12 Jan Kabelo Ncholo
Where did you grow up and what were the reactions you received from people in your life when you said you wanted to go into advertising/marketing?
I’m from a village called Bapong in Geluckspan, went to school at Itsoseng and stayed at Danville Mafikeng. The was no reaction cause I didn’t plan to be in marketing/advertising industry, it was by pure default.
What made you get into this business? What makes you get excited in the morning?
Opportunity presented itself and made me get into the business. I like the adrenaline and the pressure of the industry, I woke up every morning looking forward to the pressure and that makes me excited.
How did you break into the industry and how did you land your new job?
Good networking offered me the opportunity.
What top three characteristics does one require to be successful in the industry?
Tenacity, tactfulness and pure passion for whatever it is that you do
How would you divide up your typical day (in percentages)?
80 % Management/ admin. 20% Business development
What top three characteristics does one require to be successful in the Marketing/Advertising/Communications industry?
Optimism, Resilience, Open minded
How do you and your company differentiate yourselves from your competitors?
Through branding and operational strategy
What is your take on the current South African advertising landscape, what needs to change?
The current industry landscape is unfair, still favours the previously advantage group (white owned) and transformation of the industry is needed for change.
What are your opinions on transformation in the advertising/creative environment?
It’s at a snail pace and one will think that our industry should have been the easiest to transform more that it’s a service related industry.
What was your strategy for hiring new employees - not just how you found them but how did you vet them? How did you ensure that they were successful and effective employees after you hired them?
At first I worked on recommendation but now we fully follow recruitment processes. Employee retention is a challenge in SMME’s however we have a rigorous induction phase to ensure the success of the employee in the agency.
What's the most surprising thing about running your own business?
The unexpected incidents.
Please share some of your proudest career moments.
Influencing a shift in the market through our service.
What advice do you have for young people who are interested in entering the industry?
They should be prepared to work every day and long hours.
Anything you want to share that I haven’t asked?
Thank you