Show me the money!
Shark Tank SA is giving entrepreneurs the chance to boost their businesses. Here’s how “Shark” Marnus Broodryk did it.
Business guru Marnus Broodryk is one of the circling sharks in the tank. Season 1 Sundays (from 2 October) M-Net (*101) 18:00
New reality show Shark Tank South Africa (2016- current) has brought in the big guns as its Sharks (business people who’re evaluating the contestants’ ideas, then deciding if they’re going to invest or not). Joining business moguls Vinny Lingham, Gil Oved, Romeo Kumalo and Dawn Nathan-Jones is Marnus Broodryk, who’s done everything from mowing lawns for school-fee money to being a self-made millionaire at 24. These days, the 30-year-old is the CEO of accounting firm Beancounter and says that hard work pays off big time…
What drew you to the show? I’ve been watching the US version of Shark Tank (2009- current) from episode 1 and I’ve always loved it, so when M-Net approached me to be part of the local version, it was a no-brainer. What do you believe is the formula to a winning idea? An idea is nothing; execution is everything. What’s the secret to that? Being passionate about what you want to do, having the guts and willingness to work 20 hours a day to make it work and having core focus on one thing at a time. What can the contestants learn from your journey? I’ve always believed that I will be successful because I will outwork anyone. If my competition puts in eight hours, I’ll put in 16 hours. That really sums up my journey: I’ve worked really hard. It started when I was cutting grass to pay my school fees and after that I did my articles while I was doing a full-time degree. By 22, I’d started my first business. Fast-forward eight years and I’ve been successful in many businesses and helped many others to do the same. Some of it was luck, some of it was knowing the right people at the time, but mostly it was because of the hours I’ve put in. Was reality TV something you’d thought of doing? In my younger years, I actually had acting classes and dreamt of being on TV. A year ago, I started a business insert on a kykNET show called Winslyn (2015- current) and now Shark Tank SA. What would people be surprised to learn about you? I enjoy the good things in life but I’m not obsessed about flashy objects. I’m vegetarian – mostly for ethical reasons. And I cry often.