When it comes to turning passion into profit, few stories are as inspiring as Sisco Ndlovhu’s. Known as ‘The Baker in Suits’, five years ago Sisco transformed a dream he couldn’t afford into a thriving business and a full-fledged culinary school, all while leveraging TikTok as a powerful growth engine. From selling at taxi ranks to going viral online, Sisco’s journey proves that confidence, experimentation, a clear goal and a strategic approach to personal storytelling can contribute to turning an entrepreneur’s vision into reality.
Through a content combination of interviews, conversations and rapid fire questions, the newly launched African All Stars – Brand Edition by TikTok provides authentic, first-hand accounts of how businesses have leveraged the platform to reach millions and achieve tangible success. In a recent episode hosted by digital leader and media maven Lebo Lion, they offer a step-by-step guide to applying Sisco’s principles:
One: Embrace the ‘30% You’ Rule: Build Your Personal Brand First
The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make is trying to push the product without showcasing the person behind it. Sisco attributes his success directly to developing a confident personal brand.
His Strategy:
You need to stop thinking of your personality as secondary to your business model and realise that you are the strongest differentiator your brand has. As Sisco rightly observes, ‘People fall in love with you before they fall in love with your business’, a truth that demands you embrace the ‘30% of yourself and the rest of the content is business’ rule. Your unique style, your inherent confidence and a deliberately crafted aesthetic, like Sisco’s sharp ‘Baker in Suits’ persona, are the strategic elements that draw people in and fundamentally translate into a more compelling product and ultimately, better sales. In addition to your business, selling yourself on TikTok is a powerful business tool because before customers invest in your service, they invest in you.
Two: Master the ‘Story Time’ Format
Sisco’s breakout video, which garnered over two million views, wasn’t the expected high-production commercial, it was a personal Story Time showcasing his growth.
His Strategy:
When building a business online, it is essential to shift your focus from simply showcasing your end results, to inviting your audience into the authentic journey of growth. To genuinely connect, embrace the principle of ‘Show Growth, Not Just Glory’, utilising visual tools like TikTok’s picture slides. By connecting through shared human experiences, such as the challenges of scaling during difficult times, you create a sense of understanding. Remember, your audience is eager to meet the person behind the business. As Sisco found, followers invest in the individual, not just the product and by deliberately sharing personal moments and offering glimpses of your day-to-day life, you humanise your brand.
Three: Consider Raw Content
Sisco warns against the misconception that business accounts require hyper polished, high-quality content. On TikTok, the need for authenticity often trumps cinematic quality.
His Strategy:
According to Sisco’s fundamental rule, ‘raw and organic content will always, always come first’. The expensive, overproduced material gets ignored, but a moment that feels real? That’s what stops people and forges a strong connection. This real-time footage lets people experience the actual workings of your business, making them feel like they know you. Most importantly, you don’t hide your value; sharing your knowledge openly is your strongest asset because it instantly establishes trust, proves your competence and makes you the recognised expert in your field. Even if they don’t buy from you the first time, they know where to do.
Four: Consider The Path from Views to Sales
Views are vanity metrics unless they lead to a sale. Sisco cracked the code on turning viral visibility into paying customers.
His Strategy:
To fully master this TikTok, recognise its function as a potent search engine and direct sales mechanism through hashtags for SEO. This means the use of highly relevant, specific and searchable tags; in Sisco’s case, #bakinginbusiness to ensure optimal visibility. This step significantly increases discoverability and guides the correct audience to your solutions.
Additionally, be transparent and avoid hiding prices. As Sisco correctly identifies, ‘Why are you hiding the prices?’. Clearly publishing your rates immediately establishes trust, efficiently pre-qualifies potential clients and saves valuable time. Because views don’t equal value conversions do, avoid havving potential clients linger in the comment section. Reach out, start the conversation and follow up until interest turns into a sale because real business growth happens in the DMs. TikTok has erased borders, giving entrepreneurs access to audiences far beyond their own markets. Sisco’s journey is proof. His reach extended from South Africa to Botswana and Ghana, attracting students and clients across the continent for lessons. Through optimisng your business on TikTok, your next client isn’t just local, they could be anywhere in the world, one scroll away from discovering your brand.
TikTok’s vodcast series ‘African All Stars Brand Edition’ features in-depth and easy to follow conversations with a range of businesses, from owner-run ventures to large retail businesses and leading marketers. Learning from Sisco, one can’t hide from growth or wait for permission to succeed.
While TikTok can be used for trends, businesses need to use it as a business engine, a global stage and a way to turn the hustle into impact in a tangle way. If you want results, show up, share your journey, back it up with strategy rooted in experimentation and make your story impossible to ignore. Follow TikTok’s official account @tiktok.southafrica for more episodes of the African All Stars Brand Edition vodcast.