Case stories, not theory
Every episode unpacks what a leader actually did — the decisions, the failures, the culture they built on purpose.
BUILDPEOPLE
Season two — loading
Build
The People
The podcast for community builders, culture makers, and everyone intentional about growing the people around them — at work, at home and in life.
277k+Views
Build owners, not employees
with Akhona Qengqe
75kAccounts Reached
Build the People is not a podcast. It's a way of leading.
People before profit
Businesses that outlive their founders are built by owners, not employees. We dig into how that transfer of ownership happens.
BEYOND THE BUSINESS
Building people is professional, social and relational. Families, teams, communities — the same principles carry.
Season one
The conversations
30:04Build businesses that outlive you
From Self-Driven to People-Driven: The Leadership Transition No One Talks About
Charl de VilliersCEO, Libstar
30:58Build owners, not employees
Inside KFC Africa: Building People, Leading Boldly, and Failing Forward
Akhona QengqeGeneral Manager, KFC Africa
35:05Responsibility is the doorway to growth
Why Pineapple Insurance Is Winning (And What Leaders Can Learn)
Marnus van HeerdenCo-founder & CEO, Pineapple
40:15The best leaders are boringly consistent
How McDonald's SA Scales People-first Leadership
Greg SolomonCEO, McDonald's South Africa
34:39Strong cultures don't happen by accident
Culture Over Convenience: The Bootlegger Leadership Story
Ricky RuthenbergCEO, Bootlegger
32:53Build a team you would go to war with
Culture, Discipline & Risk-Taking: Inside Old School's Growth
Daneel SteinmannFounder & CEO, Old School
30:05Own your flaws
Owning My Flaws: Growing as a South African Leader
Alan Knott-CraigEntrepreneur & Author
31:23People strategy is growth strategy
The People Leadership Strategy Behind Freedom of Movement's Growth
Léan BoezaartFreedom of Movement
Season one traction
277 082 views in six months. Built from zero.
- 277k
- Video views
- 75 400
- Unique accounts reached
- 3 117
- New followers
- 1 185 hrs
- Watch time
75 400 unique accounts, 2 209 new followers, 4 200 link clicks to the podcast.
88 260 ad impressions targeted by job title. 17 932 to MDs, 11 460 to CEOs.
YouTube
14 3441 185 watch hours, 4.18% clickthrough, 6:06 average view duration.
Audio
1 385Downloads with zero media spend. 28 countries, 86 cities. 66% Apple, 24% Spotify.
- A third of LinkedIn impressions reached MD or CEO level.
- 29 883 impressions landed inside companies with 200+ employees.
- 85% of listeners and 94% of Instagram followers are in South Africa.
- Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria drive 71% of downloads.
- Every episode generated more than 17 000 total views.
- The library keeps earning: +1 669 YouTube views and +557 downloads since the season ended.
The host
Christiaan
van den Berg
A year ago I started asking leaders one question: who are you building? Eight episodes later, the answers keep pointing the same way — the businesses and communities that last are the ones where someone took the time to build a person.
Season two goes deeper: more founders, more everyday builders, more of the unglamorous work that makes people grow.
Subscribe on YouTubeSeason two is coming
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