This is the story of Ahmed Seedat who left a high-flying and lucrative career in management consulting to follow a dream in the sneaker industry.
Describe how you got into sneakers.
Growing up in rural Northern Cape, I spent most of my days at our family’s general store and was drawn to the sneaker department. My father always encouraged me to understand the drive behind every decision or action that was required and spared me no lesson. By the time I was 12, I was selecting the styles that we would buy in from the brands.
You took the scenic route to following your passion, leaving what must have been a promising career in the corporate sector to open Court Order. Trace the history of how that happened.
By the age of 18, I had the good fortune of snagging a graduate business advisory position at a prestigious Gold Coast firm. I was well on my way to becoming the hard-hitting management consultant I aspired to be. Over the years, I climbed the ladder within the industry and firm, but discovered a disconnect for me that undermined the ‘why’ of what I was doing. I realised that, while I had respectable theoretical knowledge and advisory experience, I hadn’t been in my clients’ position, facing their problems from their perspectives. It meant that I was unable to truly advise them and offer them solutions. It was very clear that I had to step out and get my hands dirty before increasing the value I offered my clients. I set myself a task to turn around the business that I had grown up in, starting with the sneaker department. And Court Order was born. Actually, it was started in the ’80s by my grandfather on two trestle tables where he sold sneakers at the weekend markets, and then grown by my father and myself. It is the culmination of three generations of effort within the footwear market and retail industry. Today, we look to the future to create and dominate new market segments within our borders as well as further north into the rest of Africa.
Many sneakerheads have contemplated a career in some aspect of sneaker culture, but there are so many factors preventing them from taking the leap. How did you get to the point were you went all in?
As an entrepreneur in any space, it is imperative to have a reason to stay the path. It needs to be strong enough to keep you honest and going when you’re down and out. I entered this fray with a strong commitment to solve the underlying problems facing the tertiary sneaker market in South Africa, and when remembering that doesn’t help, I look to the fact that I am walking a path my grandfather began laying down 40 years ago. There’s nothing more motivating to me than that.
What’s the state of the South African sneaker economy, broadly speaking?
South Africa has always enjoyed a strong sneaker market. I have a particular adage that I hold dear in terms of retail business and applies to sneakers so accurately too: ‘People don’t buy products, they buy better versions of themselves’.
What advice would you give an entrepreneur with a vision to create a business in the sneaker space?
Today’s consumers are more empowered, knowledgeable, and ultimately fickle than they’ve ever been. This means that irrespective of market or industry, you’re going to have to be crystal clear on what value you intend to create for your consumer. While we are aware that consumers are ‘levelling up’, it is equally, if not more, important to stay abreast of the fact that your competitors are levelling up just as fast. Ultimately, you need to find a reason to stay that’s worth more to you than all the money you could be making or all the pain that you will face. For me, being able to create value and memorable experiences for my customers while sustaining the opportunity for my team to earn, learn and prosper will forever be worth more than any hardship or gain I might encounter.
For more on Ahmed Seedat and other ‘sneaker heads’, page through the March issue of Man.
