ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Altitude creates literal and physical friction - as the air thins, each step comes with more resistance as you climb. Friction on a climb translates to the barriers and hurdles you face as you build in business and as so many have noted before - if you’d known how hard entrepreneurship is, would you have started in the first place?
In the third episode of Ripple Effects, we use the mountain as a lens to examine friction in building: early hurdles, team selection, context gaps, culture, and the new temptation to engineer a life (and company) so smooth that it stops creating value.
We contrast Australia’s increasingly frictionless technology tools and systems with the fundamentals-first frictions founders face across Africa and ask a simple question: Where is resistance actually the point?
What to expect in this episode
- Why naivety is an essential element to building a business
- Difference in friction between Australian and African contexts
- Building teams in business and how this can both add and alleviate friction
- How technology is engineering frictionless environments
- How deliberate tension strengthens companies, careers and our personal lives
- Practical ways to add back healthy tension
Voices you’ll hear
Jess Walker: Venture Investment Principal at Wollemi Capital, Founder of UNA diamond and the Neon Lab, and Non Executive Director of Forever Projects
Caleb Maru: Founder and CEO of Tech Safari
Local founders in Tanzania: Daniel Albert (Guardian Angel), Anderson (Ari Studio) & Gloria Kaya (Living Luha)
Pam Stevenson: Head of People & Talent at OIF Ventures
Solai Valliappan: Angel Investor, Founder of Chai and Capital and Board Chair of Forever Projects (+ many other things!)
To try at home
Add one deliberate friction: call a client instead of emailing, or write by hand for 15 minutes.
First-principles hour: start a task from scratch without templates or AI; note what you learn.
Mentions
Elinipa: The incredible Tanzanian artist who has kindly allowed us to use her music across the series
Catalyser: startup accelerator for high-performing migrant and refugee entrepreneurs
Diary of CEO: Law 14 speaks on friction
Bellroy: not sponsored but these bum bags are quite literally Mary Poppins bags!!
If someone in your network would love these conversations, please share along. Help us create Ripple Effects. This series is brought to you by Forever Projects, hosted by Soph Dicker, from the podcast So Invested - smart and unfiltered chats about money, business and building a life you are So Invested in.
Inspired to join Forever Projects next Tanzania Immersion Trip in July 2026? Find out more and register your interest here.
