Old Mutual On The Money
Old Mutual On The Money
Comedian Thabo “Summary” Kgaphola on how his mindset helped him rise above hardship
Coming from humble beginnings didn’t stop comedian Thabo “Summary” Kgaphola from building a bright career, but he’s the first to admit it took more than just hard work. It began with some important lessons from his father, accompanied by a shift in mindset.
In this episode of On the Money, Thabo joins Old Mutual’s Group Head of Financial Education, John Manyike, to reflect on how his father’s lessons helped shape the way he thought about poverty, wealth, success, and self-belief and how that thinking helped him to make the right financial decisions as his career unfolded.
Thabo’s story is an inspiring reminder that wherever you start in life, the hurdles are only as high as you allow them to be. With the right mindset and enough determination, nothing is impossible.
On the Money is Old Mutual’s financial education podcast, where public figures and everyday people share their real stories about money – the good, the bad, and the unexpected.
For more financial education tips from On The Money, visit: https://www.oldmutual.co.za/personal/solutions/financial-education/on-the-money/
Thanks for listening! Interested in getting more financial education? Visit our website for free resources. You can follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
JOHN MANYIKE[00:09]:
Welcome to Old Mutuals’ On The Money show. Money may not be a laughing matter, but there are people who are making money out of a comedy as a career. So today we are joined by Summary. I think it will be an interesting conversation because I guess we will understand how he navigates the money issue, is it a laughing matter for him or is it a serious issue? Brother, how are you doing?
SUMMARY [00:35]:
I’m well, can’t complain.
JOHN MANYIKE[00:36]:
Let's start with this name “Summary”. How did it come about, Summary?. You know people who know you would call you ‘T-Bos’, ‘Thabo’ but how did this name Summary come about?
SUMMARY [00:49]:
This story say people don’t know this story because I haven’t told it so long story short or in summary, I got the name in church. There was this other time there was a talent show. So I was hesitant to do it because I was like, I'm not that guy you know, when I come to church you know, I just want to come and leave. So there was this brother that forced me to go on stage for several times, I refused. So I end up going and I was the last person on stage to perform. So because it was not planned and I didn’t want to do it so I ended up just doing it and the were I think about 20 contestants on stage or participants on stage and because I had nothing planned so I was like, let me summarize everything that they did, so the first one sang I sang, the 3rd one danced, so I pretty much did almost everything that everybody did on stage. So now it was time for people to vote, you know, for their favourite person to win that competition. So I think it was it was it was a trip to Cape Town OK so because they don't know my name so they end up saying the one that was summarizing the one that summarized so they ended up saying ‘Which one?’ ‘Summary.’ ‘Which one?’ ‘Summary’, ‘Summary’ and then what happened
JOHN MANYIKE[02:16]:
OK so you from Orange Farm, and we know Orange is not a suburb.
SUMMARY [02:24]:
Informal settlement.
JOHN MANYIKE[02:24]:
So you, yeah, as you call it informal settlement, as you would imagine, I mean, living in a informal settlement, it must have been tough, you know, growing up in the, in the, in that area or in those circumstances yes so how did you navigate living in an informal settlement, you know, because there's issues of confidence and how you show up and tell us more maybe about your upbringing in an informal settlement.
SUMMARY [02:58]:
I think ever like, since I was young, I've never liked being in that situation. So because of where we come from, the toilets were pit toilets. To tell you the truth, maybe I used that toilet maybe10 times in my life. I would go to a friend’s place where there's, you know, the one that flushes, that's how much I've never liked it. And I tell my mother, you know what? this space, it doesn’t suit me. I don't belong here yeah so the confidence part which was the most crucial element that made me navigate that situation and I needed to show up for myself in order for me ,you know for me to be where I am to be so obviously you would find back in the days, people would come to school in Carvela and I had none of those. I would go to school without, you know, proper school uniform sometimes its takkies and it's not, you know, well, but the confidence part, that was something that kept me alive because even when I was in a destitute environment or situation, I would show up and make people laugh so that it protected me from feeling shame that ok I live in a shack and my parents are not working and it hurt me. So I would show up and make people laugh, dance I was the popular guy you understand? So the confidence part made it, it actually protected me from, I would, imagine I would have done stupid things in my life. Yeah, maybe I would’ve smoked drugs and all those kind of things. And especially from when you come from informal settlement, it's tough. 80% of us, we end up doing wrong things because we are all poor. So you need a substance that would maybe at least help you out or give you comfort in situations where you feel, you know, neglected or poor. So the confidence helped me to just navigate life pretty well.
