Ziwani’s new podcast series RISK tackles the practical realities of taking bold steps in business – reframing the conversation around taking gospel-inspired risks while being grounded in professional responsibility. Host Kerryne Krause, seasoned entrepreneur and founder of Cryoslices, unpacks this important topic with influential business leaders in different industries from various African countries. In this first episode, Kerryne has a candid conversation with Rorisang Tshabalala, CEO of Chapter One Innovation.
You can listen to the full episode here.
Risk. It’s a word that sparks excitement in some – and anxiety in others.
If the world was unchanging and always in our favour, taking risks would make no sense. The rational move would be to avoid risk entirely and keep doing what already works. But that is not the world we live in. Economies, markets, people – change is everywhere. And if you’re an entrepreneur, risk isn’t optional. It’s part of the job.
In a recent episode of Ziwani’s ReFramed podcast, Kerryne sat down with Rorisang to explore how entrepreneurs can rethink business risks through the lens of the Christian faith.
With an 18-year career spanning business and politics, Rorisang has taken many bold leaps. For him, risk means “putting something of value on the line, in faith, without the guarantee of success, to shift patterns and enhance potential.” In other words, if you’re not taking the chance that something meaningful to you might be lost, it’s not really a risk.
It also means that not all risks are equal. He elaborates, “People take risks every day, but sometimes the outcome doesn’t improve the situation. Then it is a risk. But it’s certainly not a smart risk, because why would you put something of value on the line if it isn’t going to significantly enhance your capacity to do what you’re already able to do?”
Rorisang believes that behind every act of risk is an act of faith. “Whether you believe in God or not, you’re betting on something, whatever it is. Financial models, relationships, resources – you’re betting on something to drive the realisation of your preferred outcome.”
But taking that risk isn’t easy when as humans we’re wired for the opposite – safety and security. “This default setting can become one of our greatest limitations, because the marketplace is never static,” he cautions. Entrepreneurs have to continually embrace risk as a necessity for remaining relevant in a constantly changing landscape.
Kerryne agrees, vividly remembering a time when she settled into comfort – choosing predictability over continued innovation. “It actually backfired,” she confesses. “The business stalled. It lost ground precisely because I stopped taking risks.”
Risk isn’t about recklessness, however. Wise entrepreneurs approach risk strategically, testing ideas on a small scale before committing substantial resources.
Kerryne recalls her early days of trying to manufacture the prototype for a market-leading new product. “I experimented constantly, with minimal resources,” she says. “Buying a little widget here, a little plastic tub there, hacking things together. Testing each idea carefully before scaling.” This allowed her to manage risks effectively, validate market interest, and refine her strategies without risking catastrophic losses.
“It’s about resourcefulness,” Rorisang points out. “Entrepreneurship is fundamentally about experimentation. He advises entrepreneurs to focus on areas providing genuine, differentiated value – rather than spreading limited resources across unnecessary innovations. “Don’t experiment just for the sake of it. Experiment in the areas that could generate a greater return than what you can get from just following the industry standard.”
But what if your good intentions don’t produce the results you want? “At the heart of smart risk is courage,” Rorisang says. Entrepreneurs don’t get stuck because they don’t know what’s wrong with their business – they get stuck because the hardest decisions are also the ones that define their limits. “Your maximum experience of life, or your maximum experience of success, will always be bounded by the hardest decision that you don’t have the courage to make.”
The conversation then turns to where we get the courage to take these risks.
“There’s a difference between faith in God and faith in a positive outcome,” Rorisang reflects, sharing that this perspective has deeply influenced his personal and business life. “It’s not God’s privilege to be part of my plans and my wishes for my life, it’s my privilege to be part of God’s divine destiny and plan.” He illustrates this point using the biblical story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to worship the golden statue of king Nebuchadnezzar. Faced with the fiery furnace, their profound response was: Our God will save us, but even if He does not, we will not bow (Daniel 3:16–18).
Kerryne admits that nearly losing her business multiple times forced her to confront the question of whether she trusted God Himself, or whether she only loved and trusted Him if the outcome was favourable. These testing moments ultimately increased her capacity to take bigger and bigger risks, because of the conviction that God’s faithfulness surpasses any immediate outcome.
“That is why you can’t prescribe to people what is or isn’t a risk in their organisation,” Rorisang comments. “It will always be context specific. God will always be trying to do something through your experience and testimony.” He shares the backstory of Chapter One Innovation. Launching it as a student was a major risk – while his peers quickly climbed the corporate ladder, he spent years working hard with little visible return. Literally, he says, it felt like digging a well.
“As far as you know, you’re not digging a well. You’re just digging a hole. It’s dark, and you’re dirty, out of sight, and hoping to eventually hit water. There’s no guarantee. And while you’re down there, others seem to be racing ahead with their buckets filled from the river.” But when you strike water, the hole becomes a well – a source of sustained provision that is worth all the effort!
Sometimes though, you have to dig ten holes before you hit one well.
Rorisang acknowledges that when risks don’t pay off, the fallout can be discouraging. He refers to Deuteronomy 8, where God explained to the Israelites why He took them through the wilderness. God used this experience to humble them, test them, reveal their hearts, and teach them total dependence upon Him. Therefore, in the life of the believer, setbacks have a purpose in God’s hands – shaping and reforming us in ways that success often cannot.
Rather than viewing setbacks as failures, he encourages entrepreneurs to see these moments as opportunities God uses to reveal deeper truths about their hearts, reminding them that life isn’t sustained by material success or what has been lost. “You live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God concerning you. And part of that is that He has predestined you for great exploits and deeds!” he concludes.
