Raymond Ledwaba’s book shows that success isn’t about the summit, it’s about the journey

Raymond Ledwaba described himself as a bit of an imposter in the author world.

"In my mind, people who write books have made it to the top of the mountain," he says with a smile. "They've made their billions and now they're telling everyone else how to do it. But me? I'm still in the hustle, I'm still fighting in the trenches."

His honesty is precisely why his book The First Generation Founder: How to Build a Start-up Mindset and Thrive, resonates with South Africans who recognise themselves in his story.

Ledwaba is an accomplished chartered accountant, MBA graduate, CEO of IT-Thynk Smart Solutions and he has now expanded his portfolio to author.

He is also deeply committed to youth development through his non-profit organisation, Diski Nine9, which runs soccer and netball tournaments in Soweto and other areas of Joburg.

Ledwaba's journey to becoming an author started with a pandemic-era Zoom talk. At the request of a friend, he was invited to speak to a group of youngsters about a topic deeply close to his heart.

In his humble and heartfelt presentation, he shared the honest realities of the entrepreneurial journey - rewarding yet messy, far from glamorous, and filled with personal challenges.

Two weeks later, a publisher reached out to him to ask if he would consider writing a book about his journey so far. He didn't believe he was ready for a book but the pitch was convincing.

"Of course I had never thought of writing a book. She (publisher) was quite compelling. She pointed out that there was a lack of business books written by black people and a clear need for new voices in the literary space. She also emphasised the importance of writing from the perspective of, 'This where i am right now'."

The book is not just a step-by-step manual, but a deeply personal, often vulnerable ode to his family, his heritage and the complex experience of being the "first": first to get a good education, first to travel overseas, first to build a business from scratch - and by extension, the first of so many other things for anyone breaking new ground.

He openly talks about uncomfortable and sensitive issues such as black tax, imposter syndrome, the burden and the beauty of being the first generation of just about anything and some advice on changing your generational-genetic make-up.

"I'm winging it essentially and building these businesses without a blueprint and I know there are many people like me."

And while this is a book about entrepreneurship, Ledwaba draws a powerful analogy between genetics and generational behaviour. Just like we may inherit our parents' physical health risks such as heart disease and high blood pressure - there are also psychological inheritance we carry. 

If no one in your family has ever run a business, employed people, taken a risk or even thought of themselves as a creator, it's not surprising that entrepreneurship feels daunting.

"You ask yourself, why am I so conservative, why am I not taking risks, why do things seem so scary to me. It really isn't your fault. It is in your genes. It really is the cards you have been dealt. But you must understand your cards, and choose what kind of game you want to play. You can exercise, so you don't have to die of a stroke, you can eat better and exercise or you can take risks to rewire the genetic make-up of your family."

His book also emphasises the power of mindset, which is reflected in the second part of the title.

"Many of us, as people of colour, have grown up with a scarcity and poverty mindset. We need to teach ourselves to have an abundant mindset.

"I was speaking with a colleague in business recently. We were just talking about the process of hiring people and succession planning. We discussed how many businesses, especially ours, struggle to grow because we, as founders, become the bottlenecks. We're too involved in every detail and too hands-on.

"We know we need to step back, bring in fresh energy, and hire capable second-in-commands. But the problem is, we often feel we can’t afford them - they’re too expensive. I told my colleague, 'I just don’t have the money to pay them.” He responded, 'Change your thinking. Instead of saying you can't afford them, rather say: how can you raise the money to pay them."

The concept of rewiring one's approach is rooted in Ledwaba's own history.

Born in a village in Limpopo, his early years were shaped by absence - his father, a migrant worker, was rarely home. 

"I remember my siblings getting excited when he was coming," he recalls, being the youngest of three siblings. "And I'd think, 'Who is this guy?' I didn't know him."

But what his father lacked in presence, he made up for in principle. A ticket examiner on the trains for then-Spoornet, he supported not just his wife and children, but his younger siblings as well.

Eventually, Ledwaba's father secured a house in Soweto, where he moved his family, marking a new chapter in their lives.

His dad also worked as a gardener to fund his studies through Damelin.

Ledwaba recalls proudly how his father in 1987, topped the Southern African region in an economics exam - an achievement that earned him an offer to study at the London School of Economics - an opportunity he was not able to pursue.

"Being a black man in apartheid South Africa meant that he could not raise the funds to study there. He couldn't realise his full potential and I suspect we're (his children) doing it now."

His mom had a hard time finding employment even though she was a trained teacher. To make ends meet she took on odd jobs like selling snacks to children after school and selling second hand clothes, but she never grew her business to hire people.

It's this sense of continuation - of picking up where the generation before him left off - that informs everything Ledwaba does.

And while his book is already making waves, Ledwaba remains grounded. “It’s still too early to say how well it’s doing,” he says modestly. "I can't let this get to my head. It’s not about the numbers; it’s about the impact."

For the businessman, success is about more than the accolades - it’s about knowing that his story has the power to motivate others to take control of their own destinies.

A particularly rewarding moment for Ledwaba was when his niece, who is in Grade 8, called him after reading the book. She mentioned a passage where he shared his own experience of having average grades in school, and told him, "I've also been getting average grades, but now I realise  that doesn't have to be my story."