JOHN MANYIKE [05:19]:
So your, your dad had two wives, right?
SUMMARY [05:24]:
Yeah. Has. He has. It’s not past tense. Present continuous tense.
JOHN MANYIKE [05:28]:
And there were 13 of you? How are you living going from a settlement with that number? And you're saying both parents were unemployed?
SUMMARY [05:46]:
It was tough, I mean, you know, when you come from such a place, man, it's either you're gonna. You know you're not gonna make it. In fact, most, in like most cases, people don't make it out of that. But I come from a very, very loving family and I thank my dad for that because the teachings that he taught me or that he taught us as his children, they really kept us afloat. I mean, three of my siblings, two of them are at WITS, 1 is in Cape Town. I'm doing well. You can tell by my skin, one of the best comedians in the in the country much about doing a comedian. So we are doing well, but it is because of the teachings. So when you are in such this is the danger when you are when you're poor, the mindset, it's the only thing that can keep you rich. So I think my dad had that. My dad and my mother, I mean, I would go to school and my mother would say when you go, when you leave this shack, you are not written a shack here. So don't go out there and want sympathy from people, show up. Go out ,y child and live, because if you leave this house showing that you live in a shack then you won’t survive because the world out there is cold, it’s mean and if you lack that confidence, you want to make it. So My dad would say, even if there’s nothing here, but there's God in this place. So we have we might not have anything but the God that we have will see us through. So all those things would play in my mind. My mother would get pissed if we came back from school and then you are there with your dry mouth, you're looking like you're hungry. You would make my mother angry she would ask what are you doing? Do you want to show the whole world that you’re hungry? If you’re hungry why don’t you come home and have pap and water? I think my parents more than 'cause I can't take full credit because I was confident of course, but my parents played a huge role as well in order for us to survive that because if my parents lacked confidence, that would rub off even to us as kids. So I they gave us confidence and I was fortunate I had a gift of making people laugh. That gift and that confidence made me what I am today.
JOHN MANYIKE [08:24]:
So I mean a lot of people come from a background of lack. They tend to have a particular way of looking at life you know, because some of those challenges would shape their ideas or beliefs about finances. How did they money thing work in your family with parents who didn't really have formal employment? I guess they were they were hustling. How did the money thing work in your family?
SUMMARY [08:55]:
Even though there was no money but the little that they had, they manage it very, very well. You know, we could at least have food, we could at least have, you know, some of the things like we didn't have most of the things, but we had some things that I think maybe think that way more important than having other things. So my mother to this day, when it comes to finances, I think she's very, very, very, very disciplined. She knows how to use hundred rands to cover 8 kids who were 8, 9, 10 12, I think 12 of us in a shack, you know. So I think the discipline with money, that's one of the things that my mother, she's very good at. She able to save money. And even when I started working, I was earning 1200 at the time before I resigned to do comedy, I saved up 500 every month for me to do my driver's license. So I was able to also respect money and use it wisely even though I didn't have much. So I, I didn't wait to have this money in order for me to do good things or to save money because the perception that we have as people is that, I can't save money because I don't have money. So I would only save money when I'm rich. So we are waiting to have I don't know this lump sum of money in order for us to save, but we don't save because you have this money. You save with the one that you have. It's like someone saying I can't give. No, you give what you have. You don't wait to have 10 loaves of bread to give. If you have one slice of bread, you cut half and you share. You don't wait to have in order for you to share. You share what you have. This thing with money, the little that you have, it can do a lot of things but people want to, they have this perception of waiting to be rich. That's why they will never be rich. That's why they will never have, because they can't use what they have.
