You can have many interests. How many projects can you actually build?
Building·by Zolile Mcelu·16 Nov 2026
At one point this year, I was building 3 businesses at the same time.
Zolile Mcelu
Build the thing you keep thinking about.
One lesson a week and one 5-minute move, from a creator doing it in public.
Writing
Explore Your Creativity
My favourite feeling kept me stuck
Building·by Zolile Mcelu·10 Nov 2026
The rush of starting something new builds the wrong habit.
What a tape deck taught me about learning
Personal update·by Zolile Mcelu·6 Nov 2026
I was 15 the first time I heard my own voice on a beat.
South Africa is changing Temu
Business underneath·by Zolile Mcelu·[date]
Some Temu products are already sitting inside South Africa. That is what makes this interesting.
Who understands South Africans better: banks, retailers or telcos?
Business underneath·by Zolile Mcelu·[date]
Your bank knows when your salary lands. But it may not know what you stop buying when that salary is not enough.
People remember the feeling before the product
Branding·by Zolile Mcelu·[date]
Have you ever remembered an ad but forgotten what it was selling?
The next big bank may not look like a bank
Pepkor is going into banking. The same Pepkor many people know through school clothes, lay-bys and month-end shopping.
Read the story225,000+ impressions on LinkedInThe Needle in your inbox
One lesson and one 5-minute move, every Monday. Unsubscribe any time.
Free · first issue 11 Jan 2027Work with me
Two ways I can help
Video editing
Shorts for podcasts and interview shows
I find the moments worth sharing and deliver finished Shorts within 48 hours. Packages from R2,800 a month.
Free first step: I edit one Short from your latest episode → WebsitesWebsites for small businesses
[One line on the website offer and who it's for.]
Free first step: a free website check → What I'm buildingSplaasha
The till for South African car washes. Car washes run on cash. We make every rand count.
Visit splaasha.co.za ↗
About
Hey, I'm Zolile.
I help people build the thing they keep thinking about, and help businesses get remembered once it's built.
Every Monday, The Needle gives you one lesson and one 5-minute move. It's free.
If you run a show or a small business and want it done for you, I edit Shorts that get your episodes watched and build websites that turn visitors into customers. See how I can help.
The Needle in your inbox
One lesson and one 5-minute move, every Monday. Unsubscribe any time.
Free · first issue 11 Jan 2027