Social media influencer makes sense of financial things through his videos
His videos range from how much it costs to run certain appliances in the home, the average Eskom salary, and petrol taxes, to everyday advice on life.
IF you ask Justin Harrison what he owes his success in business to, he’s not likely to mention his Bachelor of Commerce degree at the onset.
The entrepreneur, finance guru, author and self-confessed work-a-holic, says acquiring knowledge, good mentorship and experience through making mistakes and learning from them, is what has made him the businessman that he is today.
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“Life was not always easy. I got into a good school through a rugby scholarship. To relieve some pressure off my parents, I opened my own business at the age of 13, cutting hair. With the profits, I bought my school uniforms,” he said.
That was the start of many great things for Harrison who has since owned 106 businesses in the last 25 years, including opening the very first online store in South Africa. He now runs three businesses with his business partners.
For numerous years, he was always behind the scenes in his businesses, but when the hard lockdown hit at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Harrison said he saw people panic and start to do some pretty reckless things with their money.
“I decided to start a YouTube channel to give advice to people on how to manage finances. I tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear,” said Harrison.
He is now the latest TikTok sensation with over 180 000 followers engaging with him to see what piece of money advice he has to share with them – a channel he started a month ago.
His videos range from how much it costs to run certain appliances in the home, the average Eskom salary, and petrol taxes, to everyday advice on life.
His wife Andrea, who is also an author, and just as practical, straightforward and logical as him, joins Harrison in some of his videos.
They recently moved from Hillcrest to Ballito where they live with their three children.
One of the videos which the couple did together was titled ‘marry someone you can divorce’, keeping in line with Harrison’s approach of telling people what they need to hear and not what they want to hear.
“We didn’t get married with the intention of getting divorced, but life is unpredictable, and we discuss what we would do if that ever happened. It’s important to have these discussions at the onset of a marriage instead of making important decisions when divorce is before you and you’re emotional,” said Harrison.
With so many people finding themselves in financial duress and wanting to start a side hustle, Harrison offers these three tips:
- Stick with what you know. It’s not to say that you can’t learn new things, but it’s best to find another income stream related to your field. This way, you know what you’re doing and won’t have to spend time learning a new trade.
- Every side hustle has to start with a great idea. Once you have that, work on how you’re going to sell that idea. Don’t ask family and friends for their thoughts because they will tell you what you want to hear. Put together a sample and ask strangers for their input.
- Your second income stream should generate passive income. This sort of income generates cash with minimal labour.
For more of Harrison’s financial wisdom, follow him on social media:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moneytribe21
Twitter: https://twitter.com/moneytribe21
Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/moneytribe21
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moneytribe21
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneytribe21/
Website: https://globalmoneyacademy.com/
