BACKSTORY: Astrino Nicoloudakis of Acsion

What’s your one top tip for doing a deal?

You can’t do a deal with a bad person, check their integrity before engaging.

What was your first job?

Retail packer.

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

It was as an accounting article clerk — R5,400 in 2003. I opened an Investec private bank account.

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

Property is a long game and you need to learn to manage all the risks in the process. It is not a passive investment, and only the bad investments are passive.  

If you could fix only one thing in South Africa, what would it be?

Corruption. It is costing us our beautiful country.

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

Scary Smart by Mo Gawdat. Future-proof yourself from artificial intelligence — it is coming sooner than you think — and Mo’s insights will help calm your nerves.

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

I’m passionate about South Africa and its future. We as South Africans need to boost the image of our country more. Every country has issues, but we don’t know about them because they positively spin their offering to the world.

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

Investing in an off-plan property development where I had no control over the development process.

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

IPO investments during the JSE listing boom.

What is the hardest life lesson you’ve learnt?

You can’t control other partners’ and people’s agendas.

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

The Springboks have won three World Cups and counting.

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

Declare a state of emergency on corruption and start cleaning up state capture.