Naledi Dlamini on Ubuntu Logistics

Naledi Dlamini does not do many interviews. When we met in Johannesburg, the conversation ran long past the hour we had been promised — and ranged from the economics of Ubuntu Logistics to the habits that keep a founder sane.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

How do you compete with the multinationals?

By knowing every warehouse manager by name. They have scale. We have relationships.

What did the last crisis teach you?

That cash in the bank is a strategy, not a sign of timidity.

What would you tell your younger self?

Slow down on hiring, speed up on firing, and never confuse a busy calendar with a good week.