CPA, fractional CFO, and CEO of the award-winning Mariga Group joins me in a conversation about the money mistake she sees again and again: founders pushing for years, sometimes decades, and still having nothing to show for it.

Suzanne explains the Profit First method in plain language, including the five-bank-account setup that creates instant clarity around cash flow management: income, profit, owner’s pay, tax, and operating expenses. She explains why focusing on building net worth is a better strategy than “saving tax” through spending. She says, pay yourself properly so that your business stops quietly relying on your unpaid labour. 

Other topics we discuss include: 
Preparing for a leap from corporate life
The art of remaining flexible and open to change 
How fractional C-suite fiance support helps build stronger accounting systems
A quick chat about AI Tools for Small Business. 

If you want healthier margins, better cash flow, and a business you could one day sell, press play. 
Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

LOST IN TRANSLATION
Roth IRA - The American retirement fund - similar to the RA contribution for South Africans and private pension funds of the EU region. 
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In this episode we connect with Magogodi oaMphela Makhene, author, speaker and founder of Love As A Kind of Cure and thought leadership coach. We trace her entrepreneurial journey from her focus on social enterprises, how she was led to writing and then became a coach who helps Women of Color to turn their stories into intellectual property and income.   
Magogodi is a sought after keynote speaker and communicator who walks the talk. Her trademarked C.R.O.W.N framework is built around her lived experience, which she shares with vulnerability and generosity in our conversation.
Magogodi originates from my hometown, Soweto. She is the author of the award-winning short story collection Innards and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop programme. Find out how she made the pivot from business school to literature and how she combines the two today in her work. You will also discover how she helps her clients to see and honour their value.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check out her podcast, Madame Speaker Says, you will be so inspired by all the guests that she has on there. And if you like this episode, please share it with a friend and send me a message to let me know what you think.

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Bisila Bokoko is an international business woman who got her start in the  corporate world in Spain and then eventually in the USA. Today she shares her journey from corporate executive to international entrepreneur, wine brand founder, and creator of the Bisila Bokoko African Literacy Project. 
Born to African parents from Equatorial Guinea in Spain, she jokingly calls herself a Decaf African and had a tough time navigating her African identity within a European culture. She now sees herself as a a bridge between the two cultures. Over the years she has also learned to understand and embrace her own fears, and learned how to transform obstacles into opportunities.  
Today, we get into the scope of her work as an entrepreneur, author and philanthropist. We discuss her latest book: The Fear and I: An Unexpected Story, how she founder her wine brand Bisila's Wines and her philanthropy work with the Bisila Bokoko African Literacy Project. 
For the candid moments of our chat, she talks about mindset and how she rejects the phrases "I don't have time" and "I don't have money" to advance her aims. She also recommends surrounding yourself with cheerleaders, mentors, and accountability partners.

Find Bisila Bokoko on Instagram, LinkedIn, or through her website. 

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What if business success isn't about endless growth? Sundra Essien, co-founder of Isang's Hair and Body, returns to Shades and Layers for our 100th episode for this discussion. Sundra and I first spoke in 2020 during the first season of the podcast and a period of uncertainty in the world. Today, she returns to once again challenge everything you think you know about entrepreneurship, sustainability, and success.
 
Sundra's Copenhagen-based personal care company manufactures hair and body products using organic, fair-trade ingredients in an open workshop where customers can witness production firsthand. Their true mission, however, extends far beyond making and selling body care products. Isangs is a platform for addressing critical issues from supply chain transparency to social justice. As Sundra explains, these everyday products provide the perfect vehicle for sparking deeper conversations: "It's a space where people aren't expecting to have discussions about de-growth and justice and politics."

Today’s conversation serves as a reflection on how far Isang's has come since our last conversation, how they’ve leveraged social media not only to stay in business, but to continue addressing all the issues that are central to the company's founding philosophy. The company's philosophy centers on de-growth—the radical notion that businesses should question the imperative for constant expansion. 
Listen now to discover how rethinking success might lead to greater satisfaction in business and life. Follow Isang's at @Isangs on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to learn more about their mission-driven approach.
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BONUS EPISODE
📣 INTRODUCING our new podcast bestie Madame Speaker Says hosted by Magogodi oaMphela Makhene. 
For this special bonus episode, we did a podswap and the featured guest is skin educator, beauty editor and founder of ThisThatBeauty, Felicia Walker. 
The skin is your largest living organ and Felicia believes it is not vanity to care for your skin. It needs care like any other part of your body and she'll tell you how you can radiate beauty from the inside out in every space you enter. 
You'll love this episode which is about a personal and professional journey, because it features all the themes you've come to expect from and love about Shades and Layers: being seen, representation, authenticity and successful living.
✨ GET: Your Glow Up Guide
📲 FOLLOW Felicia: @thisthatbeauty 

ABOUT MAGOGODI AND MADAME SPEAKER SAYS
Author, Speaker and Storytelling Coach Magogodi oaMphela Makhene helps helps women founders become famous experts. 
She knows that being an "expert" isn't about being perfect - it's about being brave enough to share what shaped you, often the experiences that felt most shameful. 
🎧 Listen to Magogodi’s podcast, Madame Speaker Says and subscribe to her newsletter for bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.

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NEWSLETTER, stay in the loop and subscribe to our newsletter

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