Top 30 Under 30 African entrepreneurs includes SA design and digital agency founder

The Green Robot Design team

He is an accomplished designer, creative director and brand consultant and has worked in various divisions of the design and branding industry. His experience has taught him invaluable skills that he now puts to good use in running his own agency, founded in 2007 and based in the creative hub of Newtown, Johannesburg. In 2014, Mautloa was named one of the Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans.

The GRD team has just launched the JOOP website for the South African market and is currently working on the Afroes website design and development among many other design projects for a broad base of clients. GRD also has many game changing plans in the pipeline.

Entrepreneurial advice

For Mautloa, being an entrepreneur means being a thinker and a solutions provider. Lately, it has meant being a role-player in the community, but more importantly, in the economy. He believes that we all have to play our part in building sustainable communities and companies that will better our South Africa. The best piece of advice he has ever received, and something that he strives for daily, is 'be so good that they cannot ignore you, stay humble, keep working, and don't work for the rewards - work because you want to'.

His advice to up and coming entrepreneurs on the continent is, "Research your industry and get to know it from the inside out before committing yourself to it. Set your goals and your visions, clearly, and be realistic about them. Running a business is a challenge of epic proportions, but one that is so fulfilling if you persevere through the tough times."