JOHN MANYIKE [11:09]:
So what were the key money lessons from your parents?
SUMMARY [11:12]:
Was not to waste money, to squander like, spend money on frivolous things. Spend money on important things, the needs, and once you've covered the needs then if you want to buy yourself something nice then you can. But don't buy something nice at the expense of something that is in need.
JOHN MANYIKE [11:37]:
OK, so you at one stage, I mean you finish school and you have learnership, and at some point you were a forklift driver. So now all of a sudden now we've got a bit of a stable income. How did you find yourself handling money with, with your background and now you've got a bit of how did you, how did you manage that money?
SUMMARY [12:04]:
You know to be honest with this, like this is very tricky. So in as much as I had learned some of the lessons, to apply them at first was difficult because, and I think that is why even just off topic, most of our tenderpreneurs, our black brothers, they waste money because they never had money. The moment they have money, they buy all these luxurious cars. I think it's something that happens to a lot of us. So I was fortunate that it only happened for some time and it was manageable and it was my money. It wasn't a government's money or a funding of some sort. So I would easily revert back to the lessons or easily see that no man, I'm doing something wrong. So to answer your question now, I struggled a bit because I had this perception or this idea that because I never had, then I must do whatever, I was unemployed for a long while now I have to use this money so every month, and I was telling someone this thing I think last week that it really upsets me to see our fellow people every month and we are the only race at ATM’s, long queues, long, very long. That shows how much and you know, it might, I might be wrong, right? But I can tell you this, it is what it shows how much money we, or maybe rather the way we use money because the fact that someone won't leave that ATM at month end, it means they have to pay debts. Someone borrowed money along the way and they promised someone that month end sure, sure, sure I'll give that money because I was once in that situation as well that every month at the ATM’s we’re lined up anywhere in the in this country, we would rather be late at work because we have to withdraw that money that day and we start wasting that money on the very same day that we got paid. So I struggled a bit because month end I’m there and whether this queue it ends there and there I’m standing because I have to withdraw from that bank. Even if that other bank was empty. So I would just stay there as well and wait to withdraw money. But for a bit I was like, no, what Summary? I don't have money and you know, and I come from a big family. So I need to I need to use money wisely, you know, buy groceries and, and, but I struggled at first.
JOHN MANYIKE [15:06]:
You make an interesting observation, here actually I never thought of it, that for a lot of people who are withdrawing money from ATM’s are mostly Africans. Why do you think Africans believe in cash? Hard cash instead of, uh, swiping? Because it costs money to withdraw. Because every time you withdraw there are charges but if you swipe it's cheaper?
SUMMARY [15:28]:
No, remember there's two things. One, it goes with that, the sense of belonging. So now that, I have 3000 in my, you know, in my in like in my pockets. It makes me feel good at the time. And it's in line with thinking that I'm thanking myself, you know, and #2. most Africans, we are at those ATMs month end because during the whole month, the money that we've squandered during the weekends, drinking, buying things that we don't need etc, and the money that we've borrowed from loan sharks, friends and family. Even those people, they want their money, cash. Because nobody saves money. All of them, they want it here because they want to spend it. There reason why people have cash is because they will spend it. When it's in the like, in the account, they feel like now it's too far. It's too far. But if someone has 300 here when they're just walking around, they can say man I can have this. So there's, there's that. I don't know what to call it, it's the people cannot control that urge. You know, you have to spend. So they feel good when they spend because they feel like I've been working hard. And that's why most as us Africans, we are always below the radar is because we want to spend, we want to spend money all the time wherever we are. We want to spend money and we find pride in spending money. And we want to use this slavery and apartheid to you to, to waste money. They’ve oppressed us for a long time, It’s about time now, this our money guys, you don't you, you don't tell the other races they must spend their money blah blah blah but us, you understand? So we all, we use all these excuses for us to waste money.
