Real Estate Investor September 2020 September/October 2020 | Page 56

INSPIRATION Building an Empire at 24 Lihle Nxoyi the youngest property investor SIDIMA MFEKU “It all started with me wanting to take control over my life,” that is how 24 years old President, Chairman and Founder of the Nxoyi Empire, Lihle King Nxoyi described his entry into the property space before realising that he could be the next big thing in the industry. I n our 13 years of existence in the real estate and property industry we have heard more than a thousand stories of how industry players started out in the property business changing their lives, their communities’ lives and those of unemployed youth in the country. And as we celebrate our 13th Anniversary, we celebrate the success of a young property investor, whose maturity kicked in quite earlier than anyone would expect. Where it all started He got tired of being dependant on his guardian and decided to venture into the sector to make his own money and be his own employer only at age 20. Describing his start in the sector, Nxoyi says he never liked the idea of having someone who doesn’t know his problem tell him about his worth. “I always wanted to be an adult because to me being an adult meant that I had control over my fate, it meant that I had the free will and choice to decide to be a wealthy/average/poor man. I wanted that power to decide how I was going to make money. I never wanted to make money 12 times out of 365 days.” Knowing the industry Money is often referred to as the motivator and driver of many personal interventions, but many hopeful real estate and property investors still think of it as the scariest part of their journey, it seems to hold them back almost all the time. Something that propelled the charismatic property investor and young property coach and mentor to study further the economies of the industry before venturing as an investor. He says money was never a problem for him because, “the lack of capital served as an indication that there is something I didn’t know but worth finding out. Whenever I attended property events, speakers talked often about using OPM (Other People’s Money) and I took it upon myself to study the concept further. They all talked about how I was one deal away from achieving financial freedom and I then sought after the knowledge I lacked. He further says he has learned that one needs knowledge and skills to make the most of getting into the property space without having money. “I found myself a mentor who went about teaching me how to raise Capital through private investors and all the properties I invested in, money was raised through private investors. It all boils down to networking & building strategic relationships with like-minded individuals,” Nxoyi says. 50 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine Working on the dream Tired of living under the wing of his mother giving success lessons to learners at her school, the King started to informally study the property space through success related property books and attending business events or seminars investing all the knowledge into his head gearing up for his big start in the sector. With knowledge being the most important component to thoroughly consider before venturing into the real estate sector. It is in the goals’ list of this young property investor to become one of the few property developers to assist in developing school around the country, where more people will be educated. “I have a big vision of owning private schools across the country and because I understood that my dream business model is property based I decided that property investing is the best stepping stone,” He says. No one is their own man in this land, it isn’t each man for himself, but each one lifts the other. Nxoyi’s story is an epitome of those exact words. His journey has not solely been made by himself but with the help of real estate and property gurus who’ve been in the sector for a while before him. “I’ve had the honour of working with amazing people and partnered with extremely intelligent individuals, Retha Van Rooyen, Tarai Jack, Cohen Van Der Berg to name a few, and from them I’ve absorbed and learned so much,” He says. As a result of what these giants help him become, he is “currently working on a Project in Goodwood, Cape Town and also planning to expand to the Eastern Cape in the long run.” I am grateful “Property helped me have control over the affairs of my life, property enabled me to have the freedom to spend time with my family, to live life on my terms. Property has enabled me to be able to add value to society by sharing the knowledge and experiences that helped me get to where I am with other people. Property opened opportunities for me to be able to meet amazing people whom I looked up to as a child. Moreover, and most importantly property has enabled me to create a legacy not only as inheritance for my future kids but a legacy that is in the hearts of people whom I’ve been blessed to mentor. “I always wanted to work on a Company that is built around my surname. I enjoy the responsibility of being the leader in this company. It is the best job I could’ve ever created for myself. I feel so honoured to be creating history, a kind of history that will hopefully enable my name to be remembered like the likes of Ford, Rockefeller & Edison.” “Being a property investor was always my dream! Work on yours too, and happy anniversary to the real estate investor magazine,” Nxoyi concludes. SA Real Estate Investor Magazine SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 51