Netherlands-born Marc Zandhuis is the founder of capetownmagazine.com, Cape Town’s largest online magazine with 500 000+ readers a month. It’s about discoveries around the corner that make your city bigger. With Facebook seeing over one million post views per month and Instagram growing at 1 000 followers every 5-15 days, it’s a cross platform content marketing format that brings out the most unique experiences in the biggest way, and the biggest experiences in the most unique way.
I am 43 years old and so far in my career…
I’ve followed what I love.
What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
To not be afraid to have fierce discussions with people you respect.
Not to follow the established ABCs, but to rather set your own rules. For example, the biggest successes for my business have come from establishing my own methodologies around SEO and online, like our 8vs800 philosophy, which has been the base for many of our social platforms to grow up to 800%. Lastly, I’ve come to learn that I’ll never be funnier than my wife, Joonji Mdyogolo.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
The best-worst job was building houses in Port Hedland, Western Australia. Before getting the gig, I had been stranded with just 70c left in my pocket and sleeping on what I later discovered was called Cemetery Beach. The building job made excellent money, but it was 6/7 days a week, 12 hours a day, and you knew two things for sure: It was 42 or 44 degrees and there’d be another cyclone alert on the radio.
The quality I most respect in people is…
Kindness and discipline. And a healthy “don’t give a f*ck factor”.
My pet hate is…
People who only criticise and never add constructive ideas towards a solution.
What scares you most?
Bad music and the fact that the world tends to trample on those who see kindness as a virtue.
My best qualities are…
I come up with simple ideas that are ingenious and have true impact. Also my persistence under pressure: When my business was in its most precarious position money-wise, we still managed to grow 90% per year in readership and 30% in turnover per year for three consecutive years, and built our best success cases.
My worst qualities are…
I’m not enough of an extrovert to be a frontman – I’m more comfortable being the builder behind the scenes. I can also be a bit impatient when dealing with people without passion.
My personal motto is…
Follow what allows you to be closest to your heart – it can only lead to something warm. Your life will move from insecurity to self-confidence when you realise that sometimes it’s the people around you that don’t get it, however rich or bright. I found that outside the mainstream, there’s a slipstream of other fearless people that do great stuff.
A perfect day would be…
A Knife’s Edge hike at sunrise. Coffee and a game of backgammon. Brainstorming new impactful ideas at the magical Hemel & Aarde Valley’s Domaines Des Dieux. Sundowners on a rooftop lounge overlooking the JHB CBD.
If I could have dinner with someone living or dead it would be…
Seth Godin, Dennis Goldberg, Khanyi Dhlomo, John Forbes Nash Jnr (the guy behind game theory), Tanner Methvin and my wife Joonji Mdyogolo. We’d end up building the most incredible impact investment (media) company.
The gadget I can’t live without and the reason why…
My pop socket on my 6plus and my Mophie key ring battery. It’s always there for that last 30% of juice at the end of the day.
My addiction is…
Inverroche G&T, as well as La Motte Shiraz and Haute Cabriere Chardonnay Pinot Noir, with good friends.
My death row meal would be…
A good chunk of fillet from either The Butcherman or the Butchershop with a Black Label. Then for dessert, the caramel chocolate fondant with crumbed cookies and vanilla ice cream from Manga (formerly Quaglino’s). Enjoyed with Richard Kershaw’s Clonal Selection Chardonnay.
So far 2016 has been
Philosophically speaking… Cloud lifting, and the enlightening silence before the perfect storm.
Follow @capetownmag on Facebook and Instagram and @molocapetown on Twitter.
This story was first published in The Media magazine’s Out of Home Annual, November 2016. Read the digizine here.
