In this episode of Born to Build, Richard Bolland shares the journey of building Studio Bo from a freelance operation into one of South Africa's leading animation and game development studios. He reflects on discovering his passion for animation at just 13 years old, navigating the leap into entrepreneurship, building a values-driven creative culture, and why kindness—not relentless growth—has become Studio Bo's greatest competitive advantage.

Richard also offers refreshingly honest insights into AI's impact on the creative industry, how authentic brands are standing out in an age of content overload, and the practical financial discipline that helped Studio Bo weather one of its toughest years yet.

Chapters:

(00:00) Welcome & Finding Animation at 13(02:52) Learning the Craft Before the Business(06:54) Starting Studio Bo & Taking the Leap(10:37) Landing the First Clients(12:56) Growing from Creative to Leader(18:55) Building a Culture of Kindness(22:10) Leading a Team of Creatives(25:17) Why Studio Bo Expanded into Game Development(28:18) AI, Creativity & Surviving Industry Disruption(32:17) The Financial Rule That Saved the Business(34:36) Authentic Marketing in the Age of AI(39:16) Advice for Creative Founders(40:35) Rapid Fire

Check them out: https://www.studiobo.io

About Born to Build:

Born to Build is a podcast featuring conversations with the builders, founders, and pioneers driving change from the ground up. Each episode highlights the real stories of SME owners - how they started, what they've overcome, and what keeps them building their business. It's honest, practical business insight from those shaping their industries one bold move at a time, equipping you with the tools to build and grow YOUR business.

n this Born to Build episode, Jonny Harris shares his journey from civil engineering in the UK to building innovative sanitation solutions in Africa. He unpacks the founding of Isidima, the lessons learned from launching a consultancy with a purpose, and the five-year journey of developing Arumloo — an ultra-low flush toilet inspired by the Arum Lily.

Jonny also explains how nature-based engineering, water-sensitive cities, and decentralized infrastructure could reshape the future of water and sanitation. Along the way, he offers honest insights into entrepreneurship, product development, patents, cash flow challenges, and why no founder succeeds alone.

It's a fascinating conversation about solving real-world problems, building with purpose, and creating practical innovations that improve both human dignity and environmental sustainability.

Chapters:

(00:00) Welcome & Jonny's Journey into Water and Sanitation
(05:07) Starting Isidima and Building with Purpose
(09:04) The Problem That Inspired Arumloo
(13:35) Nature, Biomimicry & The Arum Lily Breakthrough
(16:34) Five Years of Product Development and Prototyping
(18:05) Patents, Manufacturing & Startup Challenges
(23:19) Why They Couldn't Give Up on Arumloo
(24:08) Bringing Arumloo to Market
(26:32) Expanding into Africa, the Middle East & Beyond
(29:39) Patents, Protection & Global Growth
(32:31) What Water-Sensitive Cities Could Look Like
(36:03) Living Off-Grid and Turning Home into a Living Lab
(37:47) Entrepreneurship, Faith & Building in Community
(40:25) Marketing, Awareness & Commercializing Innovation
(41:14) Rapid Fire Questions & Closing Thoughts

Check them out:

https://www.arumloo.com

https://www.isidima.net

About Born to Build:

Born to Build is a podcast featuring conversations with the builders, founders, and pioneers driving change from the ground up. Each episode highlights the real stories of SME owners - how they started, what they've overcome, and what keeps them building their business. It's honest, practical business insight from those shaping their industries one bold move at a time, equipping you with the tools to build and grow YOUR business.

In this episode of Born to Build, Weyers Marais, co-founder of Helt, shares the story behind building a South African energy tech company focused on ultra-rugged portable power systems and the bigger vision driving it all. From early Frankenstein-style prototypes and engineering setbacks to building proprietary battery systems and learning how to earn trust in the market, Weyers gives a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to build hard-tech products from the ground up.

It’s a thoughtful conversation about engineering, purpose-driven business, long-term thinking, and why building both the product and the business matters if you want to create real impact.

Chapters:

(00:00) Welcome & The Mission Behind Helt(00:49) The Fossil Fuel Problem That Sparked Helt(03:26) From Electric Tuk-Tuks to Portable Power(06:05) The Earliest Prototypes & Building an MVP(08:52) Manual Prototyping, CNC Machines & Iteration(14:00) The Hardest Engineering Challenges(19:27) Making Decisions Through Data & Uncertainty(24:03) Building the Business Around the Product(25:49) Brand, Storytelling & Preparing for Launch(29:03) The Meaning Behind the Name “Helt”(31:19) Building Trust vs Building the Product(34:03) Lessons Learned & The Lean Startup Mindset(35:52) Advice for Engineers & Technical Founders(38:28) Rapid Fire Questions & Final Reflections

Check them out: https://helt.co.za

About Born to Build:

Born to Build is a podcast featuring conversations with the builders, founders, and pioneers driving change from the ground up. Each episode highlights the real stories of SME owners - how they started, what they've overcome, and what keeps them building their business. It's honest, practical business insight from those shaping their industries one bold move at a time, equipping you with the tools to build and grow YOUR business.