BACKSTORY: Jonathan Kohler, founder & CEO of Landsdowne Property Group

What’s your top tip for doing a deal? 

Persistence — there are deals that have taken me 10 years to close. Regardless of the size of the deal, I followed up every six months. In my mind, you’ve never lost a deal, ever. Also, keep working on building your network and reputation. 

What was your first job? 

After school, I worked as a security guard on the construction site of a Marks & Spencer store in the UK. I also did some construction jobs. Back in South Africa, my first job was doing off-plan sales and marketing for a leading residential property developer. 

How much was your first pay cheque, and how did you spend it? 

It was for £250 as a security guard. At that stage, I was so young and all I wanted to do was save enough to get back to South Africa and buy a new car. My first formal pay cheque in 2004 was relatively high as I received commission on every transaction and the residential market was booming at the time. I earned quite well.

What is the one thing you wish somebody had told you when you were starting out? 

In all honesty, I probably would have done it my way and made the mistakes, regardless. Once I realised what was important in life — not cars — my business started to grow exponentially.

What’s the most interesting thing about you that people don’t know? 

I used to do a lot of mixed martial arts (MMA) and contact sports back in the day. 

What’s the worst investment mistake you’ve made? 

Buying fancy wheels that don’t appreciate in value. The worst decision though was probably buying our corporate office. I bought it off-plan and sold it 10 years later at the same price. Luckily it was paid off at the time.

What’s the best investment you’ve made? And how much of it was due to luck?

It was mainly as a result of administrative bungling. I bought a property on auction and placed a tenant in it, having paid only the deposit. The attorneys dealing with the matter dragged their feet and I earned rental income for 18 months having only settled the auction deposit. In the end, I managed to get my deposit back.

What’s the best book you’ve read in the past six months and why did you like it? 

My favourite book of all time is The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone. It’s about branding your business and taking extreme accountability for its success. I also like Making Big Happen by Mark Moses — it’s easy to read and describes the roles and responsibilities of a CEO in a clear way. 

What is the hardest life lesson you’ve learnt so far? 

To quote Cardone: “Things don’t happen to you, they happen because of you.” When I was hijacked at gunpoint, it forced me to become introspective and shift from an initial victim mindset to taking extreme ownership.

What is something you would tell your younger self that would impress them? 

That it will take 10 times longer to achieve success in your career than you think it will, with a lot of crazy hard work. But in the end, you will look back and know that you can start from nothing and create something meaningful anywhere in the world.

If you were President Cyril Ramaphosa, what would you change, or do, tomorrow? 

I feel the president is hard done by, getting blamed for a party that is not working and where he doesn’t have control. He has an incredible task and without the ability to surround himself with competent people, success is unlikely.