Exclusive Interview with Rouan Kruger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rouan Kruger.

It’s an honor to speak with you today. Why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. How did you get to where you are today?

Thank you kindly. I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. I had the privilege of studying pharmacy at university, which is a long, hard degree. My work career started mainly in the UK, working in the National Health Service. My whole aim was to work and travel, meet people from different backgrounds, and enjoy seeing the world. Reading books, especially, in the self-help, personal development niches, has always been something I thoroughly enjoyed. “Unleash The Power Within” seminar, by Tony Robbins, opened my eyes to the concept of not exchanging your time for money. My work career then took me to Santa Barbara, California, after 9 years in the UK. There was a burning desire to stop working long hours in retail pharmacy, create a different reality, but take a calculated risk into some form of self-employment. One of my close friends introduced me to a network marketing company, the opportunity was very low risk, but great for learning entrepreneurial skills. These skills were critical in the development of an entrepreneurial mindset. I had limited success with network marketing, however, I was determined to find a business model that could set me free from my day job. One of my favorite podcasts is called, “The school of greatness” hosted by Lewis Howes. A lifestyle entrepreneur is an idea of designing a life on your own terms. This involved, paying for digital marketing courses, learning directly from mentors, experimenting, with different online business models, and a constant iteration of ideas.

I’m sure your success has not come easily. What challenges have you had to overcome along the way?

There have been many challenges along the way. The very first challenge was moving countries. When you leave your family, friends, the infrastructure you know behind, the psychological impact is tremendous. You have to learn how to navigate around an unfamiliar environment very quickly. I had to do this twice, moving to the UK and then the USA. The next challenge was having to spend time sitting conversion exams, re-doing my internship, not earning much money, because these processes took years to finish. I had to go through this process twice, for the UK and USA, as my degree was not recognized. The mindset that you have to develop as an entrepreneur, compared to an employee is also very different. As an entrepreneur, you get rewarded for solving problems or getting results. The amount of time worked, versus reward, at the beginning of an entrepreneurial journey can be very skewed. A major challenge was learning new skills, involving social media marketing, outsourcing and selling. This is a constant testing of ideas and offers that sometimes works and sometimes completely fails. Life will always throw some curve balls at you, one of those curve balls was leaving the USA, because of visa issues. I had to leave my life in Calfornia after 4 years and return to South Africa. This was a very difficult experience, especially when you cannot just return to that life. A flexible mindset, adapting to a new environment quickly, using technology, allowed me to overcome this challenge.

Let’s talk about the work you do. What do you specialize in and why should someone work with you over the competition?

I am the founder of a small boutique social media marketing agency, called HighImpact. We specialize in social- media content management and social -media ad campaign management. We offer a high-quality service at an affordable price, based on the individual needs of the client. We focus on a multi-channel approach to build out a content marketing campaign for our clients, with a strong emphasis on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Our ad campaign management has a strong emphasis on Facebook marketing, Google Pay per Click, and LinkedIn Marketing. We have just started testing Tiktok marketing as another advertising channel for our clients. We have the capability to work with any client, because of my background in healthcare, we work with a lot of doctors, chiropractors, dentists, and cosmetic surgeons. We also have a strong track record working with e-commerce brands, as we run our own e-commerce brand. Social-Media Marketing consists of many different components, by offering specialized services to our clients, we aim to build great long-term relationships.

What’s your best piece of advice for readers who desire to find success in their life?

The first step will be to get very clear about what success truly means for you, based on your values, not what society forces upon you. Once you have clarity about what success will look like for you, be relentless in your pursuit of that success. Find the right mentors that are playing at a higher level than you, however, always find a way to add value to their lives first, without expecting anything in return. Build a network that eventually will fast-track that success for you. Never be afraid to fail forward fast, learn from any mistakes you make, but always move forward toward the bigger goal or picture.

Speaking of success, what does the word mean to you?

Success for me has changed over the years. Success can mean different things for different people, you can be a successful family person, a successful athlete, or a successful business owner. Success involving a monetary value is important because this gives you the option to get your time back. True success, in my opinion, involves not being reliant on anybody else for your economic situation, the ability to have time freedom, so you can truly live a life with purpose. A life filled with purpose, passion, growth, and contribution really will set you apart. When you look back at your life, you can truly say, I gave it my best shot.

What’s next for you?

Well, the next natural step will involve mentoring and helping employees start their own businesses. I have started a podcast called The Thrive Factor, a podcast where I interview different people in business, healthcare, and lifestyle. These conversations are so valuable in really learning about human nature and creating meaningful relationships with people. I hope to use these learning experiences, to write a transformative booK, for any person wanting to live an extraordinary life. A natural progression from the book would be to speak in front of big audiences, to deliver my own unique message, to create the ultimate impact on people’s lives.

Finally, how can people connect with you if they want to learn more.

They can connect on social media here:
www.instagram.com/kmirouan
Email: rouan@highimpactagency.com
Website: www.highimpactagency.com
Podcast: The Thrive Factor
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/the-thrive-factor/id1475695133
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/79qbDmAVtQjBp4BAl8qyvz