Justin Clarke

About

Justin Clarke is the co-founder of One Africa Media (OAM), Africa’s largest online classifieds group. OAM owns some of Africa’s most prestigious and lucrative online properties, including PrivateProperty.co.za, South Africa’s leading property website; Jobberman.com, West Africa’s leading job website; Cheki.com,West and East Africa’s largest online auto marketplace; and SafariNow, South Africa’s leading travel and accommodation booking website.

My Definition Of Success | When I started off on the journey of entrepreneurship I was really motivated by the opportunity of creating a system that would generate cash while I was asleep. I watched my father and others working themselves to death and decided I did not want to go down that road. Now, I have realized that it is really about being at the table playing the game that really matters. So it was about money, now it’s about playing monopoly but in real life ….

I Am Driven By | Adrenalin mostly! Nothing better than a shot of Adrenalin to get you firing on all cylinders.

The Difference Between Good And Great | The mind is an incredible organ, and no doubt it is those with passion and complete belief that win. The world is full of very clever people but it is the obsessed ones, the outliers that stand out.

A Key Talent | A successful business revolves around people, not only the people who make up the team that drive the company but the suppliers, customers and partners. I think that the one skill that I lean heavily on is my ability to interact with people. People like to be part of something, so show them the picture and let them share in the vision. Trust people with responsibility and let them grow, even let them make a few mistakes, and they will trust you when you do need to lead. Show the highest level of integrity in everything you do, because not only will others follow the example but also you will need people to be able to take you on your word.

Principles I Live By | I had a snow skiing accident in 2009, from which I was very lucky to survive. I am however completely paralyzed from the chest down. So what happened? I had a combination of speed and height after going off a jump, and the landing did not happen like it should have. So the lesson from this is speed is fine on its own, but don’t get too much distance between the ground and your feet. I believe humility is a great value that you should remember. Don’t get your feet too far off the ground as you start building success, because when you fall, and you will, stuff will break and no one will be there to help. So humility is important, together with the other characteristics mentioned above, integrity, belief and passion.

Lessons I Have Learnt | Life is long, don’t be scared of failure, and don’t be put of by other people’s fears. If you are not falling you are not trying hard enough, and if you are going to fail, fail fast, fail forwards. Yesterday is gone so learn from it but don’t get stuck on it. Tomorrow is a new day that you can attack with all the skills you have learned from yesterday.

Dealing With Doubt | There always will be times when doubt and fear will keep you awake at night, and I have had more than my fair share. But you have to think of the fundamental problem that your product or service solves, or the value that you bring to the transaction, and keep trying to put one foot in front of the other until the fog lifts….and it always does as you move forward out of the cloud.

Performing At My Peak |Building a business takes an unfair proportion of your time. You have to make sure you keep the blade sharp, and that involves getting balance in your life. You will get better results stopping to sharpen the axe, than hammering away with a blunt edge.  Keep adding new data and ideas into the mix from reading, travelling and taking time out. And don’t forget the rest of the ecosystem also needs to be in good shape, so exercise regularly. Actually I can’t promise that I have got this one right!

The Best Advice I’ve Received | READ.

Advice On Building Wealth | Don’t procrastinate, don’t over plan, don’t over think – move quickly and decisively. You will make mistakes so don’t beat yourself up when they happen. Be focused but always be ready to pivot on the idea where there is no path forward. And don’t ever give up.

On Inspiring Others | A sapling never grows strong under the shade of a big tree. Always try and replace yourself with someone better, encourage them to buy into the vision, and then give them space to grow.

Interview Questions

[everest_form id="26923"]

View further interviews.

The Legacy Project

Victoria Verbaan is an established designer, artist and illustrator. Working in a wide variety of artistic disciplines ranging from illustration and painting to the design of bespoke rugs, wallpaper, limited edition fine art prints, fabric and more recently, ceramics. Commissioned artwork and fabric can be seen in local and international homes as well as restaurants […]

The Legacy Project

Pepe Marais is one of SA’s advertising creative icons with a track-record to make anyone in the local advertising landscape swoon with awe, admiration, and to be honest, in my case, a twinge of jealousy. Together with his business partner, he founded the award-winning, highly acclaimed and sought-after agency, Joe Public, whilst still in his […]

The Legacy Project

John Klukas was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. After receiving his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, his interest in pursuing photography brought him first to Bangkok, Thailand and presently to New York City. Klukas works primarily in fashion photography and his work has appeared in a range of art and editorial publications […]

The Legacy Project

David is one of the co-founders at Sanergy. David has worked at Ignia Fund in Mexico and at Endeavor. He was the Deputy Chair for Poverty Alleviation at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2005-2006, and taught in China for two years. David holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and a BA with distinction from Yale […]

The Legacy Project

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is the Founder and CEO of iconic footwear brand soleRebels, the planets fastest growing footwear brand from Africa, and the founder & creator of Republic of Leather a super cool new company that is changing the way people around the world buy & love luxury leather goods. From the humblest of beginnings, […]

The Legacy Project

Rachel Goble grew up in an interconnected and multicultural world. Whether traveling to Central America with her family to survey land for the founding of a non-profit or trudging through the Sierra Nevada mountains as her parents sought to awaken Christians to our role as creation’s caretakers, Rachel learned early that the world’s peoples and […]

The Legacy Project

Brian Biro can be described as one of today’s most sought-after professional speakers, but he is so much more. He is also a Teambuilding Speaker, a Motivational Speaker, and a Leadership Speaker with the skills, knowledge and experience to truly deliver exceptional results. Companies and organizations who are truly committed to bringing out the best […]

The Legacy Project

Vusi is a professional speaker and businessman. He is not only rated as Africa’s No 1 public speaker, but also of the worlds greatest. Vusi is known as ‘The Rockstar of Public Speaking and has spoken in 4 of the 7 continents and to over 350 000 people each year. He was described by Nelson […]

Disclaimer
The profiles and images embedded on these pages are from various interviews conducted by The Legacy Project.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME