What we learned from her talk at MANCOSA Jacaranda FM Business Breakfast

Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng's core provocation—hire and build for capability, not certificates—isn't an academic nicety. For a South African SME owner, it's a survival strategy. Markets are moving faster, margins are tighter, and AI is collapsing the advantage of "more hands." What still separates winners from the pack is sharper judgment, tighter execution, and the ability to learn faster than the problem changes. At hyperLOOP, that's the ground we operate on: we help owners turn good intentions into operating reality—clear strategy, disciplined marketing, AI-enabled workflows, and a team that ships.

Why This Matters to You (the Owner)

When revenue is lumpy and costs are rising, the question isn't "Do we believe in learning and diversity?" It's "Can my business consistently create or protect value, this quarter?" Prof. Phakeng's lens reframes the answer. A certificate proves past study; capability proves future cash flow. Capability looks like a sales rep who can frame a customer's problem properly, a marketer who can turn data into decisions, and a team that can disagree productively without losing speed. Those aren't HR slogans; they are revenue levers.

Apply it: Define value in plain numbers. What will move revenue, lower acquisition cost, reduce rework, or shorten cycle time in the next 90 days? Measure only what you're willing to manage weekly.

Strategy that Works on Tuesdays

Many SMEs have a "strategy deck" that doesn't survive contact with Tuesday morning. We design strategy as an operating system: one-page narrative choices, quarterly "bets," and weekly cadences that tie priorities to pipeline, content, and customer moments. AI then accelerates the grind—research, drafting, data checks, reporting—so your people spend more time on judgment and relationships.

How hyperLOOP helps: We run a two-week Strategy Sprint to clarify where growth will actually come from, what must stop, and what to automate. You leave with a decision tree, a 90-day plan, owned KPIs, and the workflows to execute—no shelfware.

Apply it: If a priority doesn't have a named owner, a weekly metric, and a next ship date, it isn't a priority.

People Without Pedigree—On Purpose

Prof. Phakeng reminds us that marks are noisy signals. We help clients evaluate proof of work: short simulations, portfolio evidence, and a structured interview that tests problem framing, collaboration, communication, and commercial sense. Inside the company, we create a light "marketplace" for internal gigs so talent moves to the work that matters.

How hyperLOOP helps: We install skills-based hiring and a simple internal talent marketplace. You'll see faster ramp time, fewer mis-hires, and a bench that can flex when demand shifts.

Apply it: Ask candidates—and current staff—one question weekly: "Where did you create or protect value? Show me." Make the stories public inside the team.

AI as a Colleague, Not a Crutch

AI won't fix a fuzzy brief or a weak offer, but it will multiply a sharp one. We standardise your AI toolkit for research, content drafts, data QA, and customer insight—along with guardrails for privacy, bias checks, and attribution. The rule is simple: humans own the problem and the final decision; AI owns first drafts and grunt work.

How hyperLOOP helps: We design your "AI-in-the-loop" processes for marketing, sales ops, and reporting. Expect 20–40% time back on repetitive work and cleaner decisions because the team reviews AI output with a red-team mindset.

Apply it: Pick one recurring task this week—newsletter, report, proposal—and force a human→AI→human loop. Track time saved and quality gained.

Learning That Pays for Itself

Phakeng's 40/60 idea—40% content, 60% what you do with the experience—maps perfectly to SME reality. We turn learning into shipping: six-week cycles, cross-team sprints, customer listening, and a demo day where lessons are captured and reused. The "curriculum" is your pipeline.

How hyperLOOP helps: We implement a light Learning OS. Every cycle ends with a one-slide "learning ledger"—problem, action, impact, lesson—so knowledge compounds instead of walking out the door.

Apply it: End the week by writing one paragraph: "What did we learn that changes how we sell, spend, or build next week?" Circulate it. Use it.

Diversity as Decision Quality

Working across difference isn't a poster value; it's a hedge against groupthink. We teach "challenge-then-charity": steelman the other view before you argue. In practice, this improves pricing debates, offer design, and campaign choices.

How hyperLOOP helps: We facilitate monthly "Difference Dialogues" tied to live decisions—pricing, product, positioning—so disagreement becomes throughput, not politics.

Apply it: In your next debate, require one person to argue the opposite case for five minutes. Decide only after both sides are strong.

Your 90-Day Owner's Plan (Built for Reality)

Days 0–30 – Diagnose & Focus:
We audit your funnel, costs, and workflows to find the biggest leaks. You choose two growth bets and one efficiency bet. We set a weekly review and ship the first AI-enabled workflow for a visible win.

Days 31–60 – Execute & Train:
We run a six-week cycle with tight briefs, rapid drafts, and real customer feedback. Skills-based hiring kicks off for the next key role, and the internal gig marketplace reorganises slack capacity toward the bets.

Days 61–90 – Scale & Prove:
We document the new ways of working, publish a "How We Hire & Grow" page to attract talent, and expand AI norms to a second process. You get a pilot report with capability gains, revenue movement, cycle-time reductions, and next-quarter choices.

What you should see: shorter idea-to-live time, clearer weekly decisions, fewer revisions, steadier pipeline, and a team that sounds like one company.

What We Deliver, Tangibly

A one-page strategy you can run on Tuesdays; a 90-day execution plan; skills-based hiring kits and role simulations; an AI toolkit with guardrails and playbooks; a Learning OS that turns work into reusable assets; and a simple, shared dashboard that makes trade-offs obvious. We don't hand you theory. We get in the trenches and build alongside you until it works.

If you want this to be the quarter your business gets faster, clearer, and more valuable—let's talk.