Here is a man who is always in pole position. His love for cars hits us the moment we enter his Rivonia office.
Lolly Jackson sums up his role in life with a simple story. His daughter once came home from school crying: Daddy, daddy, the other kids say you are the Teazers man. He replied: Angel, tell them I make a lot of money from their daddies who visit Teazers every night.
Jackson tells us he provides a safe, clean and professional environment where men, and now women, choose to buy fantasies.
Owner of Teazers. People like to call themselves chief executives and managing directors. Me, I am just the boss.
One night I went jolling at a diner in Rivonia and I met this lady there. We started seeing each other and she turned out to be a stripper. She took me to this club in Hillbrow.
That was the first time I had seen a place like this. It was packed. But the beer was warm and the food was kak.
What were all these okes drooling over? The girl on the stage couldn't even dance. It took one night to come up with a business plan for Teazers. It struck me how much the service could be improved upon. If I want to go to a strip club, I don't want to see my mother-in-law on stage.
Teazers says it all. I decided to call it what it is. Come here and you are going to get teased.
When I was in paving, I loved paving. I love what I do now too. If you are not committed to the business, you won't see the income. It is like a marriage. You got to love it. I live this business. I am Teazers through and through. Look at what I am wearing.
Visual Viagra. There is nothing you actually buy here, but it is something everyone wants. Also, you don't have to compete with another guy here. The guy who comes here and chats to a beautiful woman feels good. If my dancers had to sleep with our customers, we would be out of business.
We have strict house rules. I am known as a hard-assed guy in the industry, but I have to be. Every day my managers and myself have hair inspection and nail checks. The girls are not allowed to smoke and drink on the floor.
The billboards work. It is a simply philosophy. We are in people's faces. Let them complain. The more they complain, the stronger they make our brand. But I do draw a line. We are not into prostitution and we're dead against drugs. Our business is strictly visuals.
Teaze'Hers. This is our new baby. I kept on getting a lot of guys coming in here with their wives. I believe a lot of women are exhibitionists. After a few glasses of wine, things start to happen. So I started thinking, let me service the women out there. It's taken off and we can't keep up with demand. And I've thrown more women than men out of the clubs. They get out of hand.
The visual excitement. A guy wants to come look at a beautiful girl and then go home to his wife. Most people come to jol. We do a lot of bachelor parties. When a guy gets an increase at work, he comes to Teazers and when he loses his job, he comes to Teazers.
Every time there is a drug deal or a murder in a Hollywood movie, it happens in a strip club, so they all think I am some kind of mafia character. We don't even have bouncers walking around. We have one at the door and that's it.
It's very bad and it is getting worse. I think our government is too sympathetic with what's happening in Zimbabwe and it is going to have repercussions for all of us. We don't seem to be sticking together to fight crime.
Communities are grouped and they don't communicate. If one tourist gets harmed during the World Cup, we are in big trouble. And we are forgetting the British soccer hooligans, for example, that are coming our way. We have a lot of work to do. We have criminals here in South Africa training for 2010.
This is a very difficult one. I think it is important. When a guy walks in with his own money, I will listen because then his ass is on the line. But to come in here with nothing on the table, then forget it. If he has nothing to lose, then he won't be committed.
A good business leader is not born. Something in your life happens and it changes you. Take a guy whose dad dies and he inherits a business and messes it up. On the other hand, the thrill of building something from nothing can make a great leader.
To be able to give back when it comes your way. Remember, what goes around comes around. I have never screwed anyone in business. I have not built this business myself; I built it with my staff. My guys are motivated. If you have motivated staff, you can build a company.
- Ronnie Apteker is a cereal-eating entrepreneur who prefers to sit down and tell jokes rather than do stand-up comedy.
- John Vlismas is a stand-up comedian and very good in bed. The thing he most admires in a woman is himself. Read his satirical news at www.kungfone.com
- Next week, we talk to Ravi Naidoo from Interactive Africa