People assume the jump from failed teenage businesses to running a twelve-company venture studio required outside capital at some point. It didn't. It required something less glamorous: failing eight times, learning what running a business actually means, and reinvesting everything into the next repeatable thing.
Fail early, and pay attention to why
Between 2015 and 2018, Brian Mlambo started a catering company, a printing company, a photography business, a tutoring service, a graphic design company, a t-shirt printing venture, an events management company and a computer repairs service. All eight failed.
The lesson wasn't in any single failure. It was in the pattern: he kept starting businesses without knowing how to actually run one.
The agency that taught me discipline, then had to go
In 2018 he moved to Cape Town, enrolled at UCT to study Business Management, and rebuilt a marketing agency he ran full time from 2019 to 2021. In 2021 he sold the agency to a close friend and turned fully to Akha Ventures.
Every business funds the next one
Since 2021, Akha Ventures Group has grown into twelve companies spanning marketing, procurement, tech, entertainment, community and finance.
Frequently Asked
Brian Mlambo started eight businesses between 2015 and 2018 that failed, then ran a marketing agency from 2019 to 2021 before selling it to focus full time on Akha Ventures Group.
Akha Ventures Group operates twelve companies spanning marketing, procurement, tech, entertainment, community and finance.