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Johannesburg - He’s a musician, businessman, record label owner, TV presenter, club and radio jockey, and DJ Sbu can now add “successful author” to his résumé.
According to its publishers, the entrepreneur’s book, Billionaires Under Construction, has sold more than 10 000 units and is getting a third reprint.
Here's a picture of Sbu, holding his book with some fans:
City Press interviewed the entrepreneur at his studio in Rosebank. “In Billionaires Under Construction, I talk about Africa – the people of this place and how the rest of the world constantly looks to our home as an opportunity to make money,” he says.
“If you go to the West, it’s developed; people there are smart. But that means that there’s still room for improvement and creativity here at home.”
Outside the studio, two men put branding on a Toyota Quantum for his commuter-targeted radio station Massiv Metro.
“That’s just two of 1 500 taxis that we’ve branded and equipped with the radio system,” he tells me.
The taxis only play Massiv Metro, which has kwaito legend Zola 7 and the multifaceted Thembi Seete as DJs. The station is on air and the taxi element will be introduced in September.
He talks me through a post on Instagram about a talk he gave at a General Electric corporate breakfast.
In it, he says: “Wherever I go, I tell people the importance of buying black, and that black people are consumers. You open your cupboard and there are Unilever and Coca-Cola brands. Where are the products made by black people; the black-owned products? It’s time to create as well as consume our own.”
His energy drink MoFaya also keeps growing. “We’ve just signed a deal with Pick n Pay, which is huge. Now we’re trying to get other retailers interested in us,” he says.
MoFaya sells more than 1 million cans a month. “This means we can sell 1 million cases if we push.” It’s about what he calls “a billionaire mind-set” – not being scared to envision his beverage being an African Coca-Cola.
“The people who are that rich got there because, when their peers had dreams of nice cars, houses and perhaps a few million, people with a billionaire mind-set were a step ahead – they wanted more.”
The book lays out the man’s journey as case studies, using his own experiences in a simplified way.
“All the dirt and mistakes are revealed without fear. It makes the book relatable as these things happened in the public eye.”
Billionaires Under Construction is available at R95 at takealot.com.
