Basetsana Kumalo is a media mogul
“Publishing has been one of the most difficult and challenging businesses I have ever embarked on. At my last count, there are over 572 titles so you need to have a unique product offering.
Initially, advertisers have a ‘wait-and-see’ approach, so I had to hussle and push, making use of all the contacts I had built up.”
Vital stats:
- Basetsana Kumalo is best known for being a presenter on Top Billing and the editor of Top Billing magazine.
- She is also an excellent businesswoman with interests in diverse fields such as property and mining.
Known to most people as a presenter on Top Billing, Basetsana Kumalo is far more than just a pretty face.
Behind the former Miss South Africa title lies a business brain that has built a personal brand of extraordinary value in a very short space of time.
Using her title as a platform to launch herself into the business world, she is an example of someone who can identify an opportunity and pursue it.
Basetsana Kumalo became a 50% partner in Tswelopele Productions in 1995, the company that is responsible for producing the television show Top Billing.
In 1999, Tswelopele merged with Union Alliance Media and was listed on the JSE. Kumalo is now the executive chairperson of the Tswelopele Productions, Tswelopele Publishing and Tswelopele Group.
Top lesson:
“Consumers are very sophisticated and the product must speak for itself, so our strategy is to back our sales pitch with an excellent product.
I try to impress upon the team that we are only as good as our last performance and when we have a bad issue, I tell them. Nothing goes to print without me seeing it first.”