Sbusiso Leope, popularly known as DJ SBU is not your average entrepreneur. His larger than life media personality and passion for life puts him a cut above the rest. Also a philanthropist who thrives on giving back to the youth in various Township communities. He shares his thoughts on business with us.<\/p>\n
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?<\/strong><\/p>\n Selfless, ambitious and a visionary.<\/p>\n What is your take on Township Revitalisation?<\/strong><\/p>\n I think there is a lot of creativity and talent ko kasi but what really kills progress is our sense of self-entitlement and reliance on government as our saviour. We have the inability of taking full advantage of opportunities created for us today. In comparison, a majority of african countries beyond our borders do not share nearly as much support for entrepreneurship as we do.<\/p>\n On the same token, we can also learn from countries such as Nigeria which are built on a strong and intrinsic entrepreneurial culture. From Somalians who are a people that can positivitely come together in business in order to seek out opportunities. Confidence is another deterrent. I think a lot of people do not believe they can create something out of nothing. We need to equip ourselves. Take time to read so we can learn to develop, protect and patent our ideas.<\/p>\n What drives your enthusiasm or gets you out of bed?<\/strong><\/p>\n I am hungry for success. I have dreams and goals to achieve. No one is certain of the period of time they have on this earth so I want to be the best that i can be. My famiy keeps me motivated. I have got a daughter now, i\u2019m a father and my work ethic has doubled if not trippled. Im also keen on learning to work smarter which is why I attend business school. I also try to associate with the right individuals with the right brains to help me get better all the time.<\/p>\n Who has been the most influential person in your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n My mother. She ran a successful hair salon when I was young. She is responsible for introducing me to business. She had me running our family spaza shop when i was a kid. I took my ques from that experience. I have never really worked a 9-5 job. As far as i remember, I have ever worked corporate for a year. All that I have known is entrepreneurship. My job as a radio presenter or television personality is really a free-lance effort. We are mostly independent contractors.<\/p>\n What are you most proud of about your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n Im very proud of my foundation SLEF (Sibusiso Leope Education Foundation). I think we run one of the most recognised foundations in the country in terms of the impact and work that it continues to do within our communities. It is something which is a passion of mine, to mobilise as many young people, students and aspiring\u00a0entrepreneurs as possible to get them thinking like me with regards to giving and empowering others. And you know there is no law that says you don\u2019t have to make money out of doing good. But i am proud of SLEF for the fact that it is a non-profit organisation. I have never had to make money out of assisting people.<\/p>\n As you grow in business you also realise that social entrepreneurship is still a very foreign concept in our country. This is what prompted us to start Leadership 2020 which is a for-profit company that promotes education, leadership, entrepreneurship, networking and reading. People often talk about how Jews, Indians and other cultures are great at developing networking circles that eventually benefit them as racial groupings and that we as black people are slow to act on the same premise. No one actually ever does anything about this so we were inspired to start Leadership 2020. It is a project we wish to build on.<\/p>\n Tell us about Mofaya?<\/strong><\/p>\n Mofaya is a protest project. Protest in a sense that not many entrepreneurs believe in themselves enough to start something big from scratch or out of nothing. A protest project in a manner that not many business people are willing to come up with innovative ways to structure their business model such that it ultimately benefits less fortunate individuals. Not the common CSI order.<\/p>\n Our sales model for Mofaya ensures that for every R10 spent on a can, we put 50c back into our communities. Our framework is that when we sell, we give some of it back. Mofaya is a protest initiative in that it speaks to the ideologies behind the National Industrialisation Policy Framework of government. Government wants to promote\u00a0an impetus of black industrialists, so we fully represent that. We support and understand governments emphasis on black business owning its entire value chain.<\/p>\n Mofaya is co-founded by 8 members. It is a business that shares similar challenges to any other small business. We have been working on the idea to introduce this energy drink since 2012. Its been blood sweat and tears complying with all the rules and regulations that allow us to play into the FMCG space legally. We have had the hunger and vision for this for a long time. We would like to use this project to challenge the status quo. To encourage others to start thinking product. To encourage celebrities and fellow entertainers to endorse our own products.<\/p>\n And lastly we are a beverage company so there is obviously interest to develop other drinks. The market potential for energy drinks is huge. Close to R30 biliion leaves our shores every year. We have about 34 energy drink players and none of them are locally established brands. I think there has recently been 1 or 2 new local entrants. The pie is huge, so we wanted to participate.<\/p>\n Are there any trade-secrets to success?<\/strong><\/p>\n I do not know to be honest. I feel there are no real secrets to success, it\u2019s just plain hardwork, persistance and being humble in your actions. There isn\u2019t a singular answer to that question because peoples stories and experiences differ. It could encompass many different things; having a mentor, being diligent in your reading and learning. Staying in-touch with the politics and economics of our country to understand opportunities is critical.<\/p>\n In your own understanding how would you define an entrepreneur?<\/strong><\/p>\n I have always believed a business person to be an individual who runs a company successfully because he\/she has been trained to do so. He\/she often runs a company that was created by an entrepreneur. The entrepreneur is the risk taker, idea bearer and hustler who needs a qualified business person to help grow his\/her business.<\/p>\n What challenges have you had to face in growing your business?<\/strong><\/p>\n There are many dynamics to understand about success and entrepreneurship and often people want a quick buck not understanding the process and elements to building a business. Partners fight over money, individuals loose patience in business. I have always been a person who values relationships with others. I have learnt the importance of maintaining good relationships. Many a times people would rather go for money and loose a relationship, i am the kind of person who would rather loose money and keep a good relationship.<\/p>\n You are a native of Tembisa. What do you appreciate most about your township?<\/strong><\/p>\n I just love the buzz and hunger that a lot of young people have in my township. It kind of reminds me of my younger days when i was hell-bent on hustling and making smaller moves. I am trying my best to harness opportunities of working with some of these guys. We\u2019ve also got some incredible people to come out of Tembisa; Shimza, Skhumba, Pearl Modiadie and many others.<\/p>\n When are you at your most happiest?<\/strong><\/p>\n When i am with my family i suppose. My daughter keeps me at peace with myself.<\/p>\n What is the one thing you would change about our country?<\/strong><\/p>\n Some of the economic policies that were perhaps put\u00a0in place some 20 years ago and prior. Policies around land distribution etc. When you study Zimbabwe\u2019s history and look at an individual such as president Robert Mugabe, you are prone to empathise with his stance on land distribution. It is just unfortunate that media tends to taunt him around as a beast. I think he will probably go down in history as one of the most successful leaders of our time primarily because of his address on the land issue without having caused a civil war. I think land distribution is one of the best ways to empower our people.<\/p>\n The fact that over 70% of our land is privately-owned and in the hands of white people is incredibly unfair to our people.<\/p>\n What are your future plans in business?<\/strong><\/p>\n I want SLEF to be a family legacy that continues to do amazing work in serving our people. I wish to continue looking at greater business opportunities, create wealth and strive to be a game changer in all that I do. We are considering a number of products to introduce to market. In all our efforts I have learnt to understand that hardwork is the ultimate saviour and that government will not come knocking at your door giving you a hand-out. We all have to get up and do.<\/p>\n KASIBIZ MAHALA STAFF WRITER<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sbusiso Leope, popularly known as DJ SBU is not your average entrepreneur. 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