Ziwani’s 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. In this episode, host Ashton Fourie interviews Shawn Theunissen, Founder and CEO of Property Point, an organisation that helps small businesses build capability, reduce risk and access corporate supply chains in the built environment sector.
You can listen to the full episode here.
Ziwani’s podcast series RISK has consistently challenged the idea that risk is simply a technical calculation. Because risk is not neutral. Long before balance sheets are reviewed or forecasts tested, decisions are already being shaped. Who we trust, what we recognise, and what ‘feels right’ all influence outcomes. More often than we realise, these perceptions are driven by assumptions and biases we may not even be aware of.
This reframing shifts the conversation – from managing risk to examining how it is constructed in the first place. As Shawn Theunissen puts it, “risk is often something placed on you before you do anything wrong or right. It’s that unconscious bias – it’s assigned to you based on your accent, the colour of your skin, your background, your confidence levels, where you come from.”
Shawn grew up in Johannesburg in a coloured township called Westbury. “It’s probably one of the most gang-ridden townships in South Africa,” he states. His early life was shaped by poverty, instability and loss. “At the age of 12, I lost my dad. So I had a single mum rearing an entire family on a disability pension.”
This experience formed a different kind of risk literacy. “Risk for me is not an abstract thing. When it affects your survival, it’s something you learn very quickly. You ask yourself, which road do I take? Because that’s how you weigh up the risks. It’s a balancing act between constrained resources.” This leads to a crucial distinction: risk is not only about data, but about context. “For me, risk has always been about understanding what’s before you. Context is important. People are important. Systems are important,” he emphasises.
Yet in many professional environments, this depth of understanding is missing. Instead, quick judgments fill the gap.
Shawn highlights how easily perception can shift, depending on narrative framing. “Even in my own introduction, if I start off and say, ‘I’m this corporate executive, social entrepreneur, married and living in Stellenbosch,’ versus saying, ‘I’m this township boy from Westbury, coming from gangs and drugs’ it creates a completely different perception.” Same person, completely different assessment of risk.
This is why and how bias quietly affects opportunity. Those who fit familiar patterns are often seen as safer, while others carry an additional burden of proof before they are even considered.
For Shawn, it goes beyond business – touching on a deeper conviction about how we see and value people. Referring to 1 Samuel 16:7 he reminds us that, “‘The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ This verse warns us against surface level assessments, and has deeply shaped how I think about risk,” he explains.
His Three R framework translates this insight into practice – helping decision-makers assess risk more accurately, while enabling others to actively reshape how they are perceived. Developed during his Masters degree research and applied through his work at Property Point, it offers a structured way to confront and overcome bias in risk assessment by focusing on the following three R’s: Risk, Reputation and Relationship.
1. Risk
The first element is recognising that risk assessments can be distorted. “Often, the perceived risk is not the real operational risk,” Shawn explains. Managing risk is therefore not just about measurement, but awareness. “Do we at least acknowledge that we have blind spots that influence our decision-making?” he asks.
2. Reputation
The second element begins to correct that distortion. “Reputation speaks about track record – who we are, what’s our value proposition, what are we able to do.” It makes competence visible through consistent delivery over time – although its impact is limited if opportunities are never given.
3. Relationship
The third element addresses this gap directly. “Breaking down unconscious bias and getting to know each other as people, reduces uncertainty,” he says. In short, proximity changes perception.
Through its work with real businesses, Property Point has refined and applied this interplay between Risk, Reputation and Relationship with measurable results.
One example is Tebogo Moloi, founder of a construction company operating in the energy sector. Shawn notes that “the issue was not competence. It was structure.” At the level of Risk, they started with strengthening operational foundations – systems, governance and organisational discipline. “Once these were in place, her risk profile changed dramatically,” he comments.
From there, the focus shifted to Reputation. By intentionally building a track record through smaller projects, the business demonstrated capability in tangible ways – delivering consistently, on time and within budget. This helped to de-risk procurement decisions in the eyes of the market, shifting perception from potential to proven performance.
The final piece was Relationship. Access to the right networks and decision-makers created opportunities that would not have been available otherwise. That exposure accelerated trust, allowing others to engage with greater confidence.
The results were significant. Her revenue grew from R3 million to R53 million in two years, with employment increasing from four people to more than 30. What changed was not her underlying ability, but how her risk profile was managed and communicated – enabling her to “gain recognition from the industry,” Shawn says.
Underlying this example is a critical factor: trust by association. When someone with an established reputation backs an entrepreneur, it changes how others perceive the opportunity and lowers the barrier to engagement.
For Shawn, this is central to how they work. “Our reputation goes before the business’ reputation in order to ensure that that door opens.” This is not about charity, but about responsible leadership. By mentoring and supporting entrepreneurs, Property Point enables other businesses to engage with greater confidence. “We build that trust factor into it, and that allows us to de-risk the process for supply chains or for financiers in order to take a chance on the business.”
Importantly, this does not mean lowering the bar. If anything, it raises it. One of the key qualities Shawn looks for in an entrepreneur is teachability. Growth requires openness to input, accountability and a willingness to hear what may be uncomfortable. “Sometimes you’re going to tell them things that they’re not going to like.”
“Mentorship is powerful because it shortens the learning curve,” Shawn explains. It not only accelerates capability, it also builds the confidence of the entrepreneur while creating credibility in the market. “Because you’re spending so much time with each other it transfers tacit knowledge, and it also provides social proof around what has been done and how it can be done.” It is this combination of support and challenge that enables real progress.
Underpinning all of this is a deeper challenge to how leaders understand responsibility. If risk is not neutral, then neither are the decisions shaped by it. For Christian leaders in particular, “the question isn’t ‘How do I protect myself from risk?’ It’s ‘How do I responsibly use what I’ve been given to help others flourish?’” Shawn argues.
Risk management then shifts from a defensive posture to an active one. It becomes less about avoiding exposure, more about stewarding influence wisely – by examining personal biases, investing in relationships and creating systems that enable others to succeed. “Being a Christian is not just about being in church on a Sunday. It’s about being God’s hand extended in the marketplace as well,” he says.
What the conversation makes clear is that many of the barriers to opportunity are not rooted in actual risk, but in perceived risk shaped by bias and distance. This is something leaders can actively reshape, and the Three R framework offers a practical way forward. By grounding risk assessment in context, track record and relationship, it becomes more accurate, and more enabling. It leads to better decisions, stronger businesses, and broader participation in the economy.
When leaders choose to see risk more clearly, they do more than protect value – they help create it, opening space for others to step forward and flourish.
