KEYNOTE SPEAKER, AUTHOR, CELEBRITY CHEF, ENTR[RENEUR, COOK SHOW TV HOST AND PHILANTHROPIST

Miles Kubheka, the entrepreneur, refreshing keynote speaker and author, is the poster child for the audacity of hope. Having once been employed by a leading mul<na<onal, he went out on a limb and ingeniously created a restaurant with the same name and branding as a fic<onal restaurant portrayed in a famous ‘beeg beeg dreamer’ TV ad campaign. In doing so, he catapulted into media stardom, and soon translated his innova<ve thinking into entrepreneurial success.

When occupying centre stage at a business symposium and delivering a keynote, Miles has a clear message of hope for mul<na<onals and small businesses alike. If you hire the right people with an entrepreneurial mind-set, you can build new business models within your company, rather than have disgruntled employees leave and start a business in compe<<on to your own. Miles is also a firm believer that entrepreneurial mind-sets can be fostered within an organisa<on. He encourages organisa<ons to build a culture that supports employees to become intrepreneurs: people who behaves like an entrepreneur whilst being employed.

While Miles’s compelling rags-to-riches story speaks to any audience – his message is universal – it serves as a plaHorm from which to address some of the pressing issues in business today, such as compe<<on, retaining good staff, changing company culture and inves<ng in the future.

Both an analy<c and crea<ve thinker, who holds a Master’s degree in Business and a post-graduate Business Diploma from a leading business school, Miles believes companies who want to generate wealth, rather than to preserve it, need to offer new products and services. He shares his vision with businesses that are ready to ‘think out of the box’ when it comes to leadership, teamwork, branding and reputa<on management. In Miles’ own words: “It is okay to build a new business on the back of a legacy business – but will it look like lips<ck on a bulldog or a new puppy?”

His accomplishments include star<ng a chain of pharmacies and co-owning an IT soQware solu<ons company. His never-say-die message about going back out there every day, even when <mes are tough (he almost experienced bankruptcy), is something all South Africans in the business world can relate to. Driven by tenacity, op<mism and self-belief, Miles is uniquely capable of inspiring audiences to dream big but execute with prac<cality.

Accomplishments

• He holds a Master’s Degree in Business from Wits University and post-graduate Business Diploma from GIBS Business School.
• Chef
• Host of At The Table TV show, SABC 3 20:30.
• Writes for Entrepreneur magazine.
• Author of From A Big Big Dreamer to Living the Dream – Vuyo’s.

• Became one of four independent MicrosoQ vendors in which MicrosoQ invested R100m.
• Founder of Vuyo’s franchise.

  PEARLS OF WISDOM FOR SNIPPETS/SOCIAL MEDIA

  “When I started my business, there was no literature on South Africans star<ng businesses, except by those people who were already a success. That is why I wrote my book. I don’t have the secret of success, but I do have miniature recipes that have worked for me, based on what I’ve experienced day aQer day as an entrepreneur.”

  “If you hire the right people with an entrepreneurial mind-set you can build new business models within your company, rather than have disgruntled employees leave and start a business in compe<<on to your own.”

  “Dreaming is one thing, execu<on is another.” “Start by Star<ng”

  “We have a responsibility in South Africa to think differently. Every business in the world was started by an entrepreneur; but sta<s<cally speaking you’re more likely to succeed within a business than outside one. Build a culture within your business so people can be intrapreneurs.”

  “It is okay to build a new business on the back of a legacy business – but will it look like lips<ck on a bulldog or a new puppy?”

  “I like to talk about my entrepreneurial journey and how experiences can be u<lised within businesses to keep entrepreneurs like me inside their business, crea<ng new products.”

  “My story is an authen<cally South African success story, with a touch of the audacity of hope. It’s a rags-to-riches story that will resonate with those who want to build something from scratch.”

  “I want people to start thinking differently – that maybe it’s not about the state of the country or my circumstances that are holding me back; I need to be ac<ve, doing stuff, taking control.”

  “I don’t have the answers but every day I’m trying to figure it out. Some<mes it’s hard and it sucks; some<mes there are some great posi<ves. It doesn’t maier where you’re from – do your part and believe it’s going to work, no maier what. Some days are harder than others, but you should always go back out there.”

  “A lot of companies are more focused on wealth preserva<on than wealth genera<on. If you want to make more money, train your execu<ves to think out of the box.”