Andile Khumalo is the the ex Chief Investment Officer of MSG Afrika, a media and communications group. He is also the founder of I am an Entrepreneur, an online platform to find and assist entrepreneurs in South Africa. Andile was named one of Mail & Guardian‘s Top 200 Young South Africans in 2012.
Andile Khumalo on Defining a Business | For us entrepreneurs, businesses aren’t just businesses. They are a way of life, an extension of who we are, whether I’m selling oranges or I’m running a PR agency. What I am doing is an extension of myself because I as an entrepreneur can choose what I want to do.
Freedom To Dream | I was lucky to be in a family where everybody was a teacher but nobody wanted me to be a teacher…. I always had the freedom to dream so when I latched onto something I liked I was in an environment where I was encouraged to pursue it. When it’s your time to provide that guidance – whether or not your parents gave it to you – try and give your children guidance and let them choose their passion and try and support them in their passions.
The Value of Doing | There’s value in people who can do things. I have a lot of respect for people who have done things even if they fail because soon enough they’ll do something else just because of the hit rate, whereas if you never do anything your hit rate is non-existent. Failure at things is good. Failure is good. It means you’re trying.
On Positivity | Being positive is a habit you have to build. You have to work on yourself. You gotta get yourself trained, which means you gotta hang out with the people who are positive influences on your life, not negative influences in your life. You’ve gotta do positive things; you’ve gotta take in positive things. If you’re positive you just attract positivity and the contrary is true; if you are negative and you associate yourself with negative things, you will attract negativity.
Resources I Use | My favourite book is The Richest Man in Babylon. Reading is more of a habit and once you get into it, it becomes a relaxation; it literally takes my mind off some of my stresses at work and I focus in on the story or the content. I like the real world too much so I tend to read a lot of business books and a lot of autobiographies and I also try to read a lot of history. It’s amazing how much we don’t know about the world and even the things we profess to know about.
Consistency for the Consumer | I’ve read most of Richard Branson’s books, I really like him because he is a human being; he has never professed to be anything other. He is just Richard Branson…and he’s also built his business on a brand promise. I have a lot of respect for people who have consistency in what they do; that is built on the brand promise that Virgin will fight for the consumer by trying to make life simpler and cheaper for the consumer and he’s done amazing things as a result of that.
Principles I Live By | I think there is definitely a pattern that you can see amongst the greatest entrepreneurs and I think we should all aspire to it. It is ethics. If you’re a dishonest person… nobody will deal with you on a sustainable basis. It will eventually end and that’s not how businesses are built; that’s not how great businesses are built. Great businesses are built on longevity and sustainability. The one thing that is consistent amongst very good entrepreneurs is the ability for their word to be their bond.
Breaking the Cycle | I think if all South Africans – especially those who’ve escaped the poverty web and who are free, really free – if we could invest some of our time, energy, and money into helping just one other person get out of that cycle of poverty I think this country would be a better place.
The Meaning of Life | I think the meaning of life is happiness, and for me happiness is passion. I try to make everything in my life be something that I am passionate about. If you can find for yourself something which makes you get up in the morning to pursue and it doesn’t make you feel tired or feel like you have had enough and want to stop. If you’re still doing it and you are still happy then I think you’re having a good life.
Dr Marlene Wasserman is an internationally trained Clinical Sexologist & Couple and Sex Therapist in Private Practice in SA and New York and founder of the Dr Eve brand and enterprise. She is an Academic, Educator, Author of 4 books, a well known media celebrity on both TV and radio and a single Mum to […]
Suzanne Frazer is the co-founder of the MACZAC Douglas Tom “Thumbs-Up” Award winning non-profit organization Beach Environmental Awareness Campaign Hawai’i also known as the B.E.A.C.H. The all-volunteer organization’s mission is to build awareness of marine debris and find solutions through environmental education, plastic reduction, litter prevention campaigns and beach clean-ups. In 2013, Suzanne together with […]
John Smit TLP was one of Rugby’s most successful players of all time. He was the captain of the South African Rugby team (with an astonishing 111 caps), leading the Springboks to World Cup glory in 2007 and was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011. He is currently the CEO of Sharks […]
Mark is a South African writer and director. He graduated with Honours in Dramatic Art from the University of the Witwatersrand. After completing his studies, he taught himself screenwriting and film appreciation before traveling to Los Angeles, where he worked as a script reader for several production companies.Since then, Mark has worked as a freelance […]
Conrad Koch is one of South Africa’s most in demand comedy talents. He combines hilarious comedy with world-class puppetry, and has done so for over fifteen years to local and international acclaim. Conrad was the winner of the 2010 Entertainer of the Year award, and of a 2012 Standard Bank Ovation Award from the National […]
As host of National Geographic Channel’s Emmy-nominated series, Brain Games, Jason Silva Legacy Project will guide you through the twists and turns of your grey matter. Through a series of man-on-the-streets and experiments, Silva will be joined by top experts in the fields of cognitive science, neuroscience and psychology, who will give you the “why” […]
Josh was born in England and moved to South Africa when he was just two years old. After graduating from the University of Stellenbosch in 2004 Josh tried to set up his own business in Pretoria. He was driven by entrepreneurial spirit, but sitting with an enormous student loan, with no contacts and no network […]
Severine Autesserre is an Associate Professor of Political Science, specializing in international relations and African studies, at Barnard College, Columbia University (USA). Severine traces civil war and endemic violence to its roots, and its resolution, in local and interpersonal conflicts. Severine Autesserre is Driven By | I am driven by a visceral hatred of violence […]
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