32-year old private banker turned wealth coach Samke Mhlongo is our Cover Queen this month! The divorced mother of 2 who started her career in finance when she joined Investec Specialist Bank in 2010 is an epitome of strength, wit and brilliance as she leaves no stone unturned impacting lives and helping people shape their financial future within and outside South Africa.
Samke Mhlongo is best described as a leading South African Wealth Coach, and founder of The Next Chapter (“TNC”) Wealth Partners. TNC is a wealth coaching and financial wellness training consultancy whose strategic intent is to usher in the next chapter in the African wealth narrative by providing services that foster wealth creation in professionals, entrepreneurs and influencers that are income-rich but asset-poor. Samke is also a corporate speaker, MC and panel moderator whose standing clients include Anglo American and Standard Bank; regular media commentator on eNews Channel Africa, Talk Radio 702 and Metro FM; resident financial columnist for BONA magazine; financial inclusion champion of the Graca Machel Trust; and author of a children’s entrepreneurship book titled Zuki & Friends, commissioned for the Blue Ribbon Mmmm Yum Kidz Tuckshop program.
Samke holds an Accounting degree from the University of Cape Town, Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Wits Business School, and an MBA from the same college completed with a dissertation titled Factors contributing to over-indebtedness of black South African females.
Samke who currently serves as the youngest board member of state-owned mineral research technology agency MINTEK, and sits on its Audit & Risk Committee, has been described by CNBC Africa described Samke as a ‘personal finance goddess’, and we couldn’t agree more!
We are thrilled to bring to you our Q&A Session with the stunning Wealth goddess and hope you take away a thing or two by the time you are done reading this.
Who is Samke Mhlongo (Background, career etc.)?
Samke Mhlongo is a , divorced mother of 2 who started her career in finance when she joined Investec Specialist Bank in 2010. Samke then went on to establish a name for herself in the world of personal finance before deciding to offer her expertise on a full time, independent basis. she holds an Accounting degree from the University of Cape Town, a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from Wits Business School, and an MBA (also from Wits Business School).
What is your star sign?
Gemini, and I am typical Gemini. Make of that what you will. LOL
What are three words that best describe you?
Indomitable, light-hearted, unforgettable
As a financial wealth coach, what’s a typical day like for you?
That’s very difficult to answer as no two days are the same. It’s easier to describe a typical week which will include some one-on-one coaching sessions, a 1-hour corporate address or workshop, one or two media interviews, and lots of social media posts documenting what I am up to, as a form of advertising.
Can you tell us about the biggest obstacle you have faced in your line of work, and how you overcame it?
The biggest obstacle I have faced was losing my PR and speaking agents within a few weeks of me giving up my formal employment. I had to take full responsibility for sourcing clients and securing media appearances. It was extremely frightening but looking back, it is amazing to see what inspiration comes from having little choice but to take the plunge and do it afraid.
If you could go back in time, what is one piece of advice would you offer a younger Samke?
You’ll never be at peace if you are not following your heart.
What / Who inspires you and why?
I am inspired by progress. By that I mean that I am motivated to go further, by looking at how far I have already come. I look back and laugh at how inconsequential some of my old interviews are, how bland the articles, how blurry my Instagram posts, and how uninspiring my outfits were, compared to who I am and where I am now.
This gives me affirma
tion that I am indeed making progress and that a year from now, I should be looking back from an even better position.
What are the top 3 impactful things you have done/achieved in the past one year?
The three most impactful achievements of the past year are definitely authoring a children’s entrepreneurship workbook for the Blue Ribbon Mmmm Yum Kidz Tuckshop initiative; being signed as the resident financial columnist for one of South Africa’s biggest and oldest glossy magazines; and speaking at my first event held outside of South Africa.
What is the most important lesson being life has taught you so far?
The most important lesson that life has taught me is that the universe will deliver to you only that which you truly deem yourself worthy of receiving.
When you are not working, what are you doing?
Thinking about work (LOL!). I’m always in a state of continuous self-improvement so even when I am not “working” (I don’t consider what I do to be work by the way), I am always looking through the lens of “How can I commercialize this?” or “How will this improve my network?” or “What financial lesson can be drawn from this?”. I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to that.
What is your take on “women supporting women”?
Women supporting women is growing, and I see more and more women opening up doors and letting others in. I think this is a function of society maturing enough to make women feel secure in their position/s of power, and also as us women developing ourselves to such an extent that we have much more to offer than simply taking accolades for being the only woman in a particular space.
What is one bad habit you are committed to changing?
A bad habit of mine is that I am always running late. I have made a commitment to change that for good.
If you could recommend one woman for us to interview next, who would it be and why?
Definitely Dr Nandipha Ndhlovu. She’s dynamite. From falling pregnant in university, to being widowed at 25, to starting a successful medical practice before the age of 30, hers is a story worth sharing with the world.
What would you like to be remembered for? The courage to live my life on my own terms.
Connect with Samke;
Instagram: @Justsamkedotcom
To book Samke: bookings@tncwealth.com
For consultations and enquiries: hello@tncwealth.com