The 2023 edition of the World Changers Conference featured a roundtable discussion with CEOs and entrepreneurs in a quest to understand how they started and are faring on their business journey.
The expedition with the CEOs, labeled “Time with the CEOs,” brought together a variety of industry players in Ghana, ranging from branding and graphic design to food and health, fashion, and shoe making, who shared astute visions with attendees to support and position them in their entrepreneurial businesses toward fostering change and creating a legacy for organizations.
The engagements with the CEOs, Mrs. Millicent Adoboe, Deputy CEO of Achiever Foods; Mr. Stephen Kyei Sarpong, CEO of LeatherOnCall; Mr. Eliud Kofi Gyekye, CEO of Pave Klodin; and Mr. Jonathan Asiamah, CEO of Risus Concept, were moderated by Miss Abubakar Salman, a journalist.
In Miss Abubakar’s interrogations with her, Mrs. Millicent Adoboe, co-founder and Deputy CEO of Achiever Foods, said that she resigned from her work after suffering from low blood levels that got her hospitalised. She decided to venture into turkey berry (popularly referred to as Abeduro) preparations, since that was what helped her to restore her blood levels.
She focused on malnourished people, though she had some setbacks during the COVID-19 period that ended her almost losing her suppliers (farmers) but managed to convince them to stay.
Mrs. Adoboe said she used the setbacks as a stepping stone that later expanded her business, adding that throughout the difficulty she faced, she was resilient.
She therefore encouraged young entrepreneurs to overcome challenging times by asking themselves why they initiated the business in the first place. Asking this question, she believes, will enable the owners to be adventurous in revamping the business. She also emphasized the need for entrepreneurs to focus on personal grooming through reading and innovating.
With Mr. Stephen Kyei Sarpong, CEO of LeatherOnCall, a shoe-making entity that remodels used champaign cocks into shoes, their idea of using disposed of cocks into shoe making helped them stand out from competing creators in their field.
He added that one core factor that helped and is still helping them to penetrate deep and deeper into the market is social media, most especially Pinterest, Google, and YouTube. He affectionately referred to these tools as mentors, as they aid him in being innovative.
Notwithstanding the “social media mentors,” he said he has real mentors who are knowledgeable and experienced in his field and whose counsel has shaped him into who he is. He admonished entrepreneurs not to downplay the power mentoring has in building capacity in business.
Mr. Eliud Kofi Gyekye, founder of Pave Klodin, in response to what inspired him to take up fashion as a career after graduating from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), said his previous work after graduation, which was teaching, was rather stressful for him.
“I realized that is not how I envisaged my life to be, so I saved some money through the teaching, resigned from the work, used the money to acquire a sewing machine because of my love for colors, and started my business in my room during COVID-19”, he shared.
He added that the decision he took was not a rosy road, as he had to starve some of his interest, which was going to the gym and watching football, to focus on establishing his business. He noted that eventually, his sacrifices paid off, as his clothing line is doing well, including being exported to six different countries.
Mr. Jonathan Asiamah, the CEO of Risus Concept, had these thoughts to share: “After my senior high school education, I had a discussion with my father about revamping his closed printing press. Though I had no experience, I was ready to make it work since it was hard for me to get to a regular job. From printing, I ventured into graphic design, which later gave birth to Risus Concept.”
According to him, graphic design helps organizations create a distinct brand and image for their organization; it is birthing creativity and life into business to set them apart from other brands.
Mr. Jonathan recommended entrepreneurs in this field be Godfearing, use challenges as opportunities to break their limits, update themselves with current trends, leverage social media to build a presence, get a mentor, and maintain integrity no matter what happens.
In her remarks, lead organizer of the conference, Miss Mabel Faith Tannor, said that the conference seeks to make a holistic impact on the lives of the participants. She encouraged participants to hold on to what they have learned, go out into the world, and create the impact they desire.
The World Changers Conference is a program designed to assist individuals, families, and organizations to have great minds, exceed their limits, raise kingdom ambassadors, and pass on the mantle of possessing and raising innovative minds.
The conference is an offshoot of the Global Impact Circle (GIC)- a platform established to raise people from obscurity to a place of influence through education and entrepreneurship. It has affected many lives since its inception in 2020.
Every year, the GIC organises events to elevate and maximize people’s abilities to cause sustainable change.
