Reon Barnard, CEO of Tabono
What’s your one top tip for doing a deal?
Do your due diligence, but not only on the project and the numbers; remember that you also invest in people.
What was your first job?
I was a store manager for tyres and spares at ORT.
What is the one thing you wish somebody had told you when you were starting out?
What other people think of you is none of your business.
If you could fix only one thing in South Africa, what would it be?
Our education system. I think most of what else is wrong, such as crime and poverty, will start to come right when education improves.
What’s the worst investment mistake you’ve made?
There’s no mistake. I’ve learnt so much more from my so-called mistakes than from any of my successes.
What’s the best investment you’ve ever made? And how much of it was due to luck?
Any investment in people around you and in yourself is a good one. Being a lifelong learner pays immeasurable dividends.
What’s the best book you’ve read recently and why did you like it?
I like to read autobiographies and biographies. There is so much to learn from other people’s lives, in particular those of businesspeople I respect. Two recent books I thoroughly enjoyed are Anton Rupert — The Life of a Business Icon, by Ebbe Dommisse, and Indra Nooyi’s autobiography, My Life in Full.
What phrase or bit of jargon irks you most?
“Think outside the box”. I read a comment from a reader on Forbes.com once that people should forget the box and just think, and I tend to agree. The problem with jargon is that people use it as a substitute for thinking about what they really need to get across, and the result is a lack of direction in what they’re saying.
What is something you would go back and tell your younger self that would impress them?
You get one life; use it well.
If you were President Cyril Ramaphosa, what would you change, or do, tomorrow?
Fix education. Fix infrastructure. Fix policing. Get policy certainty so that South Africa can attract foreign investment. Create the environment for business to create jobs.
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