Zari Hassan: This is how to mint millions from influencing

The buzz generated by her visit was massive. Her stay was a mix of business and pleasure, and she was the stand-out diva everywhere she went.

That was in June 2022 when the masses were still nursing the babalaas of a rather thrilling and entertaining reality show, Young, Famous and African, where the socialite was at the centre of a suspenseful ending.

Last Tuesday night, the South Africa-based Ugandan socialite and entrepreneur made another visit to Nairobi, this time with less fanfare.

For this interview set to begin at 3pm at the five-star hotel she had checked in, Zari Hassan or The Boss Lady as she christened herself, arrived at 5pm despite severally promising to “be there in 15 to 30 minutes”. The Boss Lady didn’t see the need to apologise.

On Thursday, the socialite, who has amassed 11.9 million followers on Instagram and 2.1 million on TikTok, was unveiled as Samsung Electronics East Africa-Icon Influencer representing Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

New Sh14.4 million deal

Nation.Africa has since established that Zari signed an exclusive one-and-a-half-year deal with the South Korean electronics manufacturer as its brand ambassador. She will engage the target audience to enhance the overall perception and visibility of the brand and, most importantly, position Samsung as the luxury brand of choice.

According to a highly placed source, the 43-year-old stands to make up to Sh14.4 million for exclusively associating with Samsung during that period.

This means that for each of the 18 months, the mother of five will earn Sh800,000 subject to her influencing performance review.

Nation.africa couldn’t independently verify this due to a non-disclosure agreement.

What makes Zari a magnet for brand endorsements in East Africa?

There is a lot to Zari. I am a mother, a businesswoman, and an influencer. I was an artist, and now I’m a reality TV star on a global platform. But it’s also how I carry myself and motivate people, especially young girls, to work hard. That’s why brands choose to work with me.

Is there some strategy for this?

No! No! No! I don’t have a strategy for how I operate. I just go with the flow. I’m just living life as it’s supposed to be. I don’t complicate things and say, “Okay, if I do this, Samsung is going to look for me.” I just move with life, and things just come.

Tell me more about that young girl wanting to be like Zari…

I always tell people to be who they are. I have been called controversial, an attention seeker, and told, ‘You are too old to be on this platform(s)’. They have said everything they needed to say to me, but I believe in myself because my vision is my vision. If I tell you I want to put up a building like this (the hotel), you are going to say to me, ‘But how? You can’t'. But it’s my vision. I see it, you don’t because it is not yours.

I don’t need to be another Mariah Carey or a Beyoncé; I just want to be Zari because people already have Mariah and Beyoncé. Why would I try being somebody else? I am very authentic; I don’t hide it, and I’m very unapologetic. I’m full of shi** but I love it.

So if you are going to put up content as a young girl in this generation, which is full of fake people, at least be yourself. You don’t need a Gucci bag to be on Instagram. Go to the farm and post about it. People will be moved. They will say that girl is doing something, and they will love you for your authenticity.

Why should they believe you when all you post are Gucci and Louis Vuitton bags?

Because I have earned it. Let me tell you something. I have been working since I was 19, so 20-something years later, it’s okay for me to post a Samsung Ultra, wear diamond rings, and live in big buildings. It’s okay for me to drive big cars and post a Louis Vuitton because I have earned it.

I worked my way up. I didn’t want to live the kind of life I had growing up; I wanted better. So, if I tell you to go to the farm, grow that cassava, and post it for us to come to support you, I know exactly what I am talking about.

What kind of life did you have growing up?

(Chuckles) We all come from humble beginnings, you know. Some come from beautiful, rich families, some of us are from middle-class households, and some are not really struggling. I always looked at women like Oprah Winfrey doing it.

There was this show I used to watch called Life in Fab Lane by Kimora. I loved the glitter, the glam, the luxury. I always told myself I would grow up and be like that. For me, having had that vision was enough motivation. You can’t rely on Prince Charming to sweep you off your feet; make it happen for you. You know what?

There is also a catch. Say you are sailing peacefully in your small boat, then this big yacht pulls up, and the captain tells you, “That boat is too small; get it on this big yacht”. You let go of your small boat that was cruising nicely, but along the way, you will be among other small boats dropped off by the yacht. Where are you going to start?

I’m always telling women, whether married to a rich man or not, always have a backup plan. And that backup plan is that small boat you let go. It would be better to leave it to someone else to manage it for you should you need it someday. Truth is, we all want to be on the big yacht.

Does the term socialite bother you?

Do you know how I got into the limelight? Most people don’t know my history, from being a socialite to a businesswoman.

So, when we started out with my late ex, the father of three of my children, I wasn’t even a musician, I wasn’t anything. We found each other very broke and worked toward a lifestyle because we wanted it so badly.

We were in South Africa, so when we started making money, home was the only place to go and show off and have a good time. We began organising champagne parties in Uganda. I’m talking about 2011 when owning a Lamborghini was next to impossible.

At the time, I think there were only three in East Africa: one in Kenya, ours was the first Lamborghini in Uganda, and the other was in Congo. We picked lessons from the Kardashians, who were socialites; they were the first to bring up the socialite tag. So, we started living their lifestyle, the champagne, parties, the Lamborghinis, splashing money in clubs, and soon, we were also branded socialites.

Later on, we started building businesses and creating wealth. We became business owners, but people were still stuck to the socialite bit about us. But, it’s okay, socialite is part of me. Without that life, I wouldn’t have the life I have today. I don’t regret it at all.

What businesses were this?

We opened colleges in South Africa in 2008. This will be our 16th year since coming into operations. When we opened the Brooklyn City College, there weren’t many privately owned institutions. And because, like most private school owners, we went out all extra to make ours so beautiful that people would flock in, and money started coming in. People didn’t believe it. They argued there had to be something else. They didn’t know our history.

When women become successful, they tend to suffer from imposter syndrome. Has that ever been a concern to the Boss Lady?

No. I don’t give room for self-doubt because I am always looking at life from a positive spectrum. Most times, when you hold onto negativity, it pulls you down.

There was this time you deleted photos of your husband on your social media platform and said they were interfering with your branding as a business…

I clean my social media pages a lot. It is good practice. So, in this case, I cleaned it, unfollowed a lot of people and people started talking. So, when I cleaned my husband’s pictures, I wanted a new start where it was just Zari the Boss Lady. I even stopped posting my family, not just the children, because I felt I should just leave it as Zari the brand.

It’s hard to let you go without mentioning Diamond Platnumz. You were a power couple. Do you take credit, to some degree, for his success?

(Chuckles) That’s the father of my children. I would never say anything in that regard. When we got together, we helped each other a mile, so it wasn’t me, it wasn’t him, it was both of us coming together, and our brands were pushed forward.

Talking of Diamond and your blended family, it must be very demanding…

I am a family matriarch, and it’s easy because I love what I do. I am a family-orientated person, so with a blended family, I try to make everybody comfortable. There will always be that one person in the family, that matriarch, and it’s me.

→ [email protected]