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Konnected Minds Podcast with Derrick Abaitey
Financial Freedom in Africa: Start With Problems, Not Capital - Kwabena Obeng Darko
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- [00:00]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
In Africa, you want financial freedom, you must solve business problems. It's far easier to try to become successful than staying there to be poor. It's just a sheer zeal that, let's say I don't want to sit at home, I have to do something for myself. So when the man is sitting back asking for somebody to hold your hand, they have no confidence in themselves. The moment a man becomes confident in who he is, nothing stops.
- [00:21]
Derek Abayte
Where do we start?
- [00:22]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
From his books. It's a good start. If you sold believe that you need 10,000 to start something. If you are writing business plan and nobody knows you, the time that you are using to go and look for investors, use that time to go and do something. Because I know people who have gone everywhere to look for investors capital and.
- [00:40]
Albright
They still look that capitalizes indeed, the capital is me. What daily habits or routine has contributed most to your long term success?
- [00:51]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
How many Ghanaian musicians, footballers, innovators started abroad? And I know the Africa that we say is bad. It's the same Africa that is bringing this.
- [01:00]
Derek Abayte
Ah, but the problem is not that comes on the path of trying to produce something.
- [01:04]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
How do we deal with everything that you want to birth any greatness? That's how the world operates.
- [01:16]
Derek Abayte
You're welcome to Connected Minds podcast. My name is Derek Abayte and thank you so much for being a part of this family. I appreciate every one of you that watch this podcast and the people that always make it to the end. I always want to know who you are in the comments so we would know that you are one of our champions. I'm speaking to an engineer, an entrepreneur, a man that I've already spoken with on this podcast before. One of the most requested guests to come back on the show. Because of what he preaches and what he stands for, he's changed a lot of people's minds about Africa. He speaks about the African consciousness, what we really need as a people to liberate our minds and our financial lives. Engineer kwapnao Ben Dako is my guest today. Today we are talking about mindset, business success and the African consciousness. And for the people in the diaspora who are thinking of coming back home to do business, this is what this conversation is about. But interestingly, I've got two of my students from the Connected Academy who have come in here. So they are my audience today and they would ask some questions at some point in this conversation. Stick with me, share this and be part of this family. You're welcome to my studios again, Senior man of Indako, Derek.
- [02:55]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes, yes, yes, yes. I'm glad to be back. Yeah. Thank you. It's a new place.
- [03:00]
Derek Abayte
Yes.
- [03:01]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
We had the other one in the other place. This is a more expensive one. Yeah.
- [03:11]
Derek Abayte
Continuous improvement.
- [03:12]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
That's right. Yeah.
- [03:13]
Derek Abayte
I think it's necessary. I have a lot of respect for you for what you do, but I really want to understand why you chose to get on this path.
- [03:24]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Which path?
- [03:25]
Derek Abayte
The path to liberate people.
- [03:27]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Whoa.
- [03:28]
Derek Abayte
Yeah.
- [03:28]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Okay. Thank you. Thank you. And your seminar. I enjoyed it. Fantastic class. Yeah. From the beginning to the end. I was thinking I will lead to another program. I had to stay and thank you for changing minds and investing in our people. Thank you very much. Why I took this part? Did I really decide to take this part? I think when you're growing up and you have the heart to share and you want people to do well, nature by itself, God by himself, you know, your path will be directed towards that. Because I think we eventually express what is in our heart. You know, the burdens that we have, the problems that we see, the pains that we see people enjoy, the love that we have for people. I think eventually that's the path that we all take, you know, so if you don't have any pain, you don't see the pains of others, you don't see any burden in your society, you will tend to live for yourself and for your own glory. If you see the masses and you see what you can do in your little way, I think that is really the essence of life. That's what I looked at.
- [04:45]
Derek Abayte
Just to let you know that I haven't prepared for this conversation. I have a fair idea of how I want the conversation to go. But you being a leader in this field and a thought leader in the conversation about money and success, I know we can take this in a direction that would benefit the two of us and our audience. But as an engineer.
- [05:11]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
You could have.
- [05:12]
Derek Abayte
Focused on your other businesses that you have running. What I really want to understand is, what problem did you see that made you want to solve?
- [05:26]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Why? Why? I took this part of sharing what I know. I went to Kwamekoma University. I did agricultural engineering there. I did Ms. In engineering as well. I went to Bukwari School. I was good in. In mathematics. I was actually one of the top mathematics and physics students. Yeah. Yeah. My mates will know that. I remember after national service, I pulled a book and I wrote what I would love to see the next 10, 20 years in my life. And I think one of it that kept, you know, showing up was my love to see Africans live their greatness. And this was, you know, I started reading mainly I started reading maybe latter part of secondary school. Entering university. When we completed secondary school, we stayed at home for two years. And so I stayed with my mother's junior sister. The mother is a pastor. So there were a lot of books. I read a lot of religious books. And then we entered university was still some bit of religious books. Then I started to read, you know, management, business, entrepreneurship. So I think it's the concentration of knowledge. And anybody who is a student of books, who is a lover of books, who loves knowledge, eventually at a point in time, whatever you put in, you would have to find a way to come out. And I think that people who write books who share knowledge is because of what they invested in themselves, you know. So I think part of me writing and sharing is not so much the engineering, it's not so much the business that I built, but the fact that I consumed a lot. And people, you know, when you consume something, it's because people, you know, cook them. And there's no better way to give back than to just share what you took from others. And so I think many writers, many, many, many thought