By Daniel Novitzkas, Chairman at Specno
The ‘story of success’ is the tagline of the popular 2008 psychology book, Outliers, by Canadian journalist and author, Malcolm Gladwell, which provides a deep examination into the various factors, such as family, friendship, and culture, that have contributed to the success of many exceptional individuals or groups.
These outliers, which Gladwell defines as people who do not fit into the normal understanding of achievement, cannot only have their success attributed to what they are like but also require a deep understanding of their upbringing and background.
In one example, the book illustrates how Bill Gates' rare access to a computer in 1968 catapulted him to success. When he was in eighth grade, Gates’ high school Mother’s Club used their funds to purchase a teletype terminal and a block of computer time on a General Electric computer, which he spent countless hours on learning to programme.
This opportunity afforded Gates the headstart to further pursue his interest and eventually build a computer empire in the decades that followed.
The success journey of any South African entrepreneur or start-up founder bears similarity to Bill Gates’ story and that of others in Gladwell’s groundbreaking work.
The crucial key is the ability to leverage any opportunity made available to them to bolster their experience and exposure.
While America’s corporate world is embedded with hungry ambition, South Africans, in general, retain an impeccably resilient, self-reliant attitude and approach towards their goals and dreams.
The same can be easily said for successful South African entrepreneurs who unapologetically leverage that mindset to their advantage.
This is not to say an aspirant entrepreneur in South Africa should not be ambitious. Channelled correctly, ambition can be your primary engine of motivation, while the key is to counterbalance ambition with humility.
On top of this, America’s start-up and entrepreneurship market has historically had a competitive edge over the rest of the world, where fortune has always favoured the bold.
However, rapid changes in technology and its access to many more aspiring entrepreneurs in South Africa have become a crucial game-changer in levelling the playing field.
Just through simple e-commerce platforms with the right digital marketing, South African entrepreneurs can now easily tap into global markets without the need for a physical presence in overseas countries.
Data from the World Bank reveals that in 2011, internet usage among the South African population stood at only 34%. By 2021, this figure had surged to 72%, highlighting a significant improvement in internet access.
Technology not only opens new opportunities for success, but with the right strategy for utilising what is available, any highly self-motivated individual can become the next global trendsetter and change many lives. There is nothing more empowering than this realisation.
But before any aspirant entrepreneur can achieve success, they must diligently pinpoint their North Star, cling to it, channel all their energy, and focus on it.
One must not be ashamed of even becoming a little ADHD-obsessed, because becoming a jack of all trades will make one a master of none and result in precious time wasted.
Acquiring experience should never be an undervalued route to success. As demonstrated by Bill Gates in Outliers, the 10,000-Hour Rule underscores that achieving success demands significant time investment.
For those aspiring to become entrepreneurs in a particular field, joining a startup and absorbing every possible piece of information is paramount. While universities provide valuable knowledge and real learning, self-development will only unfold beyond their walls.
But while the investment of your time is a prerequisite for success, it also requires one to make sacrifices elsewhere. Should distractions, such as social media, unnecessarily compromise your productivity, it may be necessary to remove them from your life, even temporarily.
Every minute spent doom-scrolling on X or Instagram is time that could have been spent reading a chapter of the latest bestseller business book, or a research paper in your field of choice.
Simultaneously, it's crucial to leverage all available resources, including free online courses, to enhance your expertise. Gaining expert knowledge on a specific industry or subject is a gradual process, built step-by-step, and diversifying your learning sources is essential for becoming well-rounded in your chosen field.
The internet offers a wealth of electronic books, and budget-friendly second-hand bookstores are stocked with literature in your area of interest. Enriching your mind with as much information as possible can establish you as an expert within the industry where you aim to enter or build your business.
However, self-motivation is a tough discipline to master. On its foundation, it requires one to unconditionally and truly believe in themselves. But when you can confidently, with humility, demonstrate your knowledge and skills to others, the doors of opportunity are bound to open. Sometimes, they may open immediately or may require perseverance.
The words of Thomas Edison cannot ring truer: “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
The success of any entrepreneur and perhaps the various stories relayed in Outliers can all find origin in the protagonist latching onto every bit of opportunity that comes their way, no matter the size, leveraging everything at their disposal to gain valuable and crucial experience and knowledge, and ultimately transforming that into their pathway to success.
But for one to succeed like this, they just need to start somewhere for the building blocks to follow one after the other.
BUSINESS REPORT