Mastering the art of running a business alongside your spouse is no easy task, yet Zandile and Selby Khumalo make it look easy.
Playing off one another’s strengths, the couple took their leap of faith and established Print Heads in 2014, a prominent branding company based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, that specialises in design, customised printing, signage and branding.
Zandile and Selby’s personalities complement each other’s in a way that clearly shows their thriving partnership.
Both hailing from Mamelodi, Pretoria, Selby’s outspoken demeanour matches Zandile’s bubbly and supportive personality, highlighting the different strengths they both able to bring to the table.
From a chance encounter in university in 2011 to working towards their dreams of building an empire, Zandile and Selby let TRUELOVE in on how their love story began.
Kicking off the conversation, Selby explains, “I think it was when? The year 2011, I was heading to school and I was there by the taxi rank. So, I was in a queue and I was about to jump inside a taxi but after seeing her I didn't want to go through that moment whereby I would have regrets about why didn't I take that opportunity? When am I going to see her again? Will I ever bump into her?
“So luckily enough she was with a friend of mine, one of our friends that I went to school with and I just went there, greeted her and the gentleman and then after that I left, joined my queue.”
Zandile chimes in and reveals that Selby greeted her by name and, although she hadn’t met him before, she took the opportunity for a lunch date with him after he reached out on Facebook.
“I was on my way to TUT (Tshwane University of Technology) to register and then he asked me what are your plans for the day? And I told him that I'm just here to register and from there I'm going back home. And he said how about lunch? And I said, haibo, I don't mind having a Big Mac!
“I wasn't so expectant so a Big Mac, I'm fine with it. And from there we carried on. One thing led to another. With business, he was the one who started off first and then I joined him at a later stage.”
12 years, a flourishing business and one daughter later, the pair have used their skills to maintain a work-life balance that not only encourages the growth of their business and employees, but also builds towards a happy household.
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While Nicki Minaj’s Moment for Life inspired the initial title of their branding company, the couple decided on Print Head as it resonated more with the products and services they offer.
Once Zandile returned to school in January 2015 Selby took on much of the business responsibilities.
However, with the many hats Zandile wears now when it comes to her roles in the company that include marketing, logistics and administration, Print Heads now has locations in The Pavilion Shopping Centre and La Lucia Mall.
When it comes to the kinds of lessons they hope to impart on their “relative” – the light-hearted term they use to refer to their daughter – the couple share how communication, clear boundaries, transparency and adaptability are the keys to success and healthy living.
“With me, one lesson that I have learnt that is very crucial and everyone always says that communication is key. Having open communication is key. Whether you're at home or it is in business, you have to communicate.
“And also having boundaries. It's very important to have boundaries. You know that when you're at home, we can do this. You are the head of the house at home. But when we are at work, we are together in this. We are on a 50-50 basis,” Zandile explains.
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Diving into how the pair handle any conflicts that might bleed into their working relationship, Selby emphasises the importance of being a good example to their team.
“I think also one thing is acknowledging your position. If you are a leader, you understand that it comes with certain responsibilities or commitments.
“And as a leader, emotionally, it's your responsibility to make sure that the team or the atmosphere that you are around or that you possess is a positive energy every day. Because once you come to work, it affects the whole team and that's the very same thing that your team are going to deliver to clients.”
Leaving us with a piece of advice she recently received that has stuck with her the most, Zandile says, “’Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do’. When I read that it really hit home because I know that there are times when I used to fixate on my weaknesses and limitations and that wasn’t growing me. So, since I read that I was like, you know what, I’m going to continue channelling my energy into leveraging my strengths and recognising what I’m good at.
“Because there were times when – you know when you’re an entrepreneur and they would say, ‘you need to be an extrovert, you need to be someone who knows how to speak to people in public and what not’. And I might look like or sound like an extrovert but I’m not, I’m an introvert! But I didn’t let that stop me from pursuing entrepreneurship. I didn’t let that stop me from being a director of a company.”