JOHN MANYIKE [17:30]:
Wow, interesting, interesting observation indeed. So look. You were a forklift driver but then you decided no, you want to pursue in business, in in comedy. There are a lot of people who have talents and but they don't have the guts to actually leave a nine to five and, and to and to believe in in that talent that they have. So how did you encourage yourself to get to a point where you say, I'm leaving this this job and I'm going to focus on comedy as a career?
SUMMARY [18:05]:
It's knowing thyself. And when you know yourself, there are things that you know about yourself that not even your wife, your mother knows about yourself. That is why when you try to pursue business, people lose their spouses because they don't see it the way you do. They don't have it in them. You know what I mean? So for me. When I was at work, I felt I don't belong here. I don't belong here because for as long as I can remember, I've been talkative. I've been, like in township lingo they say I’m forward like I felt joy in that space. In school back in the days I would go class to class, making people laugh that gave me a sense of belonging, joy. When the teacher come in class I would get bored and like you’re taking my spotlight. I would get bored that's how bad it was for me. You know I'm I was I don't know after an extrovert what comes after that I'm, I'm that I was that I wanted to be around people. I felt good when I make people laugh and maybe, It could be the fact that also because I suffered, I did not want people to suffer. So when I make people laugh, it gave me joy, that guys, man, whether you come from a shack or you've lost your parent, whatever, there's always something out there. There's hope. Not that I would erase your pain, but I would at least to give that spark someone to feel good. So even when I was at work, I would do the same thing. And by the way, I got I think 2 written warnings for that. I would make people laugh at work. I would go to the finance department, they would call you via intercom, you are wanted at your workstation, so I would be at different workstations just making people laugh and my manager would say you know what, this is not high school. You are, you are at work. You can't be making people laugh every day everywhere. You must focus on your work. That means you know what? I need to leave and I need to, to have the guts to leave and I have the guts to leave and I left.
JOHN MANYIKE [20:33]:
Doesn't umm, people call it an African idiom, that you cannot test the river with both your feet, and that's why people are finding it difficult to break away from a nine to five. But you were you were bold. How did you know for certain, that you are, you're not taking a an uncalculated risk?
SUMMARY [20:53]:
I’m going to sound, maybe uneducated. I think for me belief is like, we, I don't know, we overlook or is it, is it understated or overstated? Belief it's something. That's why even religiously you would laugh at other people because, umm, maybe their pastors would make them eat grass. Some pastors would make them, uh, drink oil or do whatever. That's the power of belief. So if you believe that much in what you do, you don't need any anyone's validation. I, I truly believe that I was, I was funny and this would work. I don't have any other signs. I can’t say, the thing is, I didn't know. I didn't do anything. I know myself. I am a funny guy. So I will spend the rest of my life making sure this thing works so but what's there between belief or believe and the jump is fear. People have fears. A lot of people, they have fears like people are drawn too much to their own fears than them believing that this thing will work. Look at business, business hurts, it fails, whatever, but because you believe that you know what, I love what I do. Even in dry seasons, you stick. But people can't do that because they want instant gratification. Number 2, fear. So people cannot for example, someone would say no I have to wait for 10 years before I get successful? They can't, so they want something that will work after a year or two. But when you have that strong belief, even if it takes 15 years, but after that 15 years though, I will live my best life as if I had never suffered. That's the faith I had in me and in what I believed in.
JOHN MANYIKE [23:00]:
Yeah. So talking about beliefs, what are your money beliefs that shapes or informs the way you handle money?
