# From Pinocchio Outlets To Geppetto Gelato: The Story Behind Africa's First Gelato Museum

An episode of [The Peswa Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1781537541), 27 Jul 2025, 1 h 00 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/110e1ce70/podcast/play/117753089/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-2-31%2F421135833-44100-1-f08cb5d904be18c3.mp3

Send a text Take a big scoop with us on this episode of The Peswa Podcast as we dig into the rich and layered origin story of Geppetto Gelato and uncover why some of your favorite Pinocchio Gelato outlets have taken on a brand-new name and identity. We speak with Sam Van-Segbefia, founder of Western Premium and the man behind the rebranding journey. From Pinocchio to Geppetto, it’s a story of bold pivots, unexpected challenges, and the mindset it takes to keep moving forward when business takes an unexpected turn. This episode is a scoop of business lessons, resilience, and reinvention. 📩 Connect with us: • Follow Bill on Instagram: @billcobbinah • Follow us on all socials: @thepeswa 📢 Subscribe The Peswa on all Platforms: https://linktr.ee/thepeswa Get access to amazing royalty-free music for your projects — sign up for an Uppbeat account using the referral link: https://share.uppbeat.io/cy9fcqqxj4tg Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations like this! The Fresh Patch Podcast - Where Good Pets Get It. Welcome to the Fresh Patch Podcast where we talk about everything, from dog... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Support the show

## Transcript

[0:00] Because I want to understand, I want to start from there.
[0:02] Pinocchio, right? And like these ice cream outlets
[0:05] you built, how did that start? What we did was that we picked
[0:09] the Pinocchio, we picked the Tipsy Jella too.
[0:10] We picked the, you know, all the brands you can possibly think
[0:13] only the market and we match them to all my suppliers that I
[0:17] had blind tasting. And I told them that if we don't
[0:21] come out the best in all the metrics, we are not launching.
[0:23] It's not by force. But then when we open in East
[0:26] Lagon Hills, we realize that we began to draw on their markets
[0:32] indirectly from East Lagoon and that was when things began to
[0:38] change. How?
[0:40] The equipment is the most expensive.
[0:43] Huge overhead. The capital that you have to
[0:48] invest CapEx wise is like crazy. One machine cost you about
[0:52] 60,000 U.S. dollars. The capital to start?
[0:56] Yeah. Where do they come from?
[0:57] I was selling fried rice in in class.
[0:59] Do I bring 20-30 packs? Put it at the back of the class.
[1:02] People come from other classrooms.
[1:04] I'm looking for van. I'm looking for Van.
[1:05] They come, they write their names down and then you have to
[1:09] apply. And then I supply.
[1:10] And then every single week I used to take 500 CDs to the
[1:12] bank. That's at that time.
[1:14] How old are you? I'm less than 30.
[1:17] Yeah, you consider yourself a millionaire.
[1:18] Yes, in as much as the business numbers are making sense, as
[1:22] much as you know everything is looking all good, you must
[1:25] always think about what could possibly go wrong.
[1:37] So the conversation you're about to listen to is a conversation
[1:39] between me and Samuel van Segmefia, a very exciting
[1:44] conversation. So Samuel is the CEO for Western
[1:47] Premium, an asset management company that has clients from
[1:52] oil and gas to mining. And also behind Dishrack,
[1:56] they're behind Geperu is a new ice cream outlets, you know,
[2:00] formerly Pinocchio. And such an intriguing story.
[2:04] I can't wait for you to listen to it.
[2:06] And yeah, the match remains. Just build something as well.
[2:10] It's good to mention that. I mean, the previous episodes I
[2:14] mentioned that Etna Consilio in our community decided to start
[2:19] my outfit. And so yeah, you should consider
[2:22] them as well. So I hope you enjoyed the
[2:24] conversation. Thank you.
[2:25] Thanks for coming, Sam. It's very interesting that we
[2:30] are here recording on Tuesday because the first time we met
[2:32] was on Saturday. Just on Saturday.
[2:34] Yeah, very. Quick so I think I was at
[2:36] Spintex and I had to get ice cream and then I I I typically I
[2:42] buy Pinocchio a lot and so they're just cheaper because I
[2:45] realised the Pinocchio fonts are visually patronize that one at a
[2:50] denta, the one at anacrome. They've all become De Perez.
[2:53] I said that you guys are doing a new one at at KFC.
[2:57] OK, cool, let's go get some. And when I got there so I met PY
[3:00] my friend. I called Bill you to talk to Van
[3:03] van Ranstersstein and you'd be exciting to have him on the
[3:06] show. Thanks for coming.
[3:08] Thank you. OK, so I want to understand.
[3:10] I want to start from there. Pinocchio.
[3:12] Right. And like these ice cream outlets
[3:14] you've built, how did that start?
[3:17] You know, because I think one of, like, the prominent ice
[3:21] cream outlets in the city at the moment.
[3:24] Right. Pinkberry, Pinocchio, and now
[3:28] Geperu. Yeah.
[3:30] Walk us to their journey. So I think I'll start all the
[3:34] way back from Dishrack. So yeah, back in 2020, I started
[3:39] a business called Dishrack. And Dishrack was merely born out
[3:44] of the idea of encouraging home cooking, right?
[3:48] So that time there was an advent of COVID-19, people were stuck
[3:53] at home. And so we were more or less not
[3:56] allowed to step out of our homes, right?
[3:58] So it's, you know, I was trying to be innovative with how to get
[4:04] people to not only be at home, but to do some kind of exciting
[4:09] activity whilst at it, right. So then the idea of putting home
[4:13] cooked food, meals, ingredients together in a box came about and
[4:19] we put a recipe guide. We built a beautiful brand
[4:23] around it and yeah, we put it out in the market.
[4:26] Interesting. It's, it was one of the best
[4:29] things that I started with, even though it didn't live a long
[4:34] life, I learnt so much and it's what pivoted me to where I am to
[4:39] ALT. Yeah, we had some great
[4:42] partnerships. We worked with MTN along the
[4:45] way, we worked with Stamp Baker along the way.
[4:47] Quite some notable brands in partnership and during the
[4:53] business, right? We sold quite a number of boxes,
[4:55] maybe close to 5000 boxes to homes.
[5:00] And the reason why it didn't worked, it didn't work at that
[5:03] time was a number of reasons, which really wasn't because the
[5:08] business idea wasn't good, but it was working in a market that
[5:11] wasn't just favourable, right? So you look at the macroeconomic
[5:17] environment and landscaping Ghana, I realised that you
[5:20] really cannot right, right from purchasing power, but also
[5:24] infrastructure. You are transporting raw eggs on
[5:28] bad roads. What do you expect?
[5:30] So it gets to it gets to the, the consumer and it's already
[5:35] gone bad and, and all of that and, you know, constant
[5:38] customers begin to complain and all of that.
[5:41] So it's really extended beyond the idea being great to you
[5:44] know, is the market really ready for such an idea.
[5:47] But down the line I put out some job positions for a general
[5:52] manager just so that I can really concentrate on the
[5:56] strategic long term growth of the business just so that I can
[5:59] get someone to be really operational on the business.
[6:03] And along when I was going through the applications, I saw
[6:07] this one guy and his CV interested me so much that I was
[6:15] intrigued about it. I didn't reach out to him as at
[6:17] that time because I was clear in my mind that I couldn't afford
[6:20] such a person. Because he had had working
[6:22] experience from KFC. He was group vice president for
[6:25] KFC. He had worked for Pinocchio, he
[6:27] had worked for La Piazza, he had worked for Holiday Inn, he had
[6:31] worked for quite a number of companies.
[6:33] So I was like, no, I'm not. Let me look at the other CVS,
[6:36] right? But two, two months down the
[6:38] line, I still decided to reach out to him, not because I wanted
[6:42] to hire him, but I wanted to know why he applied.
[6:45] So I called him. We met at Bistro 22, we had an
[6:53] informal conversation and we became friends.
[6:56] He's Egyptian, actually. And from there I visited visited
[7:01] his home almost every time. But one time he mentioned to me
[7:05] that, oh, you know what I'm doing this disrupting.
[7:08] But he thinks entering into the ice cream space would be a great
[7:12] idea, especially in this area. So he lived in Chadu, right.
[7:16] So for me, I'm a realistic one thing if you I didn't tell you
[7:20] about me, he did I I will try almost everything right?
[7:25] And I was like, great, let's look at how we should approach
[7:31] it. So it was like, I don't have to
[7:32] make the ice cream myself. We can go buy from Pinocchio and
[7:37] then go into, you know, rolling, rolling it into ice cream rolls
[7:43] and bringing it into Chadoo and selling it.
[7:46] Now, one thing that I would say, I mean, my experience has, has
[7:52] taught me not for anything at all is how to use my past
[7:57] experience to navigate my future, my future endeavors,
[8:01] right? So I did the numbers, I did the
[8:04] books. And what it told me was that you
[8:06] know what, if you're going to do this, it's going to take you
[8:08] like 2-3 years to make your money back.
[8:11] Now, from experience venturing into Dishrack and how tough that
[8:16] business taught me, I just wasn't ready to go into starting
[8:20] a totally new business that I'm now going to manage consumer
[8:24] expectations. I'm now going to manage a whole
[8:26] new market. I'm not going to manage
[8:28] influences. I'm not going to market the
[8:30] whole thing that, you know, starting a small business comes
[8:33] with. So I went, I remember this like
[8:36] yesterday, I, I told you turn on your TVI put in a whole excel
[8:40] sheet on there. And I told you the look from the
[8:43] numbers I have run, it's not going to make me money almost
[8:47] immediately. I'm going to use like 2-3 years
[8:50] and I don't first of all have the capital to put in there.
[8:54] But one thing I know for sure is if I can have a conversation
[8:57] with the Pinocchio guys, to use their name to open that store is
[9:03] going to make much more sense to me.
[9:06] Yeah, if not, I'm backing out. So so that's, that's how the
[9:11] conversation went. The rest is history.
[9:13] But yeah, we had an introduction to the Pinocchio guys and from
[9:20] there it's was, OK, we can start.
[9:25] Yeah, I'm going to support you, which was this.
[9:27] This was 2022. OK.
[9:30] Yeah. So we had identified a location
[9:34] right opposite Big Shop, right. So Big Shop in Chado.
[9:38] OK. We went through.
[9:39] We actually were part of the construction of that building.
[9:43] So was it like a franchising arrangement or?
[9:46] No. So it's, it wasn't a franchising
[9:48] arrangement like a typical franchise model would have, you
[9:51] know, revenue percentages at the end of the year, you know, brand
[9:56] expectations and all of that. But this was more of all of that
[9:59] cost, all of that profit to them was put on the price of the ice
[10:03] cream I was buying from them. So.
[10:04] Oh, OK, I just buy and sell from my storefronts, right.
[10:08] And I built a very good relationship to the relationship
[10:10] with the owner. OK.
[10:12] So we started with a small kiosk in brick and mortar kiosk in
[10:17] opposite big shop. Yeah, very well going very well.
[10:23] We started making good numbers as I expected, right.
[10:26] And six months down the line we acquired a shop next to it and
[10:30] we expanded into a bigger, a bigger place.
[10:35] Now one thing that this business really taught me about is not
[10:43] everything that seems so gloomy always.
[10:47] You should always look at the other side of what could
[10:50] possibly be. Not all that glitters is gold.
[10:52] Yes, yeah. So you could you'd always have
[10:55] to think about and what it has stopped me moving for in
[10:58] businesses, in as much as the business numbers are making
[11:01] sense, as much as, you know, everything is looking all good,
[11:05] you must always think about what could possibly go wrong, right?
[11:08] So yeah, I took the advice. I was more like their baby,
[11:14] right? And all the new shops that
[11:17] opened were under my control, right?
[11:19] So to me, I would say that I was being used as an experiment to
[11:25] test the gardening market. So I was with, you know, the
[11:30] owners one time and they were like, you know what?
[11:32] I should explore opening at La Paz.
[11:34] I was like, wait, La Paz? Why La Paz?
[11:37] And they were like, yeah, you know, you have great food for
[11:40] the and all of that. But it was one big failure for
[11:46] especially for that for that location.
[11:49] And that was a location I was paying one the most rent for
[11:52] because it was a story building good location.
[11:55] But I realized that and it taught me one thing in business
[11:58] that location is everything. Location is more than
[12:01] everything. You can have a great location
[12:02] and you do not have to do as much in marketing, right?
[12:05] So even though we broke even at La Paz, made a little bit of
[12:13] profit, it wasn't as expected because we had a very huge
[12:16] ambition over there. I just realized that the
[12:18] purchasing power there, those guys are looking for the Akinki.
[12:22] Those guys are those guys. Those guys are, you know,
[12:27] looking for their heavy food. Yeah, heavy food, yeah.
[12:33] You can tell them to come and buy ice cream for 30 CDs per
[12:35] school, 35 CDs per school. They just wouldn't.
[12:39] But we were lucky that we were connected to areas like Tesla,
[12:43] know that had the old money and also very close to sort of like
[12:48] getting to Achimata area and all of that.
[12:50] So that sort of like helped us a bit in getting some market there
[12:56] moving forward. Fast forward where things began
[12:58] to sort of like change. Change was when we opened E
[13:05] Legon Hills branch. So I think that was our best
[13:10] performing branch before Manet opened and we opened right
[13:14] opposite KFC. So the Manet that non E Legon
[13:18] Hills nanochrome branch is right opposite KFCKFC.
[13:22] So we, we were, yeah, we were, we were Pinocchio there too as
[13:26] well. Yeah.
[13:27] But immediately we opened, one thing happened.
[13:29] So if you realize originally Pinocchio had locations in
[13:33] airport, it had locations in Airport OSU and E Legon, Maine,
[13:40] E Legon as well, actually, right.
[13:43] But then when we opened in East Legon Hills, we realized that we
[13:47] began to draw on their markets indirectly from East Legon.
[13:53] Why? Because most of the residential
[13:54] places in East Ligon is situated in East Ligon Hills, right?
[14:00] A lot more of the upcoming affluent middle to upper class
[14:04] youth are growing and moving to East Ligon Hills.
[14:07] They just got money. They they have young families,
[14:11] they have more children and kids over there.
[14:13] So they live at that side of town, right?
[14:16] So E Ligon Hills, right? So we were drawing on that
[14:19] traffic. It began to affect the main E
[14:21] Ligon branch OK location and that was when things began to
[14:27] change. How?
[14:29] Hello community. And so if you genuinely believe
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[14:52] Thank you very much. Yeah.
