John Sanei is a futurist, author and motivational speaker. A self-made millionaire in his twenties, he was bankrupt by the age of 31, before making his fortune back again. Mr Sanei, 44, is also Africas first faculty member at Singularity University in San Francisco, a lecturer at Duke Corporate Education in Johannesburg, and a partner associate at the Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies in Denmark and co-founder of Future Self Academy, a platform helping authors turn their non-fiction books into courses. He is a digital nomad who bases himself between Dubai, where he moved last year, London, Bali and Cape Town. The South African is single and lives in Dubai Marina.

There was a moment as a child when my mum couldnt buy my brother and me a yo-yo. I remember making a decision I would never be poor again.

John Sanei

I grew up in Swaziland near South Africa and I come from a single-mum family. My mum was a secretary who earned very little money. Every month, we would never make it to the end of the month. Shed be in bed every night trying to calculate how to make ends meet and Id be sitting on the other end of the bed watching my mum cry and become stressed because we didnt have enough. So my upbringing shaped me to become anxious around the concept of money, angry that there wasnt enough and hopeless that I couldnt help her because I was a kid and didnt know how.

There was a moment as a child when my mum couldnt buy my brother and me a yo-yo. A single yo-yo between us. I remember making a decision I would never be poor again. When I was 13, I got a job in a grocery store packing bags at the tills, and I earned 3.20 South African rand (Dh0.65) an hour.

The lessons I learnt around money were terrible lessons we didnt have enough of it, I was frustrated that we were so constrained with what we could eat and do. My father wasnt helping us, so my lessons around money were all of hopelessness, anxiousness, anger, frustration and pretty much every negative emotion you could apply.

When I made the conscious decision, my foot went flat on the accelerator. By the time I was 17, I opened up my first business, and by the time I was 25, I had a shoe distribution business, vending machines, restaurants and retail stores. I was flying high. At 27 or 28, I was living the life of my dreams, with multiple holidays, homes, cars, clothes and all the trappings that come from having been poor and imagining what youd do with money when youre rich. I fell into the trap of spending it quicker than I could make it because I couldnt believe that I was there.

At 31, I had no money and owed people lots of money. One of my restaurant partners sued me for future franchise fees. I'd signed a 10-year contract but closed at seven years, so they sued me for the remainder, a fictitious amount of 8 million rand. I couldnt pay it because I didnt have the money. At 31, not only did I have that hanging over my head, but I also couldnt pay rent of 6,500 rand. I was depressed and really had nothing. My down point was being ashamed and embarrassed in front of all the people that Id been successful before.

I was always worried Id be poor again, and we know that what you fear the most becomes true. But on a more literal level, I didnt read all the contracts I was signing; I stretched myself too thin. And then there was the lack of acknowledgement from an alpha male, from a father figure growing up. I sought that from other people, trying to gain acceptance and approval from people around me, so I stretched myself more than necessary. Who needs six restaurants, two retail stores, 40 vending machines and a shoe distribution business? You could do very well and have a fantastic life with just one of those businesses.

I was in a hotel room in Amsterdam when I received a row of emails postponing or cancelling conferences Id been booked at. Eight talks were off the table, two conferences I was to speak at in South Africa were cancelled, a banking client told me I was not allowed to go into their offices. So my world changed; suddenly all the income I had lined up got taken away. I was in a space of anxiousness that I last felt when I was bankrupt at 30.

I realised I needed to pivot immediately. So I reached out to friends in cyberconferencing and signed up to a multi-user conference site, so I can talk and hundreds of people can listen, Im starting to do more webinars Ive done four talks already and have another three booked up. Ill also be doing one-on-one coaching.

At times like this, you want to make sure your diet is right, that youre around the right people and that youve got the best health resources around you. Im staying with family at a farm in South Africa. Whatever decisions youre making now, make sure theyre not around money or career they are not essentials and are not important. In extraordinary times you need to make extraordinary decisions.

I havent looked.

I dont save for the sake of saving. I buy what I need and then whatever else I make goes into my account or into shares. I dont have a number, I just need very little. Theres a saying that the most wealthy person doesnt have the most, but is the one who needs the least.

At 40, when I went through my divorce, I realised I wanted to be a speaker and author which is really where my highest joy lies. The divorce and the pain that came with it catalysed me to find the best process of telling stories.

I live by luxurious minimalism. I have very few things but those are the best money can buy. I spend a fair amount of money on [renting] great apartments in great areas that are fully furnished so I can plug in and plug out. I dont have a car so I don't have any transport or fixed payments. I have credit cards with bank accounts in two or three places around the world and I move around the world utilising this concept of luxurious minimalism. My number one luxury is flexibility and adaptability.

I have in the past and I have disability insurance and a hospital plan in case some emergency happens. Besides that, I like to invest in the New York Stock Exchange based on my own research because I am a futurist and Im researching a stock anyway.

I invest in brands I believe will do well over a long period of time. Ive put money into Beyond Meats because I love how they are creating a solution for the world. Other than that I make decisions around my own freedom. Im an entrepreneur, I like to use my money to build my businesses.

Relax, calm down, chill out, you dont need all that acknowledgement. You dont need to prove yourself. You are enough. Focus on one or two businesses, you dont need any more.

Updated: April 2, 2020 02:06 PM

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Money & Me: 'When Covid-19 hit, the income I had lined up was suddenly taken away' - The National