SUMMARY [23:07]:
Is that money is important, you know, when you come from a poor background, and most of us as Africans, we have this saying money is the root of all evil. No, poverty is the root of all evil. When you suffer automatically, most people when we're in those situations, we are negative mindset wise right now go to the township and not in a bad way I know from experience and I'm not saying that people from the township are a certain way but most of us, when you try to empower someone in that situation, they'll tell us to not tell them how to live. When someone goes to a model C school, us that didn’t go there, you know what we say? Don’t listen to them, they’re snobs. We become negative for those we have because we find comfort in that. It's like to change yourself, you need to admit that there are certain things about yourself that are not right, but you can't change things that you don't want to admit. So when you are on the other side of the fence, you become negative. And that's why we don't talk money. When we are there, we don't talk money, we say that money is the enemy. The people that have the money, they don't even say that. And we work for people that have that money you understand? So for me It changed when I saw that money is important and how you use money also says a lot about you because without money we can't donate. If money not important, then we that have worked hard we can't donate to orphanages, we can't donate to old age, we can’t donate to the ones that don't have. So you need money, Mr. John Manyike to help people. You can help us without money. Your words mean, guys, you can come here and talk to us about change! Have faith! but that won't change unless you put money into it. The reason why as some of the people get easily scammed, for example it’s not all Forex guys, but most of the forex guys. They scam people, you know why? Not through words, It's because they've hired all these Maserati’s here. So because perception is everything, people think this person doesn't need money then they fall into that. That's how important money is. It changes the narrative. So for me, I knew money is important because the way I wanted to live and the way I lived. When I was in the shack, when it rained we couldn't sleep. Because of what? Because we didn't have money to build a house. Yeah. Now that I have money, I’m like money is important. You can do other things yeah.
JOHN MANYIKE [26:08]:
So, you make an interesting point about if you don't have money you can't help anyone you can donate and all that so I'm thinking now as you say that I mean coming from a family where you had siblings about 12,13 of you. Now that you are working, are you finding yourself in a spot where you have to help your siblings and are you coping? Is it something that you are doing or are you? How are you handling that?
SUMMARY [26:38]:
Hmm guys and I think this thing, to my fellow brothers and especially black, people, this one is serious, which is my camera? My fellow sisters and brothers, this is important. To those of us who are breadwinners it is important to communicate your emotions to your parents or your siblings or your family members. If you don't do that, you will resent them. And let me qualify that statement. The reason why there's gonna be the word black tax, It is because there isn't a clear communication with you and your siblings or your mother. If you give your parents money and you see that they are wasting that money, you must talk to them, that Mama, I gave you this much and you come again, you want another money for what I give for the society, or whatever, I won't be able to give you that money and I won't cope and if I'm not coping I’m gonna be depressed and if I’m depressed and if I die, then you’re going to come and say, you should have told us that you’re overextended. But they see that you’re over extended but they're not going to do anything unless you put a stop into it. So to have, and I know as blacks, we are afraid to communicate that because we feel like we owe our parents money because they raised us but that's not the case. That's not the case.
JOHN MANYIKE [28:12]:
So what is the best way to talk to a family member, whether it's a mother or a younger or older sister who is looking up to you to help them financially. What do you say to them?
SUMMARY [28:24]:
You are honest to them. There are things that I'm going to buy for you. I'm not going to buy you Air Force. No, it's, it's not important. But I can buy you food for Res if maybe they are at Res. I can buy you grocery at Res because Air Force that you’re going to use to go dance at a party with is not important. What's important is that you eat and I can buy you a microwave, at Res, I can buy you fridge at Res, but I won't buy you clothes just so that you can look like other people. No, you are not like them. You are on a mission. I was on a mission. That's why I'm here. So that this one I can afford to buy you things is because I needed to sacrifice for you. So the least that I need is for you to sacrifice for me. Yeah. In order for us to have a brother or a sister and a brother relationship for good. What destroys that relationship is entitlement and again the lack of communication the fear that if I tell them they’ll think I think too highly of myself, but that kills you more than it kills them.
