AlreadyInspired.com

CapeTownMagazine.com is the largest internet magazine about Cape Town and South Africa in English, German and Dutch with over 4 million visitors forecasted for 2010. The internet’s newsletter in the three languages, each month [!] reaches over 20,000 people, of which 900+ [international] media and over 3,000 [overseas] travel and tour operators. Time to talk to Marc Zandhuis, the founder of CapeTownMagazine.com.

1) Tell us about yourself, when were you born and where are you based?
I was born in Holland and came to South Africa in 1999, 5 years after Mandela became president. I travelled to and did projects in SA for 3 years in a row and got the feeling that people started seeing the glass half full instead of half empty. I moved here to live in 2002 and never looked back. I used to live in Obs, and now live [modestly] in GreenPoint.

2) What is your business all about and what inspired it?
CapeTownMagazine.com is the largest internet magazine about Cape Town and South Africa in English, German and Dutch. These languages are the core languages for tourism and business for South Africa. The concept is to mix and unlock tourism and things to do with social, culture and sport as well as (positive) news that many of us (both nationally and internationally) many times not see anymore because of a ‘bad news is news’ angle of media. Unclicking the clique-iness and enabling locals to re-discover and unwrap their city again, seems to be the description that clicks with South Africans immediately when I show them the new format.

The concept is based on the Hamel & Prahalad principle of Strategy as a stretch and strategy as a fit, and CapeTownMagazine.com is based on stretch. If you love something and know what and who you are, people worldwide will connect. We have the most incredible stories here. If we can get those out, people will connect with it [again]. But it takes the broader picture then just tourism, and it is about the stories, not the tourism or promotion talk, it needs to be sincere. Our format is to be that best friend in Cape Town that takes you right into the soul of a city.

3) What were you doing before launching your business and when was it launched?
I studied, traveled quite a bit [I would never change SA for Australia or New Zealand by the way] and worked for a marketing consultancy, specialising in concept development and business development, in the Netherlands and Germany. The concept development and ‘making it work’ business development combination is rare, and gives you an absolute edge. We did projects for our self, as well as for sme’s and also for listed companies. That combination enables you to apply the ‘making every dime work’ as well as the ‘larger strategic picture’ to small and listed companies and gives you a unique ability to combine guerilla with strong strategic skills. A great foundation for me. CapeTownMagazine.com as launched three years ago and doubled in size very year since its inception.

4) How did you know there is a market for your business?
100% gut feeling, but I see gut feeling as a mix, based on experience, always being on the forefront of new developments, common sense from all layers of society, good ability to create the right environment and a tremendous confidence in the fact that I, and all my friends in SA and the rest of the world are not stupid.

5) Who is your target user?
Initially 100% the overseas market with an interest in Cape Town with our core readership being the UK/US, Holland and Germany, but with all the niches of India, Canada, Australia etc as well. Now we can do it properly we can make it into one city magazine for both local as well as internationals; we’re going big. Target market grows to internet able persons from roughly 19 to 55 years old [not to discriminate on age] with an interest in Cape Town or South Africa with a common sense to get involved with something they would be foolish to miss.

6) What planning did you engage before launching?
A month of sketching, two months of working, three months of creating content and a few dozen of 100 hour weeks. We didn’t really have big budgets, but now, with the budgets, a super re-design of the format will enable us to show the business development model = destination development model behind it, that I see as being my gem to share with the world. Our global reach enables us to grow a Cape Town festival into an Edenborough size festival, and another 11 festival in similar ways. We can give Cape Town, its upcoming musicians, fashion designers, crafters and interior designers an incredibly strong window to the world. I want to prove public and private can work together in achieving economic growth in the most cost effective projects ever, and that social entrepreneurialism works.

7) How many people do you employ?
At the moment 8, growing to 12 in the coming two months. All permanent staff are South Africans, except obviously for a German and Dutch person for these markets. You need 100% voice of your target market so they are from Holland and Germany. My policy is always to hire locals for any other position available.

How are you different from your competitors?
Our concept is communication, not promotion; Story telling not selling. And that in people’s own language. A tourism office promotes; a hotel website sells; a print magazine can not print and distribute globally to 4 million readers, or deliver cost effective value for their partners; a product website can never get our reach, and is always selling. So we touch with many of them, yet we are a completely different ‘piece of game’.

Did you know there is no city destination magazine in the world in three languages that brings news daily on a daily basis? We are really an extension with tremendous opportunity to do much more to story tell Cape Town & the Western Cape to the world, and we can do a lot more from an economic development perspective for Cape Town and the Western Cape.

9) Why do you also have the magazine in German and Dutch?
Many times genius things are simple. If you are Xhosa speaking and going to Tokyo, imagine finding everything about Tokyo in isiXhosa. You would instantly connect and feel a friend is talking to you. That’s exactly what we do for foreigners.  It is an essential part of our strategy, yet very simple, and extremely powerful [and expensive to do!] Nothing will surprise you when you see our sites, yet all elements are subtle, simple and sincere. Aimed to be that trusted best friend that connects you in a place, even, or especially for locals.

