Lebo Gunguluza, Entreprenuer, Strategist and Motivational Speaker - "The Breakthrough Entrepreneur"
At the age of 27, he became one of South Africa's youngest self-made black millionaires, without any funding or tenders from government, and over the years he built a mulitmillion rand empire where he had to overcome tremendous odds on his entreprenuerial journey. He is one of the key founders of the South African Black Entrepreneurs Forum to address issues facing black entreprenuers in South Africa. Gunguluza adapted the title of "'The Ültimate Breakthrough Entrepreneur" and was awarded with the "Africa Heritage Youth Entrepreneur Award" five years later. He also became a resident millionaire entrepreneur on a youth TV programme called "Take 5", where he guided, motivated and inspired aspiring youth entrepreneurs who are starting or running their own businesses. He was recently honoured by the Millionaires Club with the Leadership Award in May 2010, and also received the Bethesda Business Award for his contribution to the development of Entreprenuership in South Africa.
He is the Founder and Group Chairman of the Gem (Gunguluza Enterprises and Media) Group establlished in 2002, an intergrated media and hospitality group with interests in companies that serve in the media, communications, hospitality and IT spheres.
Mr. Lebo Gunguluza, the President of SABEF, has an extensive experience in communication and media having consulted as National Director of Media Communications for membership-driven organisations such as Nafcoc and the Institute for Local Government Management. Mr. Gunguluza's career started at SABC where he was responsible of promoting the African Language stations, and later Metro FM. He then left for a broadcasting course in the US, and came back to join Herdbouys Advertising. That is where he gained strong understanding of the media and advertising business. His journey as an entreprenuer started in entertainment through his first company Gunguluza Entertainment and later refocused his businesses towards corporate communication and media spaces.
He then later founded the Gem Group which has diversified to various portfolios within the media, leisure and hospitality space which include publishing, television, media technology, restaurants, hotels and resort properties. He is also the Chairman and Principal Consultant of the Local Government Business Network (LGBN). Having an interest in Uhuru Communications, has had him oversee the Commercial Direction of Uhuru Publishing, which publishes Sawubona - SAA's inflight publication, Metro Live - Metro FM's new publication, Municipal Focus and So Joburg amongst other publications. He further acquired an interest in Star Hero Communications, a specialist tabloid newspaper publishing house which publishes Kasi Times, The Red Carpet and the Career Developer, where he is currently the Chairman. He is also Chairman of Izani Speakers, South Africa's leading wholly black owned speaker bureau, which also plays a major role of motivating high risk/school dropout youth in the townships. He is partner at Pastrascor, South Africa's leading passenger transportation company that provides and manages any kind of passenger trasnportation logistics and servicesn, from providing Air Charters, Yachts, Armoured and Luxury Vehicles to both government and private sector. He also Chairman of U-move, South Africa's leading fully black owned and managed Car Rental company, with a breakthrough car rental proposition that does not require a credit car from customers, to cater for the majority of South Africans. He also drives Izani Media and Hotels, which activates and provides specialised solutions to media and hotel owners, as well as Izani Travel, which provides and manages travel solutions, hospitality and holiday packages for corporate, government and high-end consumers.
For more information on Gunguluza's activities visit www.sabef.co.za, www.lgbn.co.za, www.gemgroup.co.za, www.empowaspeakers.com.
THE ULTIMATE BREAKTHROUGH ENTREPRENEUR
Sunday World’s Shwashwi is one of the most recognized media brands in South Africa, but few know as much about the man behind this popular gossip sensation, not to mention the countless successes in both the media, entertainment and hospitality industries. Lebo Gunguluza is an influential innovator and the ultimate “breakthrough entrepreneur”. He has overcome the odds that were stacked against him from the start and broke the boundaries by starting a multi-million rand empire without funding and by creating a revolutionary organization with a group of successful entrepreneurs to help aspiring township and rural entrepreneurs start and grow successful businesses.
Having set clear goals of financial success for himself at the tender age that: by the age of 25, he must have been a millionaire; by the age of 35, he must have been a multi-millionaire; and by the age of 45, he must be a billionaire, Lebo Gunguluza achieved his first goal, at the age of 27, when he made his first million rand through a series of entertainment events and activities that redefined the possibilities of success.
Early Years: Lebo Gunguluza was born in Port Elizabeth were he matriculated with flying colours. Armed only with R60, he got on a bus to study at the University of Natal in Durban. This is where he worked part-time at a retail store to fund his full time studies. After acquiring his degree in record time, he then decided to move to Johannesburg to get a job to help support his family.