JOHN MANYIKE [29:45]:
So you recently got married?
SUMMARY [29:45]:
I didn’t get married.
JOHN MANYIKE [29:45]:
What did you do? What is it? Are you denying your wife? Your wife?
SUMMARY [30:03]:
Guys, whoever wants me, I’m available. I didn't get married.
JOHN MANYIKE [30:14]:
We see you, you know, on like someone who is settled and or is this a stable relationship? Yeah, or are you in a stable relationship? Ok are you in a stable relationship? You are not? Do you have plans to get married?
SUMMARY [30:38]:
Yeah, I have to.
JOHN MANYIKE [30:41]:
Is there someone who is a candidate to be married to you?
SUMMARY [30:41]:
Yeah. And like, I'm gonna marry, you know, polygamous marriage.
JOHN MANYIKE [30:48]:
So and she understands that?
SUMMARY [30:48]:
Yeah. She will understand that. Yeah. You know, I mean, I'm a I'm a polygamous man and I'm gonna marry…
JOHN MANYIKE [31:00]:
You serious, right? Are you? Are you pulling a joke?
SUMMARY [31:03]:
No I’m serious. Like myself? No, I'm, a I'm a polygamous man.
JOHN MANYIKE [31:10]:
OK. So as a polygamous man, as you put it how are you going to explain to the wives? The wives. I'm saying wives because you say you a polygamous man. How are you going to explain to them? That hey look, I'm here, but I'm taking care of my siblings?
SUMMARY [31:27]:
Good look, and I just said now honestly and also you have to marry people that are aligned with your values. This thing of love conquers all is a lie, there’s no such thing, you’re going to hurt yourself. No. The reason why other tribes thrive is because they marry each other. Yeah. No, no, it's wrong to be married to someone else but this is the point, It is values, it is shared values. So for me this thing of getting married to someone from the club because I liked them and then try to change them, those things don't work. You can’t change people. Love is a choice. I choose to be friends with Stopnonsons, I choose to be friends with Mr Manyike. Yeah. It's not love that that keeps me with you, it’s a choice and that choice I stand by it. If someone was to gossip to me about you, because I have a choice, I tell you about it. So going back to the point I can’t be with someone who does not believe in polygamy, that's a waste of time. No, you marry within the shared value systems. The reason why the Muslims last together is because what? They both believe in Allah, but if one Muslim faith marries a Christian then they will fight and they're not gonna want to force things saying that no, love conquers all. If you love her you will change for her, never that’s not love. If you if you have to change for someone that’s not love, that’s stupidity, I won’t change for anyone.
JOHN MANYIKE [33:10]:
OK, there was a lot of sauce there. OK, let's go to the issue…
SUMMARY [33:18]:
You seemed to enjoy the polygamy topic?
JOHN MANYIKE [33:18]:
No we are done, or do you want to add?
SUMMARY [33:27]:
No, I’m just saying the same values. Yeah, because I'm gonna marry , you know, I'm not gonna just go out there and take anyone. No, within the shared values. Then I'm gonna, because they are familiar with it and they also come from the similar background as mine. So it's not a rocket science. They know that ok, when my man and I get married, we're gonna marry in customary law. Customary law.
JOHN MANYIKE [33:56]:
Ok, don't run away from this. So the one you're with now, I understand that you are going that route?
SUMMARY [34:01]:
Anyone that I’ll have going forward, they do understand.
JOHN MANYIKE [33:56]:
You're talking as if there’s no one.
SUMMARY [34:15]:
[Singing] no one, no one, no one can get in the way of what I’m feeling…
JOHN MANYIKE [34:15]:
I think you're, I think you're running away from the question. It's OK. No, no, no. I'm saying the one that you are stable with now, do they understand that you are going the polygamy route? SUMMARY [34:32]:
Mr Manyike, like I said initially,
JOHN MANYIKE [34:32]:
Now you're standing like a politician.
