CHARACTER SP VAN DER MERWE
CLASS ENTREPRENEUR
EXP 12 YEARS
// CHARACTER SELECT

I didn't follow a plan.
I followed a problem.

I'm SP van der Merwe — entrepreneur, founder, and relentless builder based in Cape Town, South Africa.

I started with a camera and a question: why does running a creative business have to feel so chaotic? That question led me down a 12-year rabbit hole of building, breaking, and rebuilding — from photography agencies to the podcast and course you see today.

I don't come from money. I didn't have a mentor handing me the answers. Everything I know came from doing — the late nights, the bad hires, the pricing mistakes, and the moments I almost quit. That's the stuff I talk about. Publicly. Honestly.

▶ PODCAST THE COURSE
SP
// ADD YOUR
PHOTO HERE
BASECAPE TOWN ZA
ACTIVE SINCE2013
VENTURES3+
EPISODES84+
STUDENTS120+
// FEATURED IN & SPOKEN AT
STARTUP GRIND ENTREPRENEUR SA CREATIVE MORNINGS TECH CAPE TOWN
// GAME HISTORY

How I got here

2013
First camera. First client.
Started shooting weddings on weekends while working a day job. Quickly realised I was better at the business side than most photographers I knew.
LEVEL 1 UNLOCKED
2015
Went full-time. Burned out fast.
Quit my job to pursue photography full time. Within 18 months I was shooting 50+ weddings a year and completely exhausted. Something had to change.
BOSS FIGHT: BURNOUT
2017
Built a team. Built an agency.
Hired my first photographer. Then another. Built the systems to step back from shooting. Revenue doubled. Weekends returned.
AGENCY UNLOCKED
2020
Pivoted. Pandemic. Survived.
COVID wiped out the wedding industry overnight. Documented the pivot publicly — built an audience who needed the same roadmap.
RESPAWN SUCCESSFUL
2022
Launched the podcast.
No script, no polish — the real story of building in South Africa. 84+ episodes and thousands of listeners.
BROADCAST TOWER BUILT
2024
Shoot to Scale — the course.
Packaged everything into a 6-week course for photographers ready to build an agency. 120+ students in the first cohort.
BONUS LEVEL LAUNCHED
// PLAYER STATS

The values I build by

◼
Honest over polished
One uncomfortable truth beats ten motivational platitudes. Real talk builds real trust.
01
◼
Systems over hustle
Hard work matters — but a good system beats a great grind every time.
02
◼
People over metrics
Business is people. The numbers are just the scoreboard of how well you treated them.
03
◼
Local roots, global ambition
Proudly South African. World-class things can be built from any corner of the world.
04
◼
Document the journey
The wins are great. The stumbles are better. Sharing both is how we all level up faster.
05
◼
Long game thinking
Not optimising for this quarter. Building things designed to last — relationships, reputation, revenue.
06
// COMPLETED MISSIONS

Ventures & projects

● ACTIVE
Photography Agency
Multi-photographer wedding agency. Built from solo op to full team with repeatable systems and consistent revenue.
EST. 2017
● ACTIVE
The SP Podcast
84+ episodes of honest conversation about entrepreneurship and the real cost of starting from nothing.
EST. 2022
● ACTIVE
Shoot to Scale
Online course helping wedding photographers transition to agency owner. 120+ students enrolled.
EST. 2024
? CLASSIFIED
Next Mission
Something's always in the works. Stay tuned.
EST. ????
// CONTINUE?

Let's build something real

Whether you're here for the podcast, the course, or just the honest conversation — welcome. The best stuff is always in progress.

SHOOT TO SCALE ▶ PODCAST