#21 RadEO with Earl Smith from Volunteer SA

In this episode of RadEO, Ross talks to Earl Smith, the founder of Volunteer SA. They talk “Voluntourism” and getting people to volunteer in Africa and have the experience of a lifetime. Earl chats about the inspiring and frustrating side of social media and he shares his thoughts and experiences with leadership challenges. Subscribe on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radeo/id1250841955) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5FhWL8wjR13nuU1gI7dUkY) More about Earl - Having started Volunteer Southern Africa in 2008, they have had much success in growing their passion into what is one of the largest and most certainly well known and trusted volunteering business in South Africa. Responsible for management, strategy, improvements, marketing, business development. Brand development, web site traffic growth, web site UI and advertising revenue. Developed brand strategy and statistics systems. Forming partnerships and co-operations with regional conservation facilities as well as volunteer/travel agencies across the globe. He has a degree in electrical engineering, school at Carmel School in Pretoria, and matriculated in 1995. He has managed the Lion Park from 2008 until 2012. He saw a gap in the market and started marketing the Lion Park as a wildlife volunteer destination. From there, the business grew and it came time to put on his “big girl panties” and go with it alone. https://www.volunteersa.com/ Show Notes - 00:42 - Earl’s elevator pitch 01:44 - How did you find your passion and end up in this industry? 02:32 - The business model of Volunteer SA 06:30 - “Voluntourism” 08:10 - What does purpose mean to Earl? 10:30 - Applying your vision to your staff 12:58 - The inspiring and frustrating side of Social Media 17:32 - How do you catch your crowd? 20:50 - When did you start Volunteer SA? 22:24 - Howard Mann’s ‘Your Business Brickyard’ 25:30 - Earl’s tips for taking on a business partner 28:20 - Marketing your business 31:15 - Leadership Challenges 33:20 - What does Earl’s 2019 look like? – RadEO is a podcast for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs. It is hosted by Ross Drakes and Rich Mulholland and produced by the Entrepreneurs Organisation in South Africa. Tune in every 2 weeks to hear conversations with business owners who will share their experiences and stories of what they have learnt building their business and what drives them to keep going. If you have a business and want more information on EO, get in touch or visit our website eonetwork.org