Depending on how you measure success, the lady selling fruit and veg on the corner is often more successful than the MD of a fancy corporation or the CEO of an impressive multi-national business.
I say that because I am seeing more and more examples of how wealthy business people often become successful because of who they know, not what they know.
The lady on the corner must make sure she has the best and freshest fruit every day.
She must have the best price and she’s got to project her sales and minimise waste perfectly, so she doesn’t have too much left over at the end of the day.
These are unique business talents that she picks up from years of experience.
And there isn’t much room for error either.
If she gets it wrong too often, there isn’t a bail out to rely on, government funds to access, bank loans to apply for, or re-finance to plead to investors for.
SUCCESS: Trump had financial backing & support. Picture: Supplied.
Markus Jooste, Donald Trump, Gavin Watson, the Guptas and a variety of “successful” business people could never succeed within those parameters.
These are people who were given massive loans (often interest-free) to help them kick-start their business; or were handed a running concern with dozens of expert staff to help them keep on keeping it afloat; or they bribed their way to success, with the help of greedy public servants and politicians who are nothing more than gangsters in taxpayer-funded suits.
So we are basically paying scoundrels a fortune to spend their days looking for legal loopholes and ways to flout the spirit of our Constitution so they can enrich themselves even further, by helping their scoundrel bosses steal our taxes.
It seems to me, many business people spend much more time looking at ways to buck the system, rather than structuring deals and getting new business.
And, while they have more than enough, they show no conscience for stealing the pensions and life savings of the poorest of the poor.
Anyway, I have heard people innocently tell stories of how they got their start in business.
One man once told a story of how he pitched his idea to a bank in the mid-1980s and walked out with a million rand loan.
He would have every right to be as proud of his achievement as he was, if it wasn’t for the fact that he is a white man.
And that was 1980s South Africa, where 100 brilliant ideas from black people weren’t worth as much as his one good idea!
PLOY: Guptas’ ‘success’ built on greasing palms with silver. Picture: Supplied.
I heard another story recently about how a couple of bright youngsters started a business that quickly got some impressive clients locally, then internationally and then they got bought for a few million dollars, allowing them to live very comfortably in a very short space of time.
It was a good idea, they worked very hard and are very impressive, until you understand that the initial deal was because the one man’s father was an executive at the company where they secured the initial contract that launched them.
One more story.
A very clever local business has launched in a beautiful location recently, situated perfectly for what it does.
How did they do it?
One of the owners’ father owns the property, which immediately solves a whole lot of problems for a start-up.
I don’t begrudge these people their success. I just wish they would understand their historical privilege better, and help others who don’t have the same access.
And I wish the Markus Joostes of the world wouldn’t boast about how brilliant they are, when they are in fact no more brilliant than the corner shop owner.
Given the same resources and access, that babbie could’ve run Steinhoff equally successfully and probably a whole lot more ethically.
Which brings me to the small business people who have been plying their trade on the Cape Flats for decades; from the guy selling snoek from the back of his bakkie, to the flower sellers, don’t be intimidated by corporate speak and the jargon.
With a little bit of training and determination you could run the company that you work for. Or build your own!