Since becoming co-owner and chief investment officer of MSG Afrika Investment Holdings, Andile Khumalo has been an inspiration to many up-and-coming and established entrepreneurs.
MSG Afrika is a black-owned media and communications group with interests in The Jupiter Drawing Room, Metropolitan Republic, Capricorn FM, Power FM, Quizzical Pictures, The Communications Firm, and The Quarto Press. He is also the founder of Mystartup, an online portal for budding entrepreneurs.
In a recent interview with Business Day’s Wanted magazine, Khumalo talks about how business has always been in his blood and that he knew from a young age that he wanted to be an entrepreneur.
In the article, he shares not only how he got his start in business, but also what keeps him productive and effective as a business person.
Here are 3 of Khumalo’s tried-and-tested productivity hacks
1. He Keeps A Meticulous Schedule
Like some of the world’s most prolific leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook, Gina Trapani, who founded Lifehacker, as well as Barack Obama, who swear by their diary, Khumalo is purposeful about his schedule. The self-confessed overachiever says he has learned “the power of delegation, not abdication.” “My life is run by my diary. I ensure that everything of mine is scheduled or it won’t happen,” he says.
2. He Leans On His Team
While many see and laud his success, Khumalo knows his team is the key. “A lot of the work behind the scenes is done by people who don’t get credit because what you see is Andile in the forefront. The truth is, behind Andile is a whole machine of people doing things for me to achieve … and that I don’t take for granted,” he says.
3. He Pushes Harder Than The Rest
Although Khumalo has achieved more than most of his peers, he still feels he has a way to go. “You need to compete with the established businesses. You’re no longer zero, but you’re not playing at their level with their balance sheet and their big marketing budgets; but you’ve still got to compete, you’ve still got to look cooler,” he says.