When I thought I could never be lower than what I had experienced during my mid to late teens, the past year said, “Oh? Hold my drink — let me show you…” — 22:53. I never thought I’d be able to actually publish this entry before midnight because I’ve deleted and restarted this entry at least 5 times today. [Sidenote: Actually, I can’t confirm it’ll be published before 01/06 because there’s still a whole hour left. Let’s see if I can get one…

While many young men do not have Fathers, Father Figures or upstanding role models to look up to, themselves… I am fortunate enough to have three. — My mother did a fantastic job raising me. I’d like to believe she did an awesome job in providing me with solid foundations, consistent affirmations and support on my journey to manhood. However, there is a limit to what or how much she can further teach me in navigating this…

The 1st of September holds such a special place in my heart and for a great many South Africans too. For me, I ultimately see the day as a celebration of the incoming Spring/Summer season. For others… well, the experiences of this day might not be fondly remembered. There’s context — let me explain… — Spring has Sprung in the Southern hemisphere and honestly, I welcome the change, especially after one of the coldest winters we’ve had in over 10 years. …

I’m learning something new each day and the same can be said for my toddler. Two years later, I’m learning an important lesson in parenthood, first- hand: If I want my kid to be a good person, I need to be a good person myself. — Here we are… two years later and my partner and I are pretty chuffed at the job we’re doing with our two-year old’s development. She’s chubby, extremely chatty, quite smart, steadily revealing an electrifying personality and has a unique personality trait: excellent mimicry. While it’s all this growth is fantastic…

Funding. The African startup’s biggest challenge and the determining factor between growing up or going bust. And while access continues to be a barrier, it’s not impossible to achieve if you have managed to convey your startups’ “Why” in a way that adds investor confidence, is easily communicable to customers and sets the foundation to build on a company culture that future employees (and consumers) can buy into and entrench.

Apart from the guarantee of my next breath, my shadow has been a constant feature in my life. Except now, I seem to have two shadows… the other is quite interactive — My shadow is less than half my size, doesn’t require any light to reveal its presence and requires me to house, feed, bathe and raise it. Ever since it figured out how to talk (with a vocabulary that improves weekly), walk and run, it’s been by my side constantly.

The creative economy has finally come full circle. Creator-focused fintechs are addressing the long-neglected industry with payment solutions, only spurred on by the innovations we’re currently experiencing such as NFTs. But wait… how did we get here? What the hell is the “Creator Economy?” And what does this mean for African creators? — [This is Part One of the “Fintech African Creator Economy” where the creator economy will be further explored from its inception, current trends and industry improvements made, powered by fintech solutions]

My oldest friend of 20 years got married last weekend. As his Best Man, I had to give a speech and toast. I am no stranger to speaking publically and I am extremely comfortable with addressing a room full of strangers, but I was nervous giving a speech on this occasion as I didn’t want to botch this responsibility. In the end, I thought it went well. Here’s what I had to say: — “Many thanks to Phike and Taneal in assisting me to gather enough people to share a presentation on this once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity. From as little as R200, our company, ‘Cash Money Bucks’ can guarantee returns of up to R5000 next week! I’m kidding, I’m kidding…

With Samsung Pay having taken the lead with contactless payments, Apple Pay has (finally) joined the race enriching customer’s options for alternative payments methods. — Having been available to users since 2018, Fitbit Pay, Garmin Pay and Samsung Pay have been the only contactless payment providers in South Africa — with Samsung Pay being the clear market leader. What is tokenisation you ask? To summarise Forbes’ definition: