Magnus Heystek reveals his marketing secret to growing Brenthurst Wealth to R17 billion in AUM

Brenthurst Wealth co-founder Magnus Heystek said that from the outset, they have spent 10% of their annual turnover on marketing and never deviated from this strategy.

This helped Brenthurst Wealth to rapidly grow from a three-person team working from a small office to a large investment player with R17 billion in assets under management (AUM).

Heystek co-founded Brenthurst in 2004 with Brian Butchart and Sue Heystek. It was the start of a big bull market in South Africa, bolstered by a strong commodity upcycle.

The bull market continued for around four to five years, and Brenthurst invested in great funds, including John Biccard’s Value Fund, which returned over 40% per year.

The JSE, the rand, and the South African property market were booming simultaneously. There was also euphoria around hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

However, it did not last. The financial crisis destroyed global markets, and Jacob Zuma became the president of the ANC and South Africa.

The devastation of the Zuma years quickly became evident, and the commodity cycle turned downwards in 2011 and 2012.

Heystek realised that the South African economy was not conducive to long-term investment and safeguarding clients’ wealth.

They looked elsewhere for good returns and partnered with some of the biggest fund managers in the world, including Franklin Templeton, Fidelity, and Vanguard.

Brenthurst also established two offshore funds – the Brenthurst Global Balanced Fund and the Brenthurst Global Equity Fund.

Brenthurst benefited from the decade-long bull cycle in United States technology shares through these initiatives.

“It turned out to be a great decision. We are pleased to see so many asset managers now advise their clients to move money offshore,” he said.

Heystek became known as Doctor Doom due to his pessimism regarding local investments, but he said he proudly wears this moniker.

His international investment strategy means Brenthurst clients enjoyed superior returns, proving he was right about the local equity market.

Brenthurst Wealth’s marketing strategy

Brenthurst has been ranked among South Africa’s leading boutique wealth managers for seven consecutive years in the Intellidex Private Bank and Wealth Manager awards.

Daily Investor’s 2024 South African Investor Report further showed that Brenthurst had the strongest brand among boutique wealth managers in South Africa.

It raises the question of what Brenthurst Wealth is doing differently, allowing it to outperform its peers.

Speaking at the 2025 Biznews Conference, Heystek revealed that they spent 10% of their annual revenue on marketing from day one.

“We have never changed that rule. Until today, we spend 10% of our turnover on marketing,” he told Biznews delegates.

He said people quickly forget about a company and its offerings, which means it is important for a company to keep itself relevant through marketing.

“If you do not get your name out there, people will forget about you. Your competitors are also working hard to get people to call them,” he said.

Although it is commonplace for companies in the United States to spend between 10% and 20% of revenue on marketing, South African companies are far more conservative.

This means that Heystek’s 10% marketing rule was good enough to help Brenthurst Wealth beat its competitors.

Heystek also used his journalism experience to ensure excellent media exposure, positioning them as investment experts.

The aggressive marketing and good media exposure helped Brenthurst Wealth achieve the holy grail of asset management – people calling them to invest their money.