SUMMARY [34:33]:
Comrades. I am going to marry any woman that I'm going to be with, is the one that believes in polygamy. Simple as that. If someone doesn't believe in polygamy, then they are, they are not for me because I don't, I don't want to because remember, polygamy is not cheating. I've never cheated in my life, by the way, since I was born, I've never ever, ever cheated. So I've always been in line with whatever that I've always wanted and I can see this on camera. So if you think, I’ve cheated, please comment, subscribe, never they don’t exist.
JOHN MANYIKE [35:10]:
Okay. So you see, this one, there's a lot of smoke when we get to this one. I asked you a simple question. Are you stable with anyone right now?
SUMMARY [35:22]:
No Manyike . I want you to come study my finances. I believe that Old Mutual will give us gigs so that I can get married you see? And once I see that Old Mutual is giving me money, I promise you, this is the year. You’ll be the first person to know.
JOHN MANYIKE [35:54]:
OK, let's talk about your streams of income. I, I would imagine because sometimes you are an MC and you're doing comedy. What, what types of streams of income do you have?
SUMMARY [36:08]:
OK, but I think they are all within the branch of comedy right. I don't know if I should call them streams because they're, they're still the same thing. So I'm like, OK, it's, it's MCing, It's umm, your corporate gigs, it's stand up, it’s doing my own shows, it's brand collaborations. It's, right now I’m an ambassador a certain brand, umm, Levard and Klinman. Yeah, I think that's that.
JOHN MANYIKE [36:39]:
Yeah. So how, how are you, uh, handling this multiple streams of income so that you don't find yourself in a situation where, uh, you go through a dry season?
SUMMARY [36:49]:
It's to invest that in the, in the. In the business, it just to re-invest in the business, OK, this chunk of money, I can put it here with this chunk of money I can put it under this one so that it grows there so that maybe a year to come I will go do comedy as a hobby, not as a main thing. Because comedy is my talent, when I started out, I was doing it for fun, it was fun, but over the years, because of responsibilities, it became sort of like a job, you understand? And at some point I feel like I don't want this feeling because that's the reason why I left my job, you know. So if my comedy now it makes me feel like work, then I'm not I'm not going to enjoy it anymore and that's what I'm good at. So I need to make money so I do comedy the way I used to do it. So now you’re going to perform for money. That money has to pay for the car instalments, bond etc. So I don't, I don't. I don't want that. Now I'm forced to go and perform even when I don’t feel up to it. You understand? And sometimes I don't, I don't want to perform, I just want to sleep, relax and go to the gym. You see that I have a built chest? So going to the gym in the morning and afternoon, those are things that I want to do.
JOHN MANYIKE [38:11]:
So, so you apart from investing in the business, I'm mean how are you investing to make sure you can secure a better future?
SUMMARY [38:19]:
It’s just keeping to the business. Mr Manyike you are the head of finance whatsoever, like I'm just an entertainer. The only thing that I can do in my own space and, and understanding, it is to build a brand, invest in the in the brand and in other businesses so that those businesses on their own, they operate and they are outside of comedy. Yeah. So if this business grows, then I can, not I can, so that I can make money while sleeping. So that now I can say OK, this year I wanna do only four comedy shows. I wanna book 4 theatres, then I'm then I'm done. Then the time I have to spare, I can spend it on my hobbies.
JOHN MANYIKE [39:02]:
OK, last two questions. Even though COVID is in the past, a lot of people were affected by, by it and I would imagine being in the comedy space and entertainment was pretty much under pressure. What are the hard lessons you learned from COVID? What are you doing differently?
SUMMARY [39:26]:
To be honest, I’m going to be naïve. During COVID the only thing I've learned is that nothing is important more than life to, be honest. I saw the importance of life even though I did, but at that time it became even more, you know, more evident during you that you can have all the cars and the money that that you want, but without life, you won't enjoy those things. Yes. So for me, it made me appreciate life and what I do and family. Spend time with your family. Because when it's all said and done. Right now, if people cancel me, Mr. John, you will detach yourself from me. The brand Old Mutual will let me go, Stopnonsons will leave me, everybody will leave, but people that will say come home is my mother and my father and my siblings only.
