Lu-ise Hattingh and Ruan Botha are a great example of the power and value of travel. After spending time in Japan, they fell in love with the culture and food. As all great entrepreneurs do, they also took the opportunity to learn about the Japanese approach to consumer brands. That curiosity eventually sparked a business idea they brought back home.

Today, Lu-ise and Ruan are rolling out Market Kokoro franchise stores in South Africa and especially the Western Cape, tapping into the existing Market Kokoro infrastructure in South Africa and adding their particular flavour of experiential retail. If you love the thought of cooking your off-the-shelf noodles in the store, then Market Kokoro is for you.

In bringing miso to Mzansi, one of the biggest insights is about the importance of meeting customers where they are, both in terms of tastes and locations.

On episode 6 of The Finance Ghost Plugged in with Capitec, Lu-ise and Ruan share the journey behind building a cross-cultural brand.

Episode 6 covers:

• How travelling sparked the idea for Market Kokoro – and how this married couple turned a dream to bring this culture and food back home into a working business
• Why their unique mix of skills (Ruan as an attorney and Lu-ise with a background in film and hospitality) lead to success
• The background to Market Kokoro in South Africa and their involvement with the business
• What makes the retail landscape in Cape Town different from Johannesburg – and how they adapt to each
• Why additional sources of income are crucial while getting a business off the ground
• The benefit of tapping into governmental organisations to help launch in a specific city
• The consumer licensing opportunity in South Africa and how Japan’s model inspired their approach

Ricky Ruthenberg has truly taken a ground-up approach to his career. Adapting to opportunities as they present themselves is clearly a powerful skill. From waiting tables at Col’Cacchio to helping launch the first Bootlegger in Sea Point, he’s gone on to build the team that runs a national chain of nearly 100 Bootlegger restaurants.

From espresso to enterprise, this is the story of building something from nothing. Hard work, perseverance and self-belief are the ingredients in this delicious recipe.

On episode 5 of The Finance Ghost Plugged in with Capitec, Ricky talks about what it takes to grow a local brand into a national success story.

Episode 5 covers:

• The hard work required when opening a restaurant and why owner involvement is critical in the early days
• Building the Bootlegger brand and overcoming challenges along the way
• Why the group runs a mix of corporate-owned and franchise stores and how that creates opportunity
• The pros and cons of having master franchisees vs many individual franchisees
• How the retail store model helps drive brand awareness and loyalty
• How his role has evolved from cooking and closing up the first store to leading a national team as CEO
• Managing coffee price volatility and the strategies behind it
• How the Bootlegger survived COVID and thrived afterwards
• The value of Capitec as a franchise funding partner

• (00:00:00) - Bootlegger's Success Story
• (00:01:09) - Which keeps you up more at night? Strong coffee or a newborn
• (00:01:44) - Coffee Bootleg
• (00:04:29) - Bootlegger's story on becoming an Equity Partner
• (00:06:41) - Bootlegger Coffee Co.
• (00:08:28) - Bootlegger's secret to success
• (00:10:16) - Peter and Ricky Bloom on Their Early Years
• (00:12:00) - The Coffee Chain's philosophy
• (00:15:02) - Bootleggers Coffee: A National Brand
• (00:17:12) - Keurig Coffee: Going Mainstream with Retail Stores
• (00:20:09) - When I was CEO, my role changed
• (00:24:31) - How Hard Do You Work In the Morning?
• (00:24:55) - Bootlegger's hybrid franchise model
• (00:29:49) - How to start a business with multiple stores
• (00:31:47) - Input costs in the coffee business
• (00:35:46) - Bootlegger's story of survival during the Covid Pandemic
• (00:38:46) - Franchise Banking: Capitec Funding
• (00:40:38) - What Keeps You Motivated?
• (00:42:17) - Support Your Local Bootlegger

Hugh Cunningham is as passionate about customer service and product assortment as he is about medicine. As the co-owner of The Local Choice Pharmacy Harmelia, Hugh focuses on business management, while his wife and co-founder Yolandi ensures the dispensary runs smoothly.

On episode 4 of The Finance Ghost Plugged in with Capitec, Hugh shares excellent insights on specialist retail and how pharmacies really work.

Episode 4 covers:

• Why separation of duties and having a clear decision-maker is critical
• The importance of doing proper financial analytics in any business
• How pharmacies make money and the differences between independent and corporate pharmacy models
• The benefits of being part of a franchise network
• The future of the pharmacy industry and how independent pharmacies can stay competitive