10) Given an opportunity to start all over again, what would you do differently in launching your business and why?
I lost much money following what I believe in and wanted too much too fast with too little money. Yet these risks also still delivered me inroads to recoup this and come out stronger. Focus on income more and balance on the knives’ edge less is definitely one advice. Make sure you have the right team that complements your skills.

11) How is your website(s) monetized?
Through advertisers, press offices, banner revenue, merchandise and special projects with government departments for example;

I want to bring out 12 to 24 talented crafters, fashion designers and musicians throughout the year to expose them to the world in all languages. Imagine each of them getting 5 orders for 900 products each. That is economic growth. All entrepreneurs need is that break, and SME’s is where economic growth comes from. That is branding the city as well. Even locals will truly appreciate this city more again and become proud of it more. We have it all in Cape Town, we just don’t have the right window to the world and government knows it too. And we see those projects as cost projects. We don’t want to make money on it, we want to prove how it can be done and that social entrepreneurialism works.

Imagine for example exposing a Cape Town Carnival, Cape Town Festival, or Khayelitsha festival 12 months long, every month with new stories, images, information, even google earth locations and directions etc, building up to the new festival. It builds a 12 months momentum, not just for the festival, but for Khayelitsha itself, its emerging tourism operators, experiences, its awesome township stays, and importantly the sponsors of the festival who support it for example. And doing that building up to 12 festivals every month, for 1-3 years. Every journalist that sees that all of a sudden sees a thriving and unique city, instantly, and changes their perception.

I believe we can grow many festivals in Cape Town times 4 to 10. Imagine the extra revenue because of international attendancy of 400 people or 4000 people extra. And the ever laid back Capetonians start wanting to be there as well because they are comfortable with this festival by then since friends are saying we are going.

12) How do you unwind after a busy day in the office?
Music in my car, my favourites are Simon van Gend, Mafikizolo, Bedouin Soundclash, and Ringo Madlingozi [this Mlungu knowing all the lyrics, and the meaning] or a good glass or bottle of wine at Fork Restaurant, HQ Restaurant or Rafikis.

13) Is your family involved in the business?
Two good friends are part of the business, but all my friends are involved in one way of the other. My friends, and their friends, make CapeTownMagazine.com.

CapeTownMagazine.com lives on Umntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu, A person is a person because of other people. CapeTownMagazine.com is a person because of the people we are surrounded and inspired by. They are all part of ‘the family’. Sounds cheesy, but its not. Its the real life. People that know us and know the saying will confirm that with no doubt. It inspires them again to see the clique-iness being unclicked, and that inspires all of us.

14) How do you network to grow your business?
I don’t network. It sounds stupid but its true. I cannot be unsincere, so I need to work from things I believe in so I can be 100% ‘au naturel’. My biggest advantages are my diverse interests. I can sit on a stoep in Langa till 2am drinking with friends, and be at the 5 years anniversary of the Cape Grace the next evening and the next day have a coffee with Joe Petersen on Greenmarket Square or a meeting with a CEO of a tourism company or organisation. Its all me, and I love it.

15) What are your short and long-term business plans?
First grow CapeTownMagazine.com and launch the real model behind it in September, and then go to 8m readers per year. Then the next steps; Whether its the US or Holland, or South Africa, destinations and governments both have problems generating economic growth for SME’s and marketing their destinations.

My future steps are to assist tourism destinations and government institutions to spend less, or the same money, but to get 5 times more results. We can fast track this truly, using new media and basic principles of story telling smartly. No crazy big ideas for millions of dollars. Cost effective, smart, based on social entrepreneurialism, and together. My destination development model enables to unlock this. I like creating nice things that work, I love it.

I would love to do other provinces. And for example Mozambique next because it – like SA – is a country where good spirits fall in love with and keep wanting to come back to. Tap into that smart and you fast track growth, and with the right people. In three years I would love to do a Zimbabwe format as well. The model works well for countries with a tough past, but great character.

16) Is your business affected by the current economic climate?
Not really, but that is because we are still only ’scratching the surface’. I believe our potential is 18.000 visitors per day, and we will only be on 5,000 average per dag this year, more then doubling next year again. We are only tapping into the local market in September with the launch of our new design and format of CapeTownMagazine.com. Subscribe to our newsletter now, since you really wouldn’t want to miss that..!

17) In closing, how do potential clients reach your business?
Mostly word of mouth, or they are tired of seeing our name pop up in google when they are searching for things on the web..

otherwise:
CapeTownMagazine.com @capetownmag on twitter
KaapstadMagazine.nl @KaapstadMag on twitter
KapstadtMagazin.de @KapstadtMag on twitter
contact Marc Zandhuis
on molo@capetownmagazine.com or by phone +27(0)21-4222444