Interview: Blue Cellular CEO Barry Taitz

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Duncan McLeod chats to Blue Cellular founder and CEO Barry Taitz for insight into just how tough the economy in South Africa really is at the moment and the degree to which ordinary South Africans are struggling to get by. Taitz, whose company specialises in providing prepaid cellular products to underserviced parts the country, including townships and rural areas, has a better insight than most about what's really happening on the ground in South Africa. In this podcast interview, he paints a worrying picture about the pressure the poor are under. Also in this interview, Taitz tells TechCentral about how he built Blue Cellular, against the odds and from the ground up with little support, to the point where it is now considering acquisitions and mulling a listing on the JSE. It's a fascinating story about how tenacity in business can deliver big outcomes.
9 Feb 2017 English South Africa Technology · Business

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