Getting Started: Lebo Gunguluza’s first experience in the world of media and business was with SABC, selling advertising space on black radio stations. This is where he developed a passion for the media industry. Before long he was promoted as Brand Communications Executive and spent most of his time designing programme packages that the advertisers bought into. He then moved through to Metro FM, ending up as Marketing & Sales Manager, and was sent to USA to attend a broadcast and media-training course. On his return, he joined Herdbuoys as Accounts Manager, where he managed key accounts like SA Breweries, Metro FM and the return of Hush Puppies to South Africa
Gunguluza’s upward-bound career came to a screeching halt in 1997 when he embarked upon a process of self-discovery that resulted in his resignation from Herdbuoys. “I knew I was going to be an entrepreneur”, he says. “I had made the decision to take responsibility for myself and had decided that I was not be surviving from hand to mouth in a new democracy with great opportunities, when I also needed to support my family in Port Elizabeth who were going through a rough patch.”
Entrepreneurial Spirit: Lebo Gunguluza’s entrepreneurial drive secured his first business deal with the owner of a night club called Insomnia, where he put together entertainment attractions and marketed them in exchange for a percentage at the door. The success of this deal made him a well-known promoter in entertainment circles with a reputation for organizing the best parties in Johannesburg. He used this opportunity to partner with YFM, a new youth radio station at that time, conceptualized major events that made him a big player and helped him reach a peak on his financial success through his sold-out youth events at Newtown’s Electric Workshop. The news of Gunguluza's success spread through the entertainment industry like wildfire and sparked an army of young budding entrepreneurs all wanting to start similar businesses. He responded to the imitators by establishing Gunguluza Entertainment, where he diversified his business interest by starting an independent record label and artist management unit which led him to form strategic partnerships with key promoters.
He invested most of his resources on these new initiatives but the return on investment was never realized. The market was also very fickle and unreliable, and the promoters were not helping either with their dodgy operational ethics. This was not enough to sustain his business. By early 1999 his income had slowly petered out and he was left burdened by debt. He was forced to sell his car and close all his account and had to bear the humiliation of being blacklisted with the credit bureau. Things got so bad that for a while he had to rely on his family to pay his rent. He lost weight simply because he could not afford to buy food.
It was in this, the darkest time of his life, that Gunguluza learnt three priceless lessons in business by which he has lived ever since. These were the importance of working with a good paying market, managing cash flow and the value of planning in business. “This was a light bulb moment in my life,” says Gunguluza. “As strange as it may sound, it had never occurred to me that I should carefully manage my cash flow or even plan my business.”
It was also during this time of poverty that he asked himself a critical question “Why is he so broke, and yet famous figures such as Richard Branson, Donald Trump and the the Onassis of this world were so rich.” He made a decision that day to go read about these guys. He spent endless hours at the CNA, reading biographies of these billionaires, and from time to time being chased away by staff members for not buying the books.
This learning phase inspired him to continue his entrepreneurial journey, with two great lessons on hand, the first one being that “Whatever business you go into, you must love it and know it like the back of your hand” and the second lesson being that “You must be its number one salesperson and that all companies are always looking for the best salesperson to improve their bottom-line”. Instead of allowing depression over his failure to engulf him, Gunguluza decided to start again from scratch and look for a new business opportunity that avoided the pitfalls of his last business. “This time I was looking for sustainability in a business,” he says. “I wanted to target a more stable clientele than before (a good paying market)”.
The birth of GEM Group of Companies: Lebo Gunguluza recognized his business sustainability was in the private sector, and that this market segment is broader and diverse. He secured himself a position in a corporate communication company to learn more about the business of selling media space in publishing and corporate events. Nine-months later, to showcase a clear change in focus he established Corporate Fusion, a corporate communication and events management company. Within 18 months, this company that was run from a townshouse with a single telephone line was generating over R2 Million. Gunguluza rewarded himself by buying himself amongst other things his first Porsche that he always wanted. Building on the success of Corporate Fusion, Gunguluza formed GIDE, a youth development and career guidance development company in partnership with his brother who also joined the growing group of companies. A year later the turnover had doubled, and Gunguluza decided to move into proper offices and register Gunguluza Enterprises and media, known today as the GEM Group, which was established to overlook the new divisions and growing group of companies.
The GEM (Gunguluza Enterprises & Media) Group of Companies was born as a multimedia and communication company with seven business channels namely: a television production company; a training and development company; a publishing company which produced amongst other publications a country-wide student newspaper called Campus Times; an events company that launched the Eastern Cape Awards, the South African Education Awards, the Soweto Awards and a number of major conferences.
The rise and fall of GEM Group of Companies: The company started turning over millions and Gunguluza had no experience in managing such high turnovers, and had no knowledge about investment markets. He then decided to acquire a million-rand building that the Gem Group was operating from and the rest of his new found wealth was spent acquiring more cars. He employed more than 40 people who were randomly recruited based on looks, friendship and family ties. He also travelled extensively overseas and started losing sight of his business operations. While overseas, one of his key projects took a big knock that affected his major account that used to succesfully sustain his busness. He came back early from his overseas trip to rescue the project, but it was too late. He lost that client and two other major clients all in the month of August 2004. This was the worst time of his life, as his company was fast going into debt. Within six month (mid 2005), Gunguluza was in debt of over R2-miliion and had to make some key decisions going forward. He fired most of his staff, sold some of his cars and businesses, but that did not help much. He finally closed the company for a while to settle his debts. Some the staff members took him to the CCMA, and had creditors houding him everyday for the next couple of months. The pressure became so much that he decided to close his cellphone line for a period of three months, and used that time to figure his next move.
