From an early age, Ian Bredenkamp was an entrepreneur. From a door-to-door Greetings Card seller to an ice-cream vendor on the beach, he used his profits to fund his biggest passion, music. Which he then turned into a business. We chatted to him to find out more.
Q: Why did you decide to venture out on your own as a media entrepreneur, instead of sticking working for corporates?
I love music and I wanted to make a business out of it! The entrepreneurship bug bit early in life. I was nine years old when I had my first job, selling greeting cards door-to-door. I used the proceeds to buy comic books (it also turned me into a comic collector and I have many hundreds of them in mint condition, in sleeves, stored away, DC and Marvel). At 12 years old I sold ice-cream on the beach. I used the proceeds to buy my first CD (don’t laugh, it was 1990). Later in high school I worked at Musica in Stellenbosch. I used those proceeds to buy, you guessed it, more CDs. Running my own business one day seemed inevitable!
I worked in the corporate media, broadcasting and PR space until I was in my mid-30s. I’d reached a level at the time (at Primedia Broadcasting) where I desperately wanted a promotion, and wasn’t getting it. I’d gone off to a dozen or so job interviews and realised every time that although the jobs held variety, I would be hard-pressed to grow wealth whilst working for someone else. The best advice I’d read was to start your own business on the side, whilst still having the cushion of a salary (thank you Tim Ferriss). It resulted in the birth of my first business, Ian Bredenkamp Media.
Q: Give us a brief history of your media venture? How did it begin, why and how has the journey unfolded?
Ian Bredenkamp Media began as a response to an opportunity I saw. With many years in the radio world, I was always on the receiving end of music submissions for radio playlisting by record companies… and I believed there was a way to do it more effectively, and to ultimately achieve better results for the musicians.
We began as a niche PR and marketing business, with a singular focus, and through the years have maintained the core DNA of the model while expanding the client base to also include actors, celebrity chefs, international concert tours, motivational speakers, films as well as commercial sponsorships and brand associations.
We’ve been blessed that almost all our clients come to us via referrals (so very little time is spent pitching for new business) and we work with exciting brands in the entertainment space including Elvis Blue, Freshlyground, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Elana Afrika, Cape Town Comedy Club, Rubber Duc, The Cure, Tori Amos, Kings of Chaos featuring Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Spoegwolf (even Richard Clayderman!) and many more. We’re about to sign one of the biggest names in South African music; watch the space. Last week we signed a new Blueface/Cardi B song for South Africa and we’ve just starting working with a Berlin/Germany record company for PR in SA media. In just under five years we have grown into a fully-fledged PR & Marketing Agency with an office in Sandton and in Cape Town.
I’ve been blessed to grow and develop several other businesses since then including Piekniek en Musiek (in partnership with my wife, Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp) and Lekker Lag Afrikaaanse Komediefees (in partnership with Cape Town Comedy Club). We’re also in the pre-production phase of a nationwide comedy-concert for end of 2019 and 2020.
Q: What challenges did you face as a media entrepreneur and how did you overcome them?
The two biggest challenges have been staffing and financing the business/managing those margins. I’m hardly the only person facing those challenges; it’s par for the course in the SME space. Like with many things in life, you hit your head 100 times until you figure it out. Surround yourself with good people – don’t hire them full-time until you can afford to – this fits well for staff in a modern gig economy.
Work from home or a shared-space office until you need to move out/go bigger. Keep your overheads low low low. Minimise your risk. And work your ass off. Don’t stop learning – read at least two books per month. The best, recent lesson I’ve read goes something like this: What your customers say to you about your business is one thing, but what your customers say about your business to other possible customers is everything!
Q: What characteristics do you think make a successful media entrepreneur?
You need to be adaptable and keep ahead of the trends. For example, we’ve seen incredible change in the plugging/PR/marketing space in just five years – more and more of my clients have no interest at all in being featured in newspapers and are far more focused on editorial on streaming sites like Spotify, Deezer, Joox etc.
Q: What next from Ian Bredenkamp and your media company? What can people expect? Exciting upcoming projects?
I own/am a partner in four businesses and love every day. My next theatre/comedy/concert is in pre-production now – we’re busy finalising above-the-line media partners – and hope to go on sale by end-May for South Africa.
Elana and I also are in pre-production for the Gauteng debut of her parenting event series Elana Afrika’s Baby Brunch.
We’re busying shooting the exciting new TV show for kykNET, Maak My Famous, presented by Emo Adams and Tarryn Lamb. Ian Bredenkamp Media will run the PR and promo for the winner of the show for one year.
There are lots of cool things coming up!
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
Entrepreneurship is in a buzz phase, and can seem exciting from the outside. Starting my own business has been simultaneously the hardest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.
Make sure you know whats happening in your own backyard wth regards to starting businesses. Its exciting and important to read trendy books by Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss and Richard Branson, but you need to be on top of the risks, opportunities and challenges here in our amazing country. Read South Africans: read Marnus Broodryk, read Mike Sharman.
One of my favourite lessons is from Joburger Brian Altriche, founder of RoccoMammas, who failed time and time again for years before gaining massive success. His lesson is about learning from your failures, refining those hard lessons, and working damn hard until you reach your goals.
Your advice for young media entrepreneurs or those looking to start?
- It’s a cliche, but you have to LOVE IT and believe in what you’re doing. I am very blessed in being able to turn away projects we don’t believe in. I want my businesses associated with great brands (you’ll be judged by your peers, remember!).
- You need a thick skin as it’s hard out there. No-one is going to give you a parking bay, medical aid or pat on the back like at a corporate job.
- Be resilient. Read a lot and find people you can ask for advice.
- I don’t run my business like a closed book – I read my own emails, my WhatsApp number is on all the company websites and social handles, and I make sure I have my finger on the pulse and remain accessible. No silo environment. Silo will kill you.
- Learn the art of saying No. It takes time and practice and will save you time, money and regret. HIRE GREAT PEOPLE. My staff and team are excellent.
- Try to do it without debt. You’ll be stressed enough as is without still carrying that burden too.
Follow Michael Bratt on Twitter @MichaelBratt8
