Managing Director, Fuseware

Mike Wronski epitomises the entrepreneurial spirit of building something from nothing, often on little more than an idea and boatloads of courage.

He admits that starting his online media and monitoring company FuseWare when he was 23 was “ballsy”, especially because he had no business experience and only one year of work and an electrical and computer engineering degree under his belt.

However, he did show an early fascination with the world of commerce, becoming the self-styled “king of bubble gum” while at school, where he sold gum to a receptive and captive audience of school mates.

But today, at 27, he is recognised as one of the country’s leading sources of intelligence in the online media space.

Apart from building FuseWare into a respected partner of major brands, Wronski has established his profile as a commentator on matters such as the future of media, online reputation management and social media.

He was recognised this year as one of the leading 40 under 40 personalities by local publication The Media.

He says his entrepreneurial journey, including during his school days, has always been driven by the satisfaction of giving people something they want. It has by no means been an easy journey, although Wronski says it is the recovery from the low points that define an entrepreneur.

“There are a lot of trade-offs and compromises you have to make while running a business. But like the great entrepreneurs say: the number one key is perseverence,” he says. “If success is guaranteed if you persevere and grow, why shouldn’t you persevere?”

He ascribes his success to building solid partnerships and networks, especially the latter. “You never know when you will learn something new that will change your life,” he says.
— Johann Barnard

Twitter: @mikewronski