[14:54] So I, I think this, this, this came in mind like it's like
[14:59] fresh in my mind when I I was in the US by then when I got a
[15:02] message from one of the owners. So he was telling me that you
[15:06] know what, we have to relook at agreement just like that, OK.
[15:11] And that he's not happy with the way things were going, right.
[15:16] We are already taking a lot of market from them.
[15:20] So if I was initially purchasing the, I would say Gelato because
[15:25] that's what we sell, not ice cream.
[15:27] That's actually a difference, right?
[15:28] So the Gelato was buying, if I was buying it for one, Ghana CDs
[15:32] before he multiplied it by 2.5. So I started buying it at 2.5
[15:38] just like that. No, no, no questions, no
[15:42] nothing. You just have to change it.
[15:45] He, he started associating it to so many things that to me just
[15:49] didn't makes sense. Like we weren't managing the
[15:53] brand well and all of that. I mean, we, we ran your brand
[15:57] for 2-3 years. We failed you expand the brand
[16:00] way beyond what it was before. There was no complaint.
[16:07] But now all of a sudden, yeah, there were issues that he had
[16:11] with it. But I know we have very good
[16:14] inside people with the with, with him.
[16:16] So we got that inside information that you know their
[16:19] markets initially gone was. Was dropping target.
[16:22] Yeah, so not only did it end with 2.5 as the price, but then
[16:29] he also said I I don't have to use his name anymore.
[16:33] Now bear in mind we were buying Gelato with about almost fifteen
[16:37] $20,000 every month. And yeah, that was even on a bad
[16:43] month, right? So we were his biggest purchases
[16:47] for all my locations, right? So when it happened that way, I
[16:51] was like way you're telling me to take off the name, but I can
[16:54] still buy from you. The reason why we are selling is
[16:57] because of the name. So if I take out the name, then
[17:01] you know why? Why then is it an is it an
[17:04] incentive? What was the incentive to to
[17:07] even to buy from you, right. So it was a whole back and
[17:11] forth. We actually had written legal
[17:15] agreement that we was binding us and you know, it almost got to
[17:21] court, right. But one thing my lawyers advised
[17:26] us at that time was now if you decide to take these guys on,
[17:32] they are ready to go on. But one thing that you know for
[17:34] sure is they're going to cut supply of the Gelato to you.
[17:38] Yeah, right now, would you squeeze you don't squeeze me.
[17:40] Would you want to lose all the customers moving forward or
[17:45] you'd want to at least incur the losses on your side with a lower
[17:49] margin? Yeah, until you find your food.
[17:53] And I was like, you know what? So for about four months we were
[17:56] buying, you know, the ice cream for 2.5 X and yeah, making
[18:03] losses drastically, right. So now to to Geppetto and how
[18:09] the whole thing started was when I I mentioned to my I told
[18:14] myself that look, I'm not I'm not ready.
[18:19] Doesn't make sense to me to spend all of this money, not use
[18:23] your name as to buy from you, right?
[18:26] As a typical person, typical businessman, can I also explore
[18:29] the avenues to to rebound, rebound back, bounce back,
[18:36] right. So yeah, I started doing
[18:38] research into other franchises. I had meetings with
[18:41] baskin-robbins. I had meetings with some other
[18:44] interesting global franchise, Chase all they didn't work,
[18:51] right, because they just didn't want to come to Ghana, right?
[18:55] So after that happened, I was like, you know what, Probably,
[18:58] maybe it's a sign to start my own.
[19:01] Yeah. Yeah.
[19:02] And one thing I know for sure is first of all, I, I have other
[19:06] things I do. So I wasn't really ready to
[19:09] learn so much about the, the business of running not only
[19:15] just a hospitality business, but ice cream Gelato for, for that
[19:19] matter, right. So I did, I started doing
[19:22] research, I started going on the Internet.
[19:24] I, I, I put my team together, told him that this is where it
[19:27] has come to, right? We, we are, we are more or less
[19:30] in the middle of the sea. When we go forward, we can fall
[19:33] in. When we come back, we can fall
[19:35] in where we stay at one place that, you know, the both can't
[19:37] capsize. So do we rather move forward or
[19:41] we just, you know, close things? And we all were, you know, we
[19:45] pat ourselves at the back and we're like, you know, let's,
[19:48] let's do this. So, yeah, we started doing
[19:50] research on Gelato in general or, you know, how, how the whole
[19:55] final product comes about. And we are charged on an event,
[20:00] an event in Italy. Which puts together over 1000
[20:05] Gelato raw material suppliers within the whole supply chain,
[20:11] pastries, all of that. I, I turned on it online and I
[20:14] was like, well and apparently that event was like it's like
[20:17] the biggest Gelato event in the whole world.
[20:20] It combined people from all over the world to come there.
[20:24] I was like, I'm going for this event with my head up.
[20:26] So yeah, I went there. I tasted almost every Gelato
[20:33] over there, right. And yeah.
[20:35] And then I did and, and something interesting struck me.
[20:39] I went to one of the suppliers, one of the he's, they actually
[20:42] produced the best equipment for for Gelato in the world.
[20:48] They're making Gelato, making Gelato.
[20:50] Yeah, they for making Gelato. They, they are the best.
[20:52] Kapi Jani and I met with them and we were having a
[20:55] conversation and they were like, do you know how much it costs to
[21:01] produce that ice cream that these guys are selling to you
[21:06] for 2.5 XI was like, tell me about it, yo.
[21:10] You'll blow your mind. The cost of production is less
[21:15] than less than 20 CDs. Like it's almost nothing, right?
[21:18] And I mean, but then one thing, one thing that they told me was
[21:23] that the equipment is the most expensive.
[21:27] Huge overhead. The capital that you have to
[21:32] invest CapEx wise is like crazy. One machine cost you about
[21:36] 60,000 U.S. dollars, nothing short for.
[21:39] That how many machines you need for.
[21:41] You need about. We have not less than 10
[21:44] machines. For one shop.
[21:45] For no. So we have a central and central
[21:49] kitchen that supplies to the various.
[21:50] Business, right. So talking about kitchen and
[21:52] your involvement in District and this food business, I feel like
[21:55] there's an influence from your mom that I've got it, but we'll
[21:57] come to that. Let's go ahead.
[21:59] Everybody thinks the same, but actually not everyone thinks the
[22:03] same. But actually no.
[22:04] But anyways, yeah. So, yeah, it's really, really
[22:09] the costing involved is in terms of OpEx, ingredients, raw
[22:13] materials and all of that. It's not that much.
[22:16] But unless the CapEx is is it can't, it can't finish you,
[22:20] right. So, yeah, Fast forward, he was
[22:22] like, where are you going to sell the ice cream at?
[22:25] I was like, oh, I'm based in Ghana.
[22:26] Believe me, I could tend, I could count like just like 5 to
[22:30] 10 Africans, black people that were at that event.
[22:32] Like a lot more of them were from like Europe outside.
[22:36] And he introduced, oh, if you're going to sell in Africa, I have
[22:39] one good supplier who is like she, she always applied to most
[22:42] of the other African countries. You should have in a
[22:44] conversation with them. So he introduced me I met and
[22:48] very much today as we speak, we source our raw materials from
[22:51] not less than three suppliers on different flavors.
[22:55] That's how intentional I was, right?
[22:57] So you can taste my, my, maybe my Malaga or my Creme Brulee or
[23:03] my, you know, bubble gum or my cotton candy.
[23:06] And best believe you might not taste it anywhere else, right?
[23:08] Because you might think that, oh, maybe they buy their raw
[23:11] materials from just the suppliers too.
[23:13] But you because I was intentional about, you know, and
[23:19] one thing I did because of experience again, was how I went
[23:25] through the journey of getting to where we are today, right?
[23:29] And when I see that we have the best Gelato in Accra and in
[23:32] Ghana, I'm so confident because we did a blind testing sensory
[23:35] test where I had an expert who is a very good friend of mine
[23:40] come in to do a sensory analysis on various different metrics
[23:44] and, and had 200 respondents at the seats.
[23:49] And what we did was that we picked the Pinocchio, we picked
[23:52] the Tipsy Gelato, we picked the, you know, all the brands you can
[23:55] possibly think only the market and we match them to all my
[23:58] suppliers that I had blind tasting.
[24:02] And I told them that if we don't come out the best in all the
[24:04] metrics, we are not launching. It's not by force.
[24:08] That's ballsy. Yeah.
[24:10] So, so that's so that's what's that's what happened.
[24:16] We we did a test. We got the best of our suppliers
[24:19] who were good in the best of the flavors and then we decided I
[24:23] would engage with them on these particular flavors and other
[24:26] suppliers on these particular flavors and that's how now we
[24:29] have a product over there. So the name.
[24:35] So the. Name.
[24:36] So you said OK. Let's so, so so so when, When
[24:39] when I started Pinocchio with the Pinocchio name and
[24:42] everything, I had a very good friend.
[24:43] He's called Edward. He always called me Cappetto,
[24:46] Cappetto, Cappetto. And I wasn't, I didn't really
[24:49] understand why he was calling me Cappetto, right?
[24:52] But anytime we hanged out, he always calls, tells his friends
[24:55] that, oh, that's the father of Pinocchio, that the father of
[24:57] Pinocchio. He's called Cappetto, right?
[24:59] And that's what shaped the name right now.
[25:02] So I, I got that inspiration one from it, but also I realized
[25:06] that we were already Pinocchio. People come to that shop because
[25:10] it's Pinocchio. One thing you want, you wouldn't
[25:12] want to do is to completely disconnect from your existing
[25:17] customers if not for anything at all, right?
[25:20] And so they know it's a Pinocchio and anyone who then
[25:24] comes in subsequently and sees Zepeto and wants to do some
[25:28] research, I thought they were Pinocchio before and checks it.
[25:30] And you're like, oh, you're the fact of Pinocchio.
[25:32] OK, then probably there's a link, right?
[25:35] Mentally and psychological, psychologically, they, they,
[25:39] they, they tend to stay and they try the product.
[25:42] When they try the product and they realize that, oh, this
[25:44] stays better than than even Pinocchio, they'll be like, OK,
[25:48] we are here. We are here to stay, right?
[25:50] So that's how the name came about.
[25:52] And to tell you the truth, we we are doing better than when we
[25:55] were even Pinocchio. That's exciting.
[25:57] Yeah. OK, I have a few.
[25:58] I have a few more questions here in in this, like in this part in
[26:02] this block of your story. So first of the capital to
[26:07] start, where did that come from? I mean, yeah, where did that
[26:10] come from? So I run another business,
[26:13] right? So this, this is not my main
[26:15] business. So first we, we, I got seed from
[26:17] some other business to support this.
[26:19] But as we kept growing, we even needed much more capital exact.
[26:23] So yeah, I called, I called on friends, friends and people who
[26:27] know me right, way back from school that, you know, this
[26:30] guy's always been at business, right?
[26:33] Decided to come on board and and invest.
[26:35] So that's interesting. And so I was asking you if you'd
[26:39] be interested in a conversation where you know an individual or
[26:43] a group acquires an existing athletes, right or involve like
[26:49] franchising the athlete to have an arrangement with you and say
[26:52] OK, well this is an exciting business because I'm actually
[26:54] very interested right now. OK, well let's do this.
[26:58] Are you open to that? Yeah.
[26:59] So for instance, if you look at the shape of the brand moving
[27:04] forward and now when you came you, you could see certain
[27:07] elements that sort of like blows out originality, authenticity
[27:12] with the Italian, you know, brand and all of that, right?
[27:18] You we are trying to put in a museum.
[27:20] So if you realize there was a whole museum experience when you
[27:23] came in there, the walls were written with the history of
[27:26] Gelato and all of that. So anybody who now comes to the
[27:28] shop at Manet, we started with Manette would begin to watch the
[27:32] walls and be amazed and then buy the Gelato it gives them that
[27:37] kind of all these guys know what they are talking about, right.
[27:40] And that's what we are trying, that's the brand we are trying
[27:41] to move across not just in not just in Ghana but across to
[27:46] other African countries, right. And we are definitely open for a
[27:52] collaboration for investments because we are trying to build a
[27:56] proper franchise model, right? And franchise model in the sense
[27:59] whereby people who have some kind of capital can come.
[28:04] And then we take them through why the jacket story, right?
[28:08] We take them through what makes us different.
[28:10] We take them through the kind of equipment we use.
[28:13] We use the best of equipments, right.
[28:17] Even some of the machines that we brought, we are just the
[28:21] second company in Ghana that has it.
[28:22] And the other one is a very big company.
[28:24] That's how much we have invested in the machine because one thing
[28:27] I can tell you for sure when I was doing the research was all
[28:31] day and every single supply that I made was like Gelato isn't
[28:35] just about the ingredients, it's about the machine you use.
[28:38] The way a chance and the overrun you get at the end of the day
[28:42] depends on you can get a machine for 20,000 CDs, you can get a
[28:45] machine to make ice cream for 15,000 CDs by the end of the
[28:48] day, a lot is going to be affected by the taste.
[28:52] What you're going to get is not going to be the same as the
[28:55] kinds of machines that we used right so those are some of the
[28:58] conversations that would have with someone who potentially
[29:01] wants to invest. One thing to that we wouldn't we
[29:03] wouldn't do is just because we want to expand the brand is to
[29:07] let you go and open anywhere right because what experience
[29:11] has also taught us is that location really matters and it's
[29:14] almost everything. So yes, we are ready to have
[29:16] conversations around expansion, but most importantly, expanding
[29:20] the right way. That's exciting because I was
[29:22] saying that I think and the heavy influences of your mom
[29:27] regards your involvement in the culinary and food business.
[29:30] When I gather your mom is a commercial teacher.
[29:32] Teacher. Yeah.
[29:33] How's that looking? Or you don't.
[29:35] You don't agree. Maybe you can say so because,
[29:38] yeah, we had our commercial kitchen in my home where I grew
[29:40] up. So I woke up to food almost
[29:42] every day. Yeah.
[29:44] I, I I didn't have to think about what to eat.
[29:46] And so now when I'm living alone, there's like, it's a
[29:48] bother because, yeah, but I just have to make a phone call to my
[29:51] mom and ask her that, you know, can you get me this?
[29:53] Can you get me that? But, yeah, food has never been
[29:56] One thing I would say it really shaped and held my upbringing is
[30:00] the kind of parents that I had, right?
[30:03] Very supportive. I never had that kind of parents
[30:06] that were, you know, you have to stick to your books and, you
[30:08] know, study and go to school and do that, even though that was
[30:11] like, the primary goal and of every parent, which don't still
[30:15] tell you and everything. But my other business name came
[30:19] from my father. My father, when I shared with
[30:21] him, was that, oh, we can tweak it like this and do it like this
[30:23] anywhere. We got it right.
[30:24] So I had very supportive parents growing up back in school.
[30:29] Anybody who knew me in primary when I was just like, 11 years
[30:32] old, since Benedict's, right? So that's where I grew up my
[30:36] whole life in dancing. Yeah.
[30:37] I was selling fried rice in class and before my mother's
[30:41] fried rice, my mother's fried rice.
[30:43] So people call me fried rice till now those who knew me from
[30:45] that time, right? So yes, business has always been
[30:48] in me, right? So when you're in class, when
[30:51] I'm in class, each pack was 2 CDs as at that time, right?
[30:55] You come, you have to write your name before break.
[30:57] Otherwise if you come at break, time is finished, right?
[31:00] So I bring 20-30 packs, put it at the back of the class.
[31:03] People come from other classrooms.
[31:05] I'm looking for van. I'm looking for Van.
[31:06] They come, they write their names down and then you have to
[31:10] and then I supply and then every single week I used to take 500
[31:13] CDs to the bank that's at that time.
[31:15] For yourself? For myself?
[31:16] Will you pay your mother for the supply?
[31:18] Yeah. So I mean, that's at that time I
[31:20] was a minor. So she had that account.
[31:22] She she was more of like the person who, you know, had to
[31:24] sign on my behalf, but I was the one making the deposit at
[31:27] Barclays Bank that's at that time.
[31:29] How many siblings do you have? Four others, so we have 5. 55
[31:32] boys and your dad? Five boys.
[31:33] OK. And your dad?
[31:36] Yes, yeah, so, so so with my with my dad, yes, same as my
[31:41] mom, very supportive parents. It's it's been oh, what do you
[31:46] want to do? OK, let's I think you should do
[31:49] it this way. And my dad has also been a very
[31:51] big businessman growing up. He's done selling so many things
[31:55] from air conditioners to all of those things.
[31:57] So anytime you're having conversations with TV also that
[32:00] oh, I used to do this. I quite remember he even came
[32:02] for the launch of over the weekend when we were PJPT was
[32:04] like when I look at at this, she remembers and it's like he's
[32:08] reliving his youth because he was doing all of these things,
[32:10] launching places and opening up places.
[32:12] Yeah. So yeah, I think if I should say
[32:16] they have shaped me in any way, probably, yes, maybe looking up
[32:20] to them and what they used to do and what they currently do now,
[32:24] sort of like guided in a way. But I wouldn't see my venture in
[32:29] food came primarily primarily from my mom because I'm a
[32:34] businessman and I'm very. Entirely diverse.
[32:37] So after Saint Benedict you went to Achimata school?
[32:39] Yes. After I did general science.
[32:42] General Science and then to University of Ghana.
[32:44] Yes, from there I went to Akosunbu and then AIS and then I
[32:48] went to University of Ghana from.
[32:49] There because you study in university of.
[32:51] Ghana. So I did a bit of food science
[32:54] and nutrition and I did biochemistry and chemistry as
[32:57] well. The.
[32:58] Food is really steep in your subconscious.
[33:00] But you know, but you know, that's what everybody thinks.
[33:03] But I wouldn't say mainly is what I'm applying in the
[33:06] business. I know.
[33:07] I get it. Like I see like like because
[33:11] your mom, you woke up to food every morning.
[33:12] Your mom was making great food. I even got out in university
[33:15] every time some people come to visit free food.
[33:17] Yes, I had a bundle of food when I was in school.
[33:20] I used to even keep serving people's fridges and then
[33:23] they'll tell me in the morning what we are eating in the
[33:25] afternoon. Yeah, it was.
[33:27] Yeah, Food was never my headache.
[33:28] Exactly. I think it's only the influences
[33:31] are is very the influence is very heavy and to subconsciously
[33:35] you'd seep into play around that.
[33:37] Yeah. OK.
[33:38] So I know you are for the CEO for Best Western, Western
[33:43] Premium, Western Premium, Sorry, Western Premium, it's a national
[33:45] money bank company, right? Yeah.
[33:47] Tell me about that. How did that start so?
[33:49] Western Premium is not allowed business.
[33:51] I mean, anybody who asked me what do I do, I told them I have
[33:54] one exciting business and one that is not too exciting.
[33:56] Right, the boring business where the money comes.
[33:58] From maybe you can say so that it doesn't make its noise and
[34:00] all of that. But yeah, it started back in
[34:02] 2015, right? I was in school 19 years back
[34:06] then. People shouldn't calculate my
[34:09] age, but yeah. We don't understand.
[34:14] But but yes, yeah, I was there one time and I used to read
[34:19] newspapers almost every day when I was in school, right?
[34:22] And I kept opening the newspapers and I saw tenders and
[34:25] publications of tenders when people were, yeah, of things
[34:30] that companies were looking for. So arrange a cut across
[34:34] stationary IT equipment and all of that.
[34:38] So he started as a procurement business actually.
[34:40] OK. So one time I quite remember I
[34:43] was telling my my friend Pyi was like, you know, I want to, I
[34:46] want to, you know, tender for this.
[34:48] Particular I want to like Pyi is a good father of Aqua.
[34:50] He knows everybody. He tells me he wants to sleep in
[34:53] networking. Yeah, Yeah, he knows everybody.
[34:57] So yeah, most of the kind of relationship I built today with
[35:00] even other people came because of their, you know, friendship
[35:02] with him. And yeah, I really, really
[35:04] appreciating for that. Yeah.
[35:05] So I decided to where registered company, yeah go through the
[35:12] whole process and even tended for that job.
[35:14] But one thing happened. I we didn't we didn't win the
[35:18] bid for that particular job that I saw in the newspaper as
[35:21] attend. But one thing I did over during
[35:24] that period was after I registered that company and I
[35:27] applied for that job, I went to register the business on so many
[35:33] different business chambers. So invest in Africa, I was
[35:36] there, I went to speak to UK, Ghana Chamber of Commerce, I
[35:40] went to Ghana Chamber of Commerce.
[35:44] There's another one that's called Ghana Chamber of
[35:46] Commerce. Yeah, and, and quite a number of
[35:48] them, right. But back still in school, I had
[35:51] a phone call right from one of the chambers, right?
[35:55] And they were like, we have a very big multinational company
[35:59] that is looking for a stationary supplier.
[36:01] And so would you want to bid for it?
[36:04] And trust me, one thing about me is where I'm not to be, I don't
[36:07] even have the capacity to, I would still say yes and we'll
[36:10] figure the rest out. Yeah, right.
[36:12] So I said yes, we would bid for it, right.
[36:14] So I went to the application, went through the process and
[36:18] that was the first, that was the first big break.
[36:22] I got registered as a sole stationary supplier for Bodek
[36:29] and then it started from there. This was still in school.
[36:31] I was through school as a national service.
[36:33] I started handling huge procurement contracts for on
[36:36] behalf of Modic and then. The oil and gas.
[36:41] Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And then Fast forward, we were
[36:44] delivering first seed capital from that business came from my
[36:47] mum actually, so she gave me I quite remember the we started
[36:51] the year, the new year with buying Diaries for them.
[36:53] So the new year Diaries and from there we started expanding the
[36:59] things that we could supply to them.
[37:01] One time they came that oh, can you do calipers?
[37:03] Can you do some small engineering items?
[37:05] And then yes, yes, it keeps on going.
[37:08] Yes, yes, yes. And then we went on to work with
[37:11] them. Tallow oil, right?
[37:13] So tallow oil as a subcontractor.
[37:16] So someone had the main contract and then subcontracting.
[37:19] So we supplied ranges from valves, gaskets, lubricants, all
[37:23] of that. Engineering.
[37:24] Equipment, yes, engineering equipment.
[37:26] So I used to travel a lot. I travel to go and buy the
[37:29] engineering or put in my bag and then I'll bring it down and then
[37:33] I'll give it to them and then you know.
[37:35] Yeah. So we were mainly an MRO
[37:37] supplier, so maintenance, repair operation supplier equipment,
[37:40] right, for the oil and gas. So I was registered with PC
[37:43] Petroleum Commission, PPE and all of you and yeah, now with
[37:50] from there one time, one thing, one thing was that as at that
[37:55] time when I was even handling all of this, my staff size was
[37:57] no more than three people. We we were supplying huge
[38:00] contract by wages. I can't remember one time I went
[38:02] to MODIC and I was coming out and I met the accountant or the
[38:06] company was like, oh, have you made have we've made payments to
[38:10] you, right. Have you received it?
[38:12] I was like, I would have to find out from the accountant if we
[38:15] have you. And I was everything.
[38:20] I was everything. Because at that point you have
[38:23] to be a setting car. You know how, you know, these
[38:26] global companies want to, you know, picture you in a certain
[38:29] kind of wages so that they can work with you.
[38:31] But as at all the time I was, I was, I was the accountant, I was
[38:34] the sourcing manager, I was the general manager was everything.
[38:40] Yeah. And that's how we grew from
[38:43] school. I never went back home.
[38:44] I decided to be on my own living and growing the business and
[38:50] growing the business. But one time just about 3 years
[38:53] ago, we did a market survey where we visited most of our
[38:56] clients. I can tell you for a fact that
[38:58] now we have not less than 10 clients who serviced and we
[39:01] worked with huge companies. We have WFPS, our client USAID
[39:05] is our client UNS, our client UNHRD and most of these
[39:09] international organizations. So about the range of.
[39:13] A range of things, a range of things even outside Ghana.
[39:16] Okay, yeah, so WFP for instance, we work with their Liberia
[39:19] office. We've done some things for some
[39:22] countries. I would want to mention names,
[39:23] but yeah, and we did a market research where I sent my team to
[39:28] the Western Region because of our air and gas clients over
[39:30] there. And we're just trying to
[39:32] understand how we could expand and get more clientele, right.
[39:36] And one thing that came back as feedback from them was that, you
[39:39] know, most of the clients that supply machineries and equipment
[39:44] to them just don't do that. But they also manage the entire,
[39:49] they manage, they maintain and then they install the
[39:52] machineries, OK. So it's just not, it's just not
[39:55] a supply. They do, they do their whole
[39:57] life cycle food vertical, right, so.
[40:00] I was like, OK, so they brought the feedback back home and we
[40:02] were like, you know what, let's let's look at it.
[40:05] What does it mean to be a full blown fiscal asset management
[40:09] company, right? It means that you are now not
[40:12] only doing procurement for these companies, but you're also going
[40:14] into every other thing that. Yeah.
[40:18] You know matters in there in the life cycle of the product, right
[40:21] or the, the, the machinery that you supplied to them, right.
[40:24] And this goes from installation, it goes to management and
[40:27] maintenance and monitoring, right, all the way to end of
[40:31] life decompose, right. So I told them that you know
[40:35] what, let's begin to look at how we can become an asset
[40:38] management company, right? Even though we might not have
[40:41] the technical expertise, we can not only outsold, but form some
[40:45] partnerships, which we form some interesting partnerships.
[40:48] I'll tell you about it to execute that kind of that kind
[40:53] of thing. So, yeah, yeah.
[40:54] So we now are an asset management company.
[40:58] And what does it mean to be an asset management company?
[41:00] It's if you have a car, for instance, right, And you have
[41:03] purchased a car, under normal circumstances, the car should be
[41:07] able to last you up to about 10 years, right?
[41:10] Class or minus, right? Depending on what you do and how
[41:12] you maintain the car, it can either do more or it can do
[41:15] less, right? And that's the reason why we go
[41:18] to the service stations. We always change our engine
[41:20] oils, we change our brake pads just so that a car can perform
[41:23] at its optimum, right? A lot of businesses have huge
[41:26] capital investments, huge machineries that they do not are
[41:31] not focused on how they are performing, right?
[41:35] For instance, sometimes we even forget when to even maintain our
[41:37] car. We keep driving it until the car
[41:39] actually tells us that, you know, it's time for servicing
[41:42] and all of that. And that's the same for
[41:43] businesses. Imagine a business that has
[41:45] machinery, equipment that ranges from different things that it
[41:49] does right, All in one setting. You definitely wouldn't unless
[41:54] you have an internal maintenance team that focuses on that.
[41:57] Most often than not, people are just using it.
[42:00] If it's breaking down, we don't know.
[42:02] If it's actually doing what it's supposed to do at its optimum,
[42:05] they don't know, right. And So what now we did was that
[42:11] we partnered with like IBM we and that opportunity to was a
[42:16] was a really great one from the fellowship that we did.
[42:19] Touch. On that, yeah, we, we partnered
[42:21] with IBM and and they provide the best asset management
[42:26] platform called the Maximo in doing asset management.
[42:29] And so that's what we incorporate in what we do with
[42:32] the companies that we work with. So what happens is that we are
[42:35] able to list all the assets you have even to pencil if you want
[42:39] to monitor that onto the platform.
[42:41] You can see real time information on that particular
[42:44] asset and how the asset is performing.
[42:46] And in real time you can see if you are optimizing optimally
[42:50] using that that particular asset, right.
[42:52] If you're not there that that solution can also sort of like
[42:57] give you intelligence reports. Now we happy to have engineers
[43:00] on our team now that sort of like guide and tell the business
[43:02] that you're that OK, this this particular asset can be used
[43:06] more than what you're how you're using it now.
[43:08] Or in the event of a repair. Yeah.
[43:10] So, so that's what we call the preventive predictive
[43:12] maintenance strategies, corrective maintenance.
[43:14] So we do predictive maintenance plans for companies where we
[43:20] tell them how they should optimally use.
[43:22] It's really disconnected from the ice cream bit.
[43:25] Completely different world. That's interesting.
[43:27] Yeah. So, so that I remember it, maybe
[43:30] it's like a licensing agreement. So it was more, it was more, it
[43:33] came about when when we went for the Mandela Washington
[43:37] Fellowship. Can you tell us about that?
[43:38] Yeah. About the fellowship, yes, yes,
[43:41] yeah. So, so I, I was on the
[43:43] fellowship in 2023, right. And we, we had, I was there one
[43:51] time and a friend texted me. I was like, you know what?
[43:53] We've this is Mandela, which I had no idea about it.
[43:56] I didn't even know what it was, right?
[43:59] And they were like, the person was like, I think you'd, you'd
[44:02] best fit for this program, right?
[44:04] And I was like, OK, I had a phone call with a person.
[44:06] The person briefed me a bit about the program and I decided
[44:09] that I'd apply, I'd give it a shot, right?
[44:12] I quite remember when the application was ending, I was at
[44:16] the airport traveling. So she called me again when I
[44:19] was at the airport. I was like, wait, have you
[44:20] submitted the application? I was like, oh damn.
[44:22] I quickly went on and then I clicked in because it was a
[44:25] draft in the in the in the portal.
[44:29] Fast forward, I was called shortlisted and I was called for
[44:33] the interview and I made it to the program.
[44:36] Business in leadership. Leadership in business, Sorry.
[44:39] So there were 3 tracks. It's either you're a leadership
[44:42] in business, public administration or civil, civil
[44:46] engagement, right. So I was on business in Atlanta.
[44:51] We went there, we met people from other different countries
[44:54] who are doing great things and amazing things in their various
[44:56] different homes. And then throughout the program,
[45:01] you get to visit a number of companies.
[45:04] So we visited Google, we, we visited UPS, we visited IBM,
[45:10] almost every top company in, in Atlanta, right.
[45:14] And one of them, when we visited IBM, we're told to mention what
[45:17] we do and all of that. And that's how I got there.
[45:21] I got there, I got to work with IBMI, got invited by the VP in
[45:25] New York. So after the program, I moved
[45:27] from Atlanta to New York. We had a whole dinner where they
[45:30] welcomed me. And yeah.
[45:32] And from there, yeah, we, we, we, I work with them as a
[45:37] partner, right. So I got introduced to one of
[45:40] the biggest asset, if not the biggest asset management company
[45:43] in the world because they, they handle and they manage a number
[45:47] of states, states, agencies in there from NASA to a number of
[45:52] them in the US. And he's, he's, he's been to
[45:55] Ghana, he's an Indian American. So he's been to Ghana.
[45:58] We are working on some great things here now.
[46:00] Exciting, yeah. So how's the future looking like
[46:02] for? Western Premium.
[46:04] Western Premium is looking very exciting.
[46:07] Yeah, we we negotiating a number of government views, managing
[46:13] some government portfolios and stuff like.
[46:16] That wow. OK.
[46:16] So not I mentioned the fellowship, I know you also got
[46:20] like an MBA for an international business investor.
[46:24] Why did you decide to do that? Our point was this.
[46:26] Oh, so, so this was a hybrid program actually.
[46:29] So when I was working and it was just something to add to my
[46:35] experience and what I know about the business field.
[46:39] Bear in mind, I came from a completely science background, a
[46:43] complete science background doing physics, chemistry and all
[46:46] of those things. I just wanted to, even though I
[46:49] had the practical knowledge in business, I wanted to, you know
[46:52] what the theory also said and what experiences from other case
[46:55] studies have also shown. And so I decided that, OK, let
[46:58] me, let me, let me do the international business program
[47:01] with, with University of Birmingham.
[47:04] Because again, University of Birmingham was, is a Russell is
[47:08] part of the Russell Group in, in, in the UK, very good school.
[47:12] And also they are able to accommodate that hybrid kind of
[47:16] model. So that's the reason why I
[47:18] decided to go there. So interesting.
[47:21] How old are you? I'm sure I've already disclosed
[47:25] it from how old are you this? Question is about to sound very
[47:29] silly, but how old are you? I'm I'm I'm less than 30.
[47:32] Yeah, Would you consider yourself a millionaire?
[47:36] Yes, OK, yes, No, but I would before I leave here, people
[47:43] start calling me you could people call themselves
[47:46] millionaire in so many ways in assets you've acquired assets,
[47:49] yes and all of that. If you if you combine all of
[47:51] those things here, you can. Talking about working, I know
[47:56] you used to you started best person when you're in the
[47:58] university, you work for yourself.
[47:59] But there is a story I gather that you work for in a labor at
[48:03] some point. What was that conversation
[48:05] about? So yes, I worked had Unilever
[48:08] for for about a year and a half where I was handling a number of
[48:13] brands over there. The brands manage brands
[48:15] operations manager. You're doing this together with
[48:17] the asset management business? Yes, as at that time, yeah.
[48:21] And it got to a point where I said I had to, I had to do
[48:23] something. I had to go on my own.
[48:25] Yeah. So yeah, I back in school, I
[48:28] was, we call them brand ambassadors.
[48:31] I was always into something back in school.
[48:33] I was always doing something and extracurriculum activity.
[48:36] And yeah, they had a program called the Unilever Idea Trophy
[48:41] Competition, right where they pick a number of brilliant
[48:45] students still in school, give them a practical case study in
[48:50] Unilever on one of their products and their brands.
[48:53] And you're supposed to come and ID and come up with, you know,
[48:56] an idea on how to propel the brand and skill the brand in
[49:01] that particular. It could be on a number of
[49:03] topics, right? And yeah, I gathered a few
[49:05] friends, we formed a group and then I did an internship there.
[49:09] But even before that, even before that, I sort of like was
[49:13] following the idea trophy and how it goes and everything and
[49:20] just learning from those who have already attended, right?
[49:23] And one thing was that one, there was no Ghanaian team that
[49:27] had already had won for Africa to represent Africa in London.
[49:31] There was no Ghanaian team. So that was my goal to not only
[49:34] win in, in Ghana, but to win in Africa to represent in London on
[49:39] the global stage. Right.
[49:40] So it was it came practice or practice.
[49:44] I think a key study was Lipton. We were supposed to come up with
[49:47] a brilliant idea on how to sell Lipton.
[49:50] And yeah, we one in Ghana, we went to Nigeria, we came second
[49:59] day and then we were poised on in in South Africa where we came
[50:07] first place. So we're the first Ghanaian team
[50:11] to win, to represent Africa in the UK.
[50:15] That's. Exciting.
[50:17] Yeah. So that's that's how it it it
[50:20] all started. And that that that helped me get
[50:22] entry to work with them. After after school, the school,
[50:26] Yeah, I see. I wanted to ask again the
[50:28] capital because the Western premium is also a very capital
[50:32] heavy business. You know, probably if you if you
[50:35] win a bid, you have to probably preference procure the
[50:38] equipment. How does that conversation?
[50:40] I'm asking because of the kind of landscape we have here as
[50:43] entrepreneurs in Ghana where access to cheap capital and easy
[50:47] capital is very difficult, right.
[50:49] So do you work with the banks are still family and friends and
[50:51] the community people? You've built OK, I'll see these
[50:52] banks. I'll never help you.
[50:54] They expect you to bring them your money to them, but when it
[50:57] comes to they giving you money to support the business that
[51:00] will bring them back money back to the to the to them to save
[51:03] that they it becomes a whole long process.
[51:05] So it's really been the relationships that I've had to,
[51:10] to. And one thing about me is I
[51:13] really are not, it's not focused on government businesses.
[51:17] I'm really focused on private sector because of the way they
[51:21] are, they are committed to some of their principles of paying
[51:23] back, right? So, so you can promise an
[51:26] investor that you know what, I'm going to take your $500,000 or
[51:30] your 400,000 CDs or whatever and I'm going to bring it back
[51:33] after, after 30 days and you actually bring it back without
[51:36] any stories, right? So, so that's how I've built
[51:40] relationships and I've kept my word with people who have built
[51:43] that relationship with relationships with that.
[51:45] Every time I go to them, they say that, you know, but one
[51:48] thing about private sector business is that you cannot over
[51:51] over put a margin on, on whatever you're supplying to
[51:53] them. You have to be very competitive
[51:55] because you know, they're really on the numbers.
[51:57] So small margin, small margins on the product, you quickly
[52:01] invest, turn around yourself and keep growing.
[52:04] And that's how we we, we, we, we grow.
[52:08] I want to understand, I mean like there's easy way to pick
[52:13] pinpoint influences when you're upbringing and why you become
[52:17] very entrepreneurial, right? I had a submission Entrepreneur.
[52:20] Very much. OK, so there's the parents
[52:23] influence, but what would you see with doesn't experience
[52:26] growing up that got you excited about business and that this is
[52:30] what I want to do like a particular experience that you
[52:34] know the book you read, the seminar you went.
[52:37] To I think I think one thing I know God bless me with is how I
[52:42] think about ideas a lot, right? Anyone who is very close to me
[52:47] knows very much that I would always call you that.
[52:50] There's an idea in my mind. Let's talk about it, right.
[52:53] So people even get bored of bored of offense because like,
[52:57] OK, what's the idea this time around?
[52:59] I think about the craziest of idea.
[53:00] And the more I travel, I like to travel that the best thing I
[53:04] like to do is I always go see things and then come and bring
[53:07] it back and think about an idea of how to what I can do with it
[53:11] and all of that. Now, if that is what has made me
[53:14] a very good business person or I start my part in business, that
[53:19] ultimately it's how how much I think about idea.
[53:22] But most importantly, it's not even about the money you make
[53:24] out of it. That's a motivation for me.
[53:26] It's about the process that's involved in building that
[53:28] business. Yeah, for me, it's more about
[53:30] the process involved in building a business rather than the end
[53:33] goal. So after, after I'm done with
[53:35] your petrol or I'm done with all of those projects, I'm thinking
[53:37] about, OK, what's exciting again, I can, I can venture.
[53:41] What does the process do to? You the process is what the
[53:43] challenge were the challenges right in all of these past few
[53:48] months and navigating us to how I will reshape the business and
[53:52] get it back on the ground and keep it going.
[53:54] It's what really is the motivation, the thrill, the
[53:57] thrill, you know, getting up, going broke, get it up again,
[54:04] get it up sworn my knee, you know, you know, putting things
[54:08] together, going broke again. And, you know, and, and really
[54:10] strategizing, putting pen and paper and, and writing and, and
[54:14] figuring things out and making sure that OK, you are very sure
[54:17] that this, this thing you're about to do, actually make it or
[54:21] make it to, to, to, to success is where the motivation rather
[54:25] than even the success or the money that comes out of it.
[54:28] And I think for every businessman, I think I've, I've
[54:30] watched most of your shoes. We all almost speak the same
[54:33] language from the people you've interviewed over the past
[54:36] podcast that you've had that we almost speak the same language.
[54:39] That consistency, that consistency in keeping it going,
[54:42] going right. It's, it's really what sets you
[54:46] apart and, and, and gives you that grace.
[54:49] For somebody like Feel Junkie, like I said, I want to know now.
[54:52] I really want to know, what do you do outside building business
[54:54] as a person? What do you like to do?
[54:56] I have a very, maybe I would say boring lifestyle I don't have.
[55:01] And I think recently I've, I've decided to like pay more
[55:04] attention to my personal life because it's either I'm people
[55:08] think I'm always on some business, right?
[55:11] And I like to travel. So maybe that's where I get
[55:14] relaxation from. I'm always somewhere on an
[55:18] adventure. Just last month I was in a camp
[55:21] in Swaziland, very off, please. Yeah.
[55:24] Sleeping in a tent, right? Meeting new people, building
[55:28] good connections, right. And yeah, so I think that's what
[55:31] I do outside the business. And one thing about me is I'm
[55:36] not the, I'm not the flashy kind of, I'm very, you know, I'm not
[55:43] too keen on, you know, acquiring certain things.
[55:45] I believe in the process. And I believe that there's a
[55:47] growth path in becoming someone great, right?
[55:51] I don't believe in fast. Yeah, I've used my car for seven
[55:55] years and I'm still using it, right.
[55:57] And yeah, it's functioning and it's going.
[55:59] So it's, it's, yeah. So my, my kind of motivation and
[56:05] what keeps me going is very different from what people
[56:07] traditionally think that, oh, maybe because this person is,
[56:10] has acquired this and has made this kind of money.
[56:12] So because of that, you also want to get there.
[56:13] You know, I'm I'm, I'm not that type.
[56:17] What would you define as greatness?
[56:20] Greatness for me is more about the impact, the impact you've
[56:24] been able to not only make in people's lives, but the impact
[56:28] in how you've been able to change the way things have been
[56:31] seen to be right. So for me, impact really matters
[56:36] a lot to me. And in everything I do, I look
[56:40] at how I've built a community of employees that we look at each
[56:46] other. Even though we're all young, I
[56:48] have old employees too as well. And we all smile at what the
[56:51] kind of product that we are building, right?
[56:53] And the motivation that guides them to wake up every morning
[56:56] and come to work is what I feel like is what has driven my
[57:02] steps, is what I see as, you know, the greatness that people
[57:06] always think that, oh, it's what you've acquired and what you
[57:09] have and all of that, right? For me, it's really about how
[57:12] many people and how many lives and what, what, what can people
[57:17] say that oh, he was the one who started this?
[57:20] Yeah. Really is what means to me.
[57:22] Talking about changing the narrative and impact and
[57:26] defining what people see to be. I want us to what's it called?
[57:32] Extract that to the Ghanaian landscape, economy, whatever it
[57:36] is, right? What role do you want to see
[57:39] yourself playing? What legacy do you want to live
[57:41] in for this country and you by extension, this continent?
[57:46] I think for me it's more about the excitement that comes from
[57:52] the businesses that are built, but most importantly to how
[57:56] those businesses are impacting the lives of other people,
[57:59] right? So people always think about,
[58:00] OK, you, you, you, you want to be a great leader, right?
[58:06] You want to make all the money, but at the end of the day, that
[58:09] money that you've made, where did it come from and how how did
[58:15] that business that you build sort of like impact lives that
[58:18] made you that money, right? So for me, I don't do businesses
[58:21] that I don't understand it. I don't, I don't understand.
[58:24] I don't I've never done sorry, I've not, I've never done
[58:27] crypto. I've never done all of that
[58:28] because I just don't understand how it works, right?
[58:31] Maybe not now, right. So for me, the future and how I
[58:35] where I see myself is more about what kind of businesses if it's
[58:41] as if you earn me a living and end me profit, how has those
[58:45] businesses been able to change the lives of the people who are
[58:47] using are benefiting from. It.
[58:48] Yeah, great. Yeah, Thanks for what you do,
[58:54] what you're doing. It's exciting, like a real
[58:57] inspiration, so to speak. And keep going.
[59:03] Like I said, you and you and I have a pending deal.
[59:07] We'll talk about our. So I'm excited for what you're
[59:12] building. And yeah, it's it's inspiring to
[59:15] have to it's always good to just have a, you know, those that
[59:19] people of like minded by the same age brackets who are doing
[59:23] the same things. It just keeps you and I hope
[59:26] people listening to this will also be inspired.
[59:28] Younger people will be inspired to keep going, then go broke and
[59:32] keep going. Go.
[59:33] Broke. OK, keep going.
[59:36] So, friends in the choir and the world beyond, I had a great time
[59:40] talking to Sam and I hope you did too.
[59:43] As a mantra ghost. Just build something.
[59:45] You do a.

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