Leroy Slava believes that property is the quickest way to financial freedom

Meet:

Leroy Slava, a professional property investor, entrepreneur and coach. Slava has pulled himself up by his bootstraps from drug addiction to become a key player in the multi-billion rand Property Market.

He has a passion for property and has been successfully investing in the South African property market from the age of 26. His main property strategies are Flipping (Buy, Refurbish and Sell), Buy To Let and HMO (House of Multiple Occupancy) and now focuses on Residential Blocks of flats.

Slava is also the co-founder of Property Pick which is an Online Property Portal that connects motivated or distressed sellers to investors.

After having massive success in property, Rich Dad Education asked Slava to become one of their first South African speakers and share his vast knowledge on property. He has shared the stage with Robert T Kiyosaki and JT Foxx just to name a few.

Some of his achievements or highlights include receiving mentorship and working alongside Robert T Kiyosaki and also working closely with international business leader JT Foxx and sharing the same platform.

Q&A:

1. How did your business journey start and what inspired you to venture into business?

– What inspired me to venture into business was that I was unemployable. I’ve never quite enjoyed any job. I wanted to be free and do my own thing.

– I started selling generic perfumes. Bought them for R50 and sold them for R100. We then started a cleaning company called Genyane Trading. We had a contract with Transnet in Hawerklip where we’re responsible for cleaning a train station with one cleaner and one gardener.

– We soon received a few more contracts with Transnet but realized that we were too dependent on contracts/tenders. That was when I started buying properties at Sheriff’s auctions.

– After buying a few properties and making mistakes along the way, I still made a profit. I soon realized that I enjoyed buying properties and that it’s the quickest path to financial freedom.

2. What are some of the challenges you faced as an entrepreneur?

– I started a couple of businesses and lost over R1m in a franchise business and R300k in the courier business. This was before I moved to property investment and ownership.

3. What has business taught you about yourself?

– That God has placed endless potential in me and that whatever I put my mind to, I can achieve. Business has also revealed what my strengths and weaknesses are and that I don’t have to be an expert in every area. I need to surround myself with people who are smarter than me.

4. What is Property Pick All about?

– Property Pick is an Online Property Portal where motivated/distressed sellers can advertise their properties for a quick sale and investors can find good investment properties.

– Professionals around the property can also advertise their services on the website. You can also download legal documents to complete a profitable property deal. It is also a one-stop-property-shop to conclude a successful property deal.

5. Who are some of the people you look up to in the business world?

– Robert Kiyosaki as I’m one of his speakers and coaches in South Africa. That also includes Jerome Liberty and Andrew Walker, my coach.

6. How is the property industry in South Africa and Africa ? Any opportunities?

– There are amazing opportunities in South Africa in residential (this is the Property Strategy that I focus on). People are always moving, emigrating and under financially distressed. Which means that there will always be good deals available.

– The only thing you need is to educate yourself on how to analyze a property and the market and to find the right strategy that works for you e.g. residential, commercial, industrial, distressed. I buy houses that an average person can afford to buy and that an average person can afford to rent.

7. How important is family support in business?

– Family is key as those are the people that know what you going through and the sacrifices that you had to make. I believe you should build your business around your family and not your life around your business. Business in the end should allow you to spend more time with your family.

8. What is your vision?

– Is to make Property Pick the no1 Property Portal in Africa and to own a billion rand property portfolio and teach South Africans how to create financial freedom and live a more fulfilled life.

9. What is your favourite quote that has kept you going against all odds?

Proverbs 10:22, “The Blessing of Lord makes one rich and He adds no sorrow with it.”