Youth Month: Property mogul is on a mission to assist students

Social entrepreneur and property business mogul Julian King has a passion for assisting students from indigent families.

King is a founder and chief executive officer of Student and Property Management Group (SPMG), a company operating in KwaZulu-Natal but on a mission to expand to Cape Town and Gauteng.

The company has 56 employees and specialises in student accommodation management, property sales and letting, as well as support services such as security, cleaning, and maintenance. He also owns a coffee shop brand called IKHOFI.

Helping students with financial aid

Apart from being a businessman, King runs several not-for-profit projects where he assists first-year students on how to apply for financial aid and other related things.

“As a philanthropist, my passion is creating access. I lead SPMG in sponsoring annual student business seminars, supporting emerging student entrepreneurs, funding learner’s and driver’s licences for first-year students and sponsoring sports development programmes,” he says.

“I believe true business success is measured by how many lives you elevate along the way.

“Over the past 15 years, I have held various positions in student management and development. To date, I manage multiple student accommodation business units under Nexora Holdings, the entity committed to transforming the student housing experience in South Africa.”

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Started a business with just an idea

Starting from the bottom, it was not easy for King as he began his business empire with an idea, but without any capital. King pointed out that starting a business with limited resources was the biggest challenge.

“I began with a vision and almost no capital, just grit, resourcefulness, and faith,” he says. “Convincing property owners to trust a young entrepreneur and managing compliance with national student housing policies was tough. Access to finance, building trusted teams and navigating red tape were also major hurdles, but they sharpened my leadership skills.”

King is the deputy secretary-general of the National Association of Student Accommodation Transformation (Nasat), an organisation comprising several students’ landlords. Some of his duties include representing and advocating for student accommodation providers across the country.

“Nasat plays a crucial role in aligning the sector with the department of higher education and training, together with the National Students Financial Aid Scheme, while also fighting for policy clarity, fair practices and greater transformation within the sector.”

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He is also working on launching a national training institute to equip student accommodation providers with skills, tools and compliance knowledge, not just building businesses, but a movement that transforms lives. His book titled The Ultimate Guide To Student Accommodation In South Africa will be published before the end of this year.

The eThekwini-born businessman is not married, but he is a father to two young boys and a baby girl.

“As a father, I am present, nurturing, and intentional about leaving a legacy. As a brother, I am also dependable and proud to see my family flourish,” he says.

‘We had purpose’

He was raised in a small town on the south coast, Harding, in a household that instilled discipline, faith and a strong work ethic. “We didn’t have much, but we had purpose. That purpose carried me through adversity and continues to fuel everything I do today,” he says.

He completed his high schooling at Harding Secondary School. He pursued further education with a bachelor of education, postgraduate in business management, diploma in project management and he is currently preparing to complete his PDE 5 examination to become a registered principal in real estate. Next year, he plans to begin his MBA with a focus on student housing risks, compliance and innovation.

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King cannot be separated from his favourite meal, a good home-cooked mutton curry with yellow rice, and he always quenches his thirst with a strong cappuccino which he enjoys at his coffee shop.

If he is not helping students, he spends time with family, reflecting, reading and working on ideas that improve lives. “I also enjoy travelling locally, mentoring young people and, recently, I have taken an interest in playing golf,” he says.

He commended his siblings for supporting him from the start of his journey as an ecopreneur. He says each one of them plays a special role in his life. His advice to aspiring business people is to “start where you are, with what you have. The journey won’t be easy, but if it’s rooted in purpose, it will be worth it.”