Bogosi Motshegwa, founder of Thinkerneur & One Human Summit

Bogosi Motshegwa and his biggest inspiration, Kgosi. Source: Supplied.

Tell me about yourself

Nothing gives me more satisfaction and pleasure than working on and doing things that are interesting, that matter, are significant or just important. I live with my son full time, raising, nurturing, leading and guiding him. Oh my goodness, how did I manage to get through 2023 whilst raising him? What a ride.

 I’ve got a BA degree from Vega, a diploma in advertising management from Rosebank College and a certificate in advertising from Imagination Lab. I was born and bred in Soweto.

I have extensive experience in advertising, working as a strategist for the most part, and then later growing into the creative role. Over the years; I’ve worked on incredible brands and for a number of creative agencies, helping to produce interesting and important work.

I now run my strategy consultancy firm, Thinkerneur, where I do freelance strategies for ad agencies, as well as consult directly to clients, entrepreneurs and start-up founders.

I’ve recently launched the One Human Summit, an innovation that I’m excited about, and even more exciting is the impact and sustainability work that I’m doing through the Thinkerneur Impact Series platform.

What is IN and what is OUT for 2024?

IN:

• Doing more interesting and important work only – working on the things that I want to work on. As an adult, the more you can choose what you do, the more I think you are winning at this life thing.
• Creating harmony in my life: Spending more time with my son and making more quality time for “life stuff”.
• Work with my son more in my projects (a shift from ‘working for him’).
• Making positive change in the world by having profound impact on people and the world.
• Being deliberate with/about loved ones – Caring and showing care to people who are in my life.

OUT:

• Negative thinking and energy.
• Being used by people.
• Stressing about or getting lost in work and neglecting important things.
• Overthinking and dwelling on losses and mistakes.

Biggest lesson of 2023?

The biggest lesson that I learned last year is that I should never forget about myself, nor put other people’s goals, needs and desires above my own because doing so, led to compromising myself and my family, especially my son.

Behind the Selfie

#BehindtheSelfie: Pabalelo Serepo, senior media relations specialist at Ogilvy SA

Karabo Ledwaba  17 Jan 2024

Tied to that lesson is that no matter how much you believe in a company’s vision, never lose yours. Always remember that a company’s vision is a company’s vision, you are still a separate entity to the company and as such, don’t lose yourself. No matter how much you work, it is still not your company, unless you get shares.

Alignment to what the company believes or aims to achieve does not mean you have to be sacrificed in the process, and if the company takes more from you than you are getting, it is okay to leave. When Eminem said; “Lose Yourself”, he was only talking about losing yourself in your own projects and passions, not a company that you work for.

Describe yourself in one word. 

Grateful-To-Be-Luckily-blessed-In-Miracles 

(That’s one word right? The hyphenating makes in one word right?) 

What are you listening/reading/watching? 

Listening to: 

• My intuition and gut more 
• Lil’ Wayne 
• Kwesta 
• AKA 
• Recently listening to Daliwonga & SZA 

Reading:  

• The Diary Of A CEO by Steven Bartlett 
• Take Charge by Nyimpini Mabunda 

What did you want to be when you were a child? 

I wanted to be a happily married father with three kids and a wife, when it comes to careers, I wanted to be a soccer and a cricket player.  

Who inspires you?

My son, Kgosi. There are many people who inspire me, especially those  that I work with. But my son has taught me so much. When you have a child, you go in thinking that you are going to teach them, and then, they  end up teaching you.

For my son, living with him full time, and it’s just the two of us, there’s really no room to not be in each other’s respective  spaces. We’ve gone through difficult times in the last year, and he’s also gone through some tough times, and when an eight year-old responds with wisdom and maturity, you have no choice but to be inspired. 

Any advice for newbies in the industry?  

• Learn as much as you can from the industry itself and from the people  that work in it. Get mentors, follow great thinkers, but whilst doing that, your biggest goal should be to have an independent mind and thinking.
• Do not be afraid to be wrong or fail. That’s where the biggest  opportunities for impactful creativity lie. 
• Strive to do what is interesting, important and not what everybody else  does or what is popular. 
• Ask more questions.  
• Do things – experiment, learn, iterate, and do again. The more you  do/create, the better you become at your craft. Theory alone won’t take  you anywhere.