Three pearls of entrepreneurial wisdom from a business genius

Yesterday provided another reminder of how privileged it is to be following my career. I got to spend an hour and a half with one of the mightiest of all South African entrepreneurs – a man whose genius has created a global empire. Simply because I'd asked to see him.

Sadly, he prefers to keep a low profile and despite being so generous with his time, wasn't about to break his record of a single on-the-record interview in the past quarter century. So his story will have to wait for another day. But am sure he won't mind me sharing three of his business pearls – anonymously of course.

In business, this entrepreneurial giant says, graphics tell the story much better than words or figures. So put things into pictures – they show the trend at a glance, so you really know what's happening. Then never discount the value of being lucky – although honing your skills is important, to be really successful you also need a lot of luck. And finally, when there's something that you don't feel good about, take action and address it soonest. Today's pain often saves you from tomorrow's disaster.