JOHN MANYIKE [40:22]:
Yeah. So look, I, I like the life principle that you, you are touching on, but from a financial point of view, what are what were those financial lessons something that you say, look, I had to change the way I do things, I mean, or whatever the case may be, what were your financial lessons that you drew from COVID?
SUMMARY [40:38]:
Oh, OK. Now let’s get specific, for financial, um the only thing that I did was you need to have your own property that you don't pay this huge amounts. Like for example go to the rural homelands my brother buy a stand there and build 3 houses and chill. Because there you don't even pay all this levies and rates you understand? So that should another COVID 17 come, you can leave your two million house here if they want to take it, they can take it, but you have another house that that is worth, see, this is the thing when you go when you buy your own stand, you can build the very same type of a house cheap. But here in Joburg that house is worth about 3 million but there you have spent only 800,000 or 700,000 the same house. So that's the only thing I think for me that I was able to, to do that you know what? Let me buy stands and then build, build, build. So that should anything happen to me and then my family will have places to stay.
JOHN MANYIKE [41:51]:
OK, thanks for that. Last question. If you were to encourage young people who have a talent of some sort, whether they're artists, they're singing or it's comedy, whatever the case may be, what would you say to them about nurturing their talent and building their career out of it? Based on your own lessons and your journey.
SUMMARY [42:16]:
Ooh, I think this on, umm, I think for me, they, they, they, they need to believe in their talent that they have. They need to believe that whether it's, it's makeup, whether it's doing hair, you need to believe that it is not small and you need and also you need to understand why you are doing it because if you not if, if, if you want to do it to have money you’re going to fail as you go so if you have talent, firstly you need to understand why you need to pursue that, you need to serve with your talent and then once the serving is there, it brings you business and customers. And then once you have customers, you need to learn the money etiquette that with the money that I have, how can I expand this money so that the business that I do, isn’t under pressure, I’ve done makeup or hair and with that money still need to feed myself and transport myself. That's what we do most of artists or people who are self-employed, so the talent wise, if you can, you can go to school even though some of us didn’t do well in school you understand? You can go to school and enhance your talent if your talent needs school, you can enhance it so that you can attract more, whether from corporate or you or you can have more credits and be, and have an advantage over the next person because it's a very competitive world. And if you are like us who your talent is raw, then you need to collaborate. You need to sell yourself as much as you can. You need to go to spaces where people don't go now when I started, I would ask people for 5 minutes to perform and they’d deny me you know? Then you go back again. So the talent you need to nurture your, talent, you need to be humble because talent unlike any other industry, it goes with character. So if your character is misaligned, you will, they will cancel you early in the game, so you need to you need to be humble, even if you have to fake it so that you can make money. Just say hey guys, I love you so much, thanks God is good all the time. But if you come there and act pompous you won't make it, so be humble, nurture your talent, work hard, be patient. Don’t give up. Someone only starts as a DJ this year and after three months starts saying I charge 45000. No it doesn't look like that. Be patient and you need to suffer. You need to suffer unless if, oh! And If you don't want to suffer that much like us, then you use social media wisely. Right now social media is there, go there and post your content. Before you know it Old Mutual will come to you and say hey man, promote this thing for us but promote yourself, use your data wisely and stay humble. Be humble and pray and be patient I think that’s all from me, if I were to say more I’d mess it up.
JOHN MANYIKE [45:23]:
No you did try to summarize it anyway my brother, thank you for very much for your time. I, I trust that a lot of people who watch or listen to this would be encouraged by your journey but thank you very.
SUMMARY [45:37]:
And what happens if they aren’t encouraged? Will I not get booked or will you delete it?
JOHN MANYIKE [45:41]:
No we shall see!