Quinton van Rooyen: a man for all seasons

The business personality shared his story of bad judgements, good fortunes and great tenacity on the stage of the National Theatre of Namibia (NTN) in Windhoek. Sharing his lifetime experiences, Van Rooyen said he owes his success to his hard work, determination and the mistakes he had made and had to rectify over the years, including a criminal offence of theft 23 years ago. Van Rooyen is the Managing Director of Trustco Group Holdings, a company he started with a mere N$100. He says it is his hard work and determination to succeed in life that brought him to this position. He is described as one of the few Namibians who can say they made it big. This is evident when one looks at the figures of Trustco Insurance which makes millions in revenue every month. He said his journey of being raised by parents who could not pay for his studies forced him to have a part-time job while in high school, and of course the case of theft which he has under his belt brought major challenges to the fore. However, he added that none of these could throw him off his dream path – that of becoming a successful entrepreneur. “Making mistakes can be a positive thing if you are able to rectify them because that is the way you learn,” he told the audience. “No challenge is too big - all challenges can be overcome if you work hard,” Van Rooyen said. Van Rooyen said Trustco’s success belongs to the hard work and committed employees of the company who uphold the values of the company and keep up with changes when Trustco introduces new services offered to the public. He further said when any person employed at Trustco show they cannot handle the pressure at the company, they are dismissed because they cannot take the punch. This was Van Rooyen’s response when asked why the company has such a high turnover. “The people that remain at Trustco are those that belong there and can take the punch,” Van Rooyen said. One of the things Van Rooyen looks down on is dishonesty, saying that in every profession no employer around the world can tolerate dishonest people. He believes that the value of truth is very important in the success of a company and in an individual’s private life. Many people go through formal education to get a proper job at the end of it all but Van Rooyen, who is a law graduate, says he gets bored easily when repeating things day after day, and therefore, he quit practicing law to become an entrepreneur. He does however believe that qualifications are important and should be seen as something one can always fall back on. Responding to a question from a member of the audience, Van Rooyen said he will only blame himself if his businesses crash overnight but explained that at Trustco decisions are not made by single individuals but in a consultative manner and therefore it would be impossible to lose everything. “Trustco has businesses across industries and therefore it is impossible to lose everything. There is no wrong business transaction that can wipe it all out,” Van Rooyen said. Being referred to by many as an arrogant and straightforward man, Van Rooyen said he is a soft-hearted person, but only the employees and his family will know that as they communicate with him more often. WINDHOEK KENYA KAMBOWE