New Business Opportunities: As the company collapsed, Gunguluza learnt his next crucial lesson in business. “I realized that if you don’t have the right people in your organisation, you don't have the right support, especially in times of crisis. A big part of one’s success is the fact that he or she is surrounded by competent and qualified individuals who excel in their duties and are able to offer good advice at all times.
”An opportunity then existed to operate Primi Piatti in Rosebank. Gunguluza’s ex- wife went for training to run the restaurant, while he was negotiating payment terms with the creditors from the Gem Group of companies. The restaurant became a sustainable operation which provided a stable income for his household and gave Gunguluza a chance to re-establish new business opportunities. It took three years to settle the outstanding debt from the Gem Group. The restaurant became very popular and helped further profile Gunguluza as a sustainable and celebrated black entrepreneur in South Africa. They further recieved the most coveted Tenant's Award for the Highest Growth in Turnover in their second year of operating the restaurant.
Unfortunately at this time that he was starting to re-build his empire, Gunguluza and his wife went through a divorce, where she continued by herself with the restaurant business. Gunguluza then continued re-building GEM Group of Companies by establishing new companies in the media and hospitality space and forming further partneships.
He further partnered with Uhuru Communications, the publishers of SAA’s Sawubona magazine, who also publish an arts & recreation magazine called Rootz and a campus publication Student Choice. He solidified his partnership by successfully launching a new publication called Municipal Focus, which covers the business of Local Government with a nationwide distribution to municipalites and government departments. He also took on an active role as a Commercial Director and had to set up the Johannesburg office to extend the publishing footprint in South Africa and Africa. He has recently initiated the publishing of the Metro FM publication called Metro Live and Loocha under the Uhuru stable amongst other initiatives. To strengthen his publishing interest, he further acquired an interest in Star Hero Communications, which focuses in niche newspaper publishing, which incudes titles such as Kasi Times, The Red Carpet and The Career Developer, where he acts as Chairman.
Gunguluza also partnered in a R6,2-billion development deal in Gauteng, which is 10 munites away from the OR Tambo International Airport. The first phase of this development kicks off in November 2011 with a R330 Million Hotel. His hospitality interests are activated and marketed under Izani Hotels and Resorts International, a wholly owned division of the GEM Group. In 2011 he also launched GEM Capital, the Gem Group's venture capital and private equity arm, which is already involved in a number of deals includung a R230 Million mining venture in the Northen Cape and R4.2 billion rand retail project in Ballito next to the King Shaka International Airport. He is also finalizing a deal to acquire a R200-million broadcast studio in Johannesburg to venture further in his passion for broadcasting. Gem Capital in partnership with Pastrasncor has secured an exclusive distribution deal with an internations Defence Group and will be launching that division in February 2012 as a national operation. To date Gunguluza has learnt a great deal about partnerships, and believes one should not reinvent the wheel, but also learn and build on opportunities that already exist.
Contributions: Gunguluza has been honoured with Africa Heritage Youth Entrepreneur Award for his dedication and contributions to the South African society. He is the co-founder and President of the South African Black Entrepreneurs Forum (SABEF), a section 21 organisation established to promote, inspire and grow entrepreneurship in the black communities as the source of poverty alleviation, job creation and economic growth in South Africa. He is also the co-founder and Chairman of the Local Government Business Network (LGBN), a voluntary organisatoion established to promote the relationship between Local Government and the private sector.
Today Gunguluza heads up the GEM Group of Companies, an integrated media, hospitality and communications group that offers holistic media, hospitality and technology solutions to their clients. He continues to share his entrepreneurial successes and failures through radio and television interviews and special sessions that are meant to empower and motivate entreprenuers and employees of big corporations . This has further assisted the South African Black Entrepreneurs Forum (SABEF) reach a breakthrough membership, made up of aspiring entrepreneurs, emerging and established entrepreneurs.
Mr Gunguluza is considered one of South Africa’s most celebrated media entrepreneurs, a strategist and a motivational speaker – the ultimate breakthrough entrepreneur.Labels: 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires, Acha Leke Partner Mckinsey Co, African Millionaire of the Week, African Millionaire Secrets, black african women millionaires, Chiyangwa Zimbabwe Millionaire, Cyril Ramaphosa, Gunguluza Enterprises and Media, how to be a millionaire in africa, How to be rich in Africa, How to make money in Africa, julius malema, Lebo Gunguluza, Richest Africans, SABEF
