What if being the smallest player in the room is not your weakness, but your greatest advantage?
That is the idea behind Underdogs: How Small Players Can Become Business Titans, a new book by South African entrepreneur, investor and speaker Vusi Thembekwayo and business advisor and finance educator Michael Hinton.
Published by Jonathan Ball Publishers, the book challenges the belief that success belongs to those who are already the biggest, strongest or most powerful. Instead, the authors argue that smaller players can use adversity, fresh thinking and determination to compete and succeed.
The book was published on 12 October 2026 and is available at bookstores nationwide.
Why the Underdog May Have the Edge
For many entrepreneurs, competing against established businesses can feel like an uphill battle. Larger companies may have more resources, stronger market positions and greater financial power.
But Thembekwayo believes smaller players have advantages that are often overlooked.
“We have all been taught that the goal is to be the biggest player in the room. I think that is the wrong goal,” says Thembekwayo.
He argues that underdogs can be hungrier, more attentive and less constrained by what they stand to lose. In business, these qualities can become meaningful competitive advantages.
Rather than treating a difficult starting point as a disadvantage, Underdogs encourages readers to reconsider what they can achieve with the resources, circumstances and opportunities available to them.
Lessons From Nando’s, Hyundai, Canva and Under Armour
The book brings its message to life through the stories of businesses and organisations that started with the odds against them.
These include Nando’s, Hyundai, Canva and Under Armour.
Through their stories, Thembekwayo and Hinton explore the mindsets, habits and values that helped ordinary people achieve more than others expected.
The authors then connect these experiences to practical lessons in innovation, leadership and perseverance.
The aim is to give readers more than motivation. The book seeks to help them identify ideas and approaches they can apply to their own businesses and professional lives.
A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs
For Michael Hinton, the lessons are particularly relevant to owners of small and medium-sized businesses.
Hinton has spent more than 25 years working with leading African brands and boardrooms. He also lectures at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and other leading business schools.
“None of the businesses in this book began with perfect circumstances,” says Hinton.
He points to the discipline to keep going and the willingness to do things differently as lessons that business owners can apply regardless of their company’s size.
The book brings together two different professional perspectives. Thembekwayo draws on his experience as an investor who has backed and built companies across several continents. Hinton contributes his background in finance and his ability to turn complex numbers into clear, practical lessons.
Together, their approach combines inspiration with a practical guide to business thinking.
Turning Setbacks Into Starting Points
At the heart of Underdogs is the belief that success is shaped by decisions, not simply by the circumstances in which people begin.
“This is not a book about luck,” says Thembekwayo. “Every story in it is about choices people made when the odds were against them. Those are choices any business owner can make.”
Hinton hopes readers will learn to view setbacks differently, treating them as something to work with rather than a reason to stop.
For entrepreneurs navigating competition, limited resources or difficult business conditions, that message offers a different way to approach the challenge ahead.
Instead of waiting for perfect circumstances, the authors encourage readers to rethink their position and focus on what they can do next.
Meet the Authors in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban
Readers will have three opportunities to meet Thembekwayo and Hinton at launch events hosted by Exclusive Books.
The authors will take part in conversations at each event, followed by audience questions and book signings. Doors open at 18:00 for an 18:30 start.
Johannesburg
- Date: Thursday, 15 October 2026
- Venue: Exclusive Books, Sandton
Cape Town
- Date: Thursday, 5 November 2026
- Venue: Exclusive Books, V&A Waterfront
Durban
- Date: Thursday, 12 November 2026
- Venue: Exclusive Books, Gateway
Book Details
- Title: Underdogs: How Small Players Can Become Business Titans
- Authors: Vusi Thembekwayo and Michael Hinton
- Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers
- Publication date: 12 October 2026
- ISBN: 9781776195961
- Recommended retail price: R340
- Availability: Bookstores nationwide and as an ebook
- Audiobook: Coming soon
About the Authors
Vusi Thembekwayo is Group CEO of MyGrowthFund Venture Partners, a Dubai-headquartered venture capital firm. He is also a bestselling author and global speaker who has delivered more than 480 keynote speeches across six continents.
Michael Hinton is a Chartered Accountant, entrepreneur and finance educator. With more than 25 years of experience helping leading African brands and boardrooms understand their numbers, he lectures at GIBS and other leading business schools. His work focuses on making complex financial concepts clear and actionable.
For more information about Hinton, visit www.michaelhinton.co.za.
With Underdogs, Thembekwayo and Hinton invite readers to reconsider a familiar idea: you do not have to be the biggest player to make a significant impact. Sometimes, the advantage begins with seeing your position differently.
