Be a guest
You built it. Now help someone else start.
If you’ve founded or led a business through its early days, its growth and its tough years, your story could save a young founder years of trial and error.
Who we’re looking for
- Founders and CEOs with a real journey — you started something, grew it and kept it going.
- Staying power. Your business has been operating long enough to have lived through at least one hard stretch.
- Honesty over polish. You’re willing to talk about the mistakes as well as the wins.
- Any sector, any size. Tech, agriculture, retail, manufacturing, services, creative work — if it’s a real business, it counts.
You don’t need to be famous. You need to have done the work and be willing to share what you learned.
What recording involves
- Apply below. Tell us about your business and the story you’d share. It takes about five minutes.
- A short intro call. If it’s a fit, we’ll get in touch to get to know you and agree on the themes.
- The conversation. A relaxed, recorded interview on video and audio. No script — just honest questions.
- Before it goes out. We edit the episode and write up the key lessons, then publish it and share it with you.
Before you apply
What we’ll actually ask you
No trick questions, and nothing you need to rehearse. The conversation moves through the same three chapters as every episode:
Started
Where the idea came from, what the first money was, who your first customer was and what you got wrong in year one.
Grew
The first hires, the systems you had to build, the moment demand outgrew you — and the decisions that paid off or nearly cost you the business.
Sustained
How you held on through a bad year, kept the people who mattered, and what you would tell the version of you who was just starting.
We close by asking for the one lesson you wish someone had told you at the start. That line usually becomes the heart of the episode.
What you get
What you take away from it
- A published episode on video and audio, with your company and links credited on its own page.
- Your key lessons in writing — a short, quotable list your team and customers can read without pressing play.
- Clips you can post from the conversation, yours to use on your own channels.
- A record worth keeping. Most founders never get asked to tell the whole story in one sitting. This is that record.
Apply to be a guest
Nominating someone else? Fill it in with their details and mention it in the last question — we’ll reach out carefully.
Questions
Before you say yes
Does it cost anything to appear?
No. Guests are never charged, and you can’t buy a seat on the show. Sponsors support the series, not the guest list.
How long does the recording take?
Plan for about two hours at the studio: settling in, the conversation itself, and photographs. The published episode is shorter.
Where do you record?
In our studio in Yaoundé, and on our live set at CITS26 in October 2026.
What language is the show in?
English for now. If you are more comfortable in French, say so in your application — we are planning French episodes and will tell you where that stands.
Do I get to see the questions first?
You’ll know the three chapters we cover, which is what this page describes. We don’t send a script, because scripted answers make for a useless episode.
Can I review the episode before it goes out?
What if my business failed, or I left it?
Then you probably have more to teach than most. Closing, selling or walking away are part of the journey and we’d rather talk about them honestly.
Can I nominate someone else?
Yes. Fill the form in with their details and say so in the last question, and we’ll approach them carefully.