Patrice Rassou

If someone came to you tomorrow with R100m to invest in just one company, which would it be?

Amazon. CEO Jeff Bezos is redefining the world of retail and has created a company that is now bigger than the traditional leading US retailers combined.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Tolerance. Great men like Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King taught it. In the investment world tolerance for pain is also a virtue.

What was your first job?

My first vacation job was with an accounting firm. learnt to make coffee and photocopies.

If you could turn back time, what would you change in your life? Apple or Samsung (or Nokia)? What was your last purchase? What’s your favourite song? What is your most treasured possession? On what occasion do you lie?

When I tell myself I am too tired to exercise.

I I would have loved to study in the US — I could then have mused about ending up in the right start-up!

What’s the best investment you’ve ever made?

Investing in myself. I chose to study for a master’s degree and an MBA, which I think helped my professional career. And investing in my own personal library. Blackberry.

I bought a mattress — shares in Steinhoff International (owner of Mattress Firm).

How much was your first pay cheque and what did you do with it?

R250 — after paying for transport and lunch, to borrow money to buy work clothes. “What Do You Mean?” by Justin Bieber. I needed

What travel experience is on your bucket list?

Visiting Machu Picchu and the Inca trail in Peru. But I’m gutted — my sister has posted all the nice pics on Facebook already.

Name a place you’ve been to that lived up to the hype.

The Piazza del Campo in Siena, Tuscany, when it hosted the Palio horse race; the atmosphere was electric. My family — my wife and three sons — they vary from expensive to priceless.