How Jem Built Financial Wellness Into Payroll and Why Banks Should be Worried
In this round-two episode, we’re joined again by Simon Ellis, co-founder of Jem HR, to unpack how the company is making big strides in delivering HR and employee benefits to thousands of employees across South Africa. Since our last chat, Jem has refined its product, redefined its positioning, and raised significant funding. But what does that process actually feel like as a founder?
We go deep into:
- What achieving product-market fit actually takes
- How to communicate change when your vision moves faster than your team
- The challenges of balancing innovation vs. focus with a co-founder
- Structuring your business to scale without chaos
- Segmenting sales and prioritizing customers the smart way
This is an honest look at what it takes to be a visionary founder who’s always a few steps ahead—and how to bring your team and customers along for the ride.
Too Long; Didn't Listen? Here's what to look for:
00:00 Introduction
03:40 What is Jem HR?
07:57 Why is WhatsApp as the interface so important?
11:56 How the business model works and getting the value proposition right
24:12 The importance of the customer buying and onboarding journey
33:07 The evolution of the core product and how Jem made it zero-cost
43:28 Running through the pricing and revenue model
53:33 Jem’s biggest bottleneck to growth right now
01:04:20 The organisational design and view towards it
01:08:34 Raising R60 Million
01:14:10 How do you maintain focus and clear priorities?
01:18:19 How to get along with a co-founder who is very different to you
01:22:12 What are the Biggest Challenges Simon is facing right now?
01:27:09 What are the challenges that the business is facing?
01:30:32 What advice would Simon give his younger self?
How inspiring was this episode?
Take the first step towards your ideal state of business leadership and personal freedom.
Be the next guest on our podcast
Fill out the form below to apply as a guest.
.png)
.png)
.png)