 When it comes to the rise of internet brands in South Africa private property is most certainly one of the bigger players But how did they get to where they are today now Simon Bray CEO of private property takes us down memory lane this morning? You know to tell us a bit about their interesting history and how they do it all Simon lovely to have you back in studio man Always a pleasure. Good to me. Yeah, you know what's a lot of people log on to private property They browse the website. They find their dream homes. They buy it. They settle in they go on about their lives But I don't think a lot of people sit and think about you know, where did all come from? I mean, it's a business. It started somewhere. Take us back a little bit Now private property was actually one of the very first online marketplaces or websites of a kind in South Africa You're talking end of the 90s. It's I mean, it's the days of the cell phone that was still, you know Pull out the aerial flip down the face So this was long before digital cameras and social media networks and all the stuff that we've come So used to and private property started as a for sale by owner website So you could sell your own property on the website and then over a period of time It's really grown into a comprehensive set of property listings from across South Africa It's one, you know awards for best website and design and UX over the years And it's a it's a really Cinderella story. I mean it started with our co-founders Dream in his basement and and literally grew from there And it had franchises all over the country at one point in time and now as a nationally relevant website So very exciting history that that whole journey We blessed have had a lot of people come alongside us in that journey a lot of key stakeholders great international investors And they've really helped us grow the business into what it is today. Absolutely. So speaking about those key investors I mean that that helped build a group. I mean you guys have expanded to beyond just property at the moment Yeah, well, I mean that's the exciting story, right? We we sit on the tip of this great continent here in South Africa and the rest of Africa is going through the same sort of Exciting growth that we've seen in South Africa over the last 10 15 years So private property is actually part of the one Africa media group And that's got the largest portfolio of online marketplaces businesses anywhere in Africa The market that we serve is up to 400 million Africans. So it's a really exciting Websites in East Africa that that deal with cars and jobs Checke in Kenya and Brighton Monday in Kenya jobs in Nigeria I mean you're talking about 150 million people in Nigeria and and a really Big economy so it's it's exciting to be involved in a bigger group like that And there's a lot of opportunity to take what we've learned in South Africa and applied in those new and and exciting markets Well, there's very exciting to be able to break those borders like you guys are doing but honing in on the South African internet market I mean, how do you guys see your role in this markets? Well, obviously our role has developed over the last few years to be Specifically property related to make sure that every single new listing that comes onto the market is there Ready for you to view, you know, you can get on with your tablet or your smartphone and you can see exactly What is on the market at any time? But in order to do that, it's been about how we do that And I think the role that we've played and continue to play is this this idea of innovation So we're always looking for new ways to present these properties these listings to make it more convenient for people when they're online And that innovation journey is such an exciting one to be involved in the business, you know You're forever challenging the norm. You're looking for new ways to do things And and it's that creative energy that really drives us back at the office. Absolutely But I mean, it doesn't there's something like this doesn't just happen overnight It's there's a lot that goes into, you know, creating an advertising platform like this I mean, just take us through some of the elements. What what what really comes down? What what does it comes down to at the end of the day? No, absolutely I mean when you when people think of private property to think of the website, right? They think of thousands of listings and and it's just about how you navigate them But there's so much more beyond that. I think when people come to our offices They're just amazed to see how many people are actually sitting behind that website We've got technical teams that make sure that we can serve those millions of page views every month And the site doesn't fall over and that we can innovate those new features on a continual basis We've got a sales force across the country Calling on a state agents making sure that we've got the right relationships in place Ensuring that we've got the listings coming to the site because that's ultimately what people need to see I mean, I give you an example our call center It just in a normal run-in-the-mill day is taking 200 inquiries and trying to help solve those on on the basis With our clients and with our consumers. So it's a full-time job. There's a lot of people There's a is a great dynamic group of people that really make private property what it is Absolutely incredible to see how it's growing from where it started to where it is today on that note What would be your tip of the day? I think if we're talking not just property now But but life in general you've got to keep reinventing yourself This world is changing so rapidly that You've got to keep innovating you've got to keep looking for that next edge To stay relevant and to stay ahead of the game Simon great advice. Thank you so much Simon Bray CEO of private property this morning keep Reinventing yourself every great success story has a beginning from humble beginnings to being one of South Africa's largest online property portals Visit them www.privateproperty.co.za go out and find your dream home