Alan Knott-Craig has a good name. His dad, Vodacom’s founder and now Cell-C’s rescuer, is one of SA’s most admired
business leaders. But the younger version is also quite a guy. And a pal. We’ve played golf and shared profound ideas at the 19th hole, rubbed shoulders with the rich and powerful in Davos, and fixed the world in 15 minutes on the Gautrain. As fate would have it, we bumped into each other in the Cape Town airport lounge in late October. It was a few days after his well publicised departure from Mxit – a business he loved so much he wrote a book about it. Alan was bruised, en route to clearing his head on a US road trip. That journey, time, and his zest for life have done the trick. A chartered accountant, passionate South African (the subject of his other book) and serial new business starter, Knott-Craig Junior is into his next adventure. An ambitious one. So I asked him to reflect on his business story so far. The result is what Neil Gaiman would surely call “good art”. – AH
By Alan Knott-Craig*
I’ve now been in the “game” for 13 years, having left university in 2000. Man oh man, has it been a ride…
I’ve worked in a big company in SA, an even bigger company in New York, started my own business, taken over someone else’s business, started by own business again, and taken over someone else’s business, again.
I’ve met some wise men and women, both rich and poor, and come across some not-so-wise men and women, both rich and poor.
I’ve worked for other people, following their dreams. I’ve worked for myself, following my dreams. I’ve brought other people into my dreams, and I’ve sometimes exceeded expectations, and sometimes disappointed…
I’ve had my share of highlights and lowlights, both emotional and financial, and I’ve paid some school fees along the way that I could have avoided if I’d only listened to my elders and betters. On the other hand, if I’d only listened to my elders and betters I wouldn’t have had my wins!
For what its worth, I’ve learnt three big lessons thus far:
The first big lesson…….
First, the choice of being an employer or an employee boils down to a choice between autonomy and financial security. Working in a company comes with a loss of autonomy and the benefit of financial security. Starting a business comes with the awesomeness of freedom, and the loss of financial security.
I’ve learnt to not embark down the entrepreneurial path unless you absolutely love what you’re doing. Otherwise it’s not worth the financial stress. On the other hand, if your employer isn’t providing financial security you may as well start your own business.
Job satisfaction has less to do with whether I’m following or leading, or even what my job description is. I loved my years at Deloitte, working as a kippie pleasing every whim of my bosses. I also loved my days since then, whether dealing with shareholders or truly being alone on the captain’s deck.
It all boils down to company culture. And company culture boils down to the people in the company. Happy people equals a happy culture. Greedy people equals a greedy culture. Sad people equals a sad culture.
If you can’t find a company culture you like, start your own company!
 Lesson number two……
Second, trust people. There are many people that have told me to never trust anyone. I get it, all the pain in my life has come from trusting people. On the other hand, any good came from trusting people. No risk no reward.
So, whilst it pays to not be naïve, I still live by the maxim: “Better to have loved and lost…”
And the third one…..
Third, go with the flow. Many people who take the hard path are doing so because they’ve read too many motivational posters. Most of the time the right path is the easy path. Instead of fighting against the current, I go with the flow. There are times when a fork in the road is reached. The fork is a test not of whether I can take the hard path, but rather whether I have the courage of my convictions.
It’s hard to stick to my values, but that path has always proven to be easier than the alternative.
So what does it all mean…..
To conclude: I’ve made many mistakes along the way, and had some failures. I’ve learnt that in the good times it’s almost impossible to separate the signal from the noise.
It’s when I’m in the fire that I see the world for what it is. As unpleasant as it was at the time, I’m grateful for the setbacks I’ve had along the way.
That’s where I’ve learnt about my own weaknesses, the nature of others, and that a solid family is the key to life, the universe and everything.
The secret to getting ahead seems to be to keep moving forward. I’ve taken some bad wrong paths but I’m still alive! As long as I maintain a modicum of common sense, and the courage to admit mistakes, then I’ll adjust course along the way.
At least I’m going somewhere!
* Alan Knott-Craig is CEO & founder of Project Isizwe, an NGO aimed at rolling out free Wi-Fi across Africa. He co-authored Mobinomics, the story of Mxit, the biggest social network to come from Africa.In April 2008 published Don’t Panic, a best-selling book aimed at persuading emigrant South Africans to return home. Former CEO: Cellfind (2003-2005), iBurst (2006-2009), World of Avatar (2010-2012) & Mxit (2011-2012). Between 2003 and 2012 co-founded and/or funded 17 companies in the TMT sector in Africa, including Cellfind, Lucky Mobile, iFind34600, COLV, World of Avatar, Toodu, FSMS, Triloq, 6th Line, Daily Maverick, ARC Telecoms, Pondering Panda, MorMor Media, and Boom.fm.
