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By Sinazo Mkoko 

Matseleng Mogodi is the Founder and Principal of the real estate agency Snooks Estates, which has been in existence for close to 27 years now. Her story and entrepreneurial journey are a testament to resilience, innovation, and the unwavering belief that knowledge, diversity and collaboration can transform an entire industry. She shares with us where it all began.

Firstly, please tell us about your career path that led to your becoming the Founder and Principal of Snooks Estates.

I embarked on my professional journey as a dedicated mathematics and sciences teacher. My unwavering commitment to working with young minds was undeniable, but a yearning for personal growth and new challenges fuelled my desire for a more diverse and dynamic career.

My transition into the world of real estate began during my collaboration with my contractor father, Snooks. Clients started returning to me, seeking assistance in both selling and purchasing properties. This marked the inception of my deep-rooted connection with the real estate industry.

Fuelled by the unwavering support of my loving father, I entered the real estate sector, even though I soon discovered it was predominantly male-dominated. Rather than being deterred by this fact, I saw it as an opportunity to rise above and redefine the status quo. My determination led me back to the halls of academia, where I pursued a post-graduate degree in business, equipping myself with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in this competitive field.

Part of Snooks Estates’s aim is not only to restore dignity through property ownership and inclusion but also to inspire economic participation and transformation. Please touch on the importance of this in South Africa.

I recognised the unique challenges facing many real estate companies in the Soweto township market, especially around the year 2008, during the recession period. To address these issues and empower fellow agents, I co-founded a real estate organisation in the townships called the Black Estate Agents Forum South Africa( BEAFSA) that united property professionals to leverage each other’s strengths. 

This organisation collaborated with an organisation of Black Conveyancers and other stakeholders. Through this organisation, I presented to the PPRA (then called the EAAB) to highlight the plight of real estate agents in the townships and the need to improve professionalism, skill, knowledge, etc.

I firmly believe that everyone possesses a unique gift, and my platform was designed to facilitate the contribution of these talents, strengthening the collective and fostering constructive competitiveness.

Although my organisation faced numerous challenges, it also ignited unprecedented growth and awakened a sense of possibility within the industry. The organisation became a beacon of hope, providing training to countless young and inexperienced individuals inspired to pursue careers in real estate.

 

Check out the latest edition of the Top 500 publication here and learn more about South Africa’s best-managed companies: 

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You’re in an industry that is still largely male-dominated in this country. Please share some of the challenges you’ve encountered as a woman in this sector and how you overcame them.

I entered the industry as a very young, naive young woman. I didn’t think much about the challenges that may have struck me, and I found myself swimming, even though there were difficult periods during my career.

By empowering myself with knowledge, it became tough but doable. Instead of fighting the external environment, I decided to empower myself extensively with knowledge of the industry, and this became my buffer. I did not become a pushover but rather a colleague to other real estate agents.

 You have a wealth of knowledge and experience in this industry; could you please share some of your proudest highlights in your career?

My journey has garnered international recognition, with several local and some international television programmes seeking my insights on navigating the intricacies of real estate as a pioneering black woman. Popular radio stations consistently approach me for my expert opinions on real estate matters, cementing my reputation as a trusted authority in the field.

Usually children tend to not really want to work with or for their parents, and my biggest highlight of 2023 is having my two children step in to help me in the company amidst all the socio-economic and political challenges. They are like any other employee, having to deliver on their roles.

 What needs to be done to ensure that the sector is more inclusive and that more women have a seat at the table in the property and real estate sectors?

The saying that goes ‘knowledge is power’ is very relevant because I have observed that those women who possess chutzpah are leading at the highest tables, and that is so important to demystify the notion that women are still excluded. In the past, yes, but in the latter years, women are contributing vastly, and those that are ready to rise up to the challenge will create their own forte.

There have been various initiatives for over a decade now, from many stakeholders, to increase the number of previously disadvantaged groups. Many young people have grabbed this opportunity with both hands, are our shining stars, and are heading big organisations. Indeed, their voices are heard, and they are making an impact as industry leaders.

 What does your work entail at Snooks Estates? Could you please share some of your milestones since starting the company?

When I started, I literally reinvented the wheel. I made a lot of mistakes, and I’m still making some even now. There were times when I wished I had worked in someone’s company first to learn and understand what the industry entailed. However, having had to learn everything by myself helped me to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes.

A few years after starting the company, I opened other branches of Snooks Estates and appointed female managers to run those branches. This allowed me to focus on working on the business and pulled in those that had a strategic thinking mind to help me with the growth and with how things were unfolding in the business. 

There’s another saying: ‘There’s no mistake; everything happens for a reason’ and I’ve been a teacher literally all my life. I continue to train new people joining the company, even though I have other property practitioners that are really good at performing this role alongside me.

 How would you describe your leadership style?

For many years, I was too nurturing to my staff and learned the hard way. I felt sorry for people and felt the need to help. But in the later years, I realised that over-nurturing doesn’t just kill the business; it also robs people of learning how to become productive business people.

When you give all the time, it breeds resentment both in yourself as the leader and in the staff, because receiving handouts all the time is the most disempowering action one can ever experience.

Therefore, to build people, especially in this robust, fast-changing environment, a leader has to encourage learning in order for people to possess skills and have confidence in what they can do for themselves and the company.

 What is your “why?”

My biggest why is to educate people about real estate opportunities so that they can see that they can stand on their own and work hard in order to look after their families. I’m a strong proponent of learning and always encourage my team to study because that will give them a foot in the door to many opportunities.

Teaching fulfils me, but I’ve learned not to force myself on someone who’s not ready to learn but rather to help them dissect the real issues through my coaching and mentoring platform.

 Do you have exciting plans for the coming year?

Yes absolutely! Snooks Estates has been one of the most traditional real estate companies, with some staff members having been there for over 2 decades, some for many years. My team has grown with me and is a bit lagging in technology. Therefore, Snooks Estates is going to be predominantly in the digital space to go with the times and embrace AI, which is part of every aspect of life.

Do you have an inspirational message for young women who want to join this industry?

When a woman is ready, the opportunity will appear. I would advise women to know that there are many young women in the industry who joined and have had challenges, not necessarily from a gender perspective, but from being in the property sector in South Africa, where there are still many stereotypes that believe that women can’t do it.

Learn as much as you can and have achievable goals that are aligned with what is important to you as a woman, because having unrealistic goals creates many problems because a person sets themselves up for failure when they set goals that are not congruent with what they really want to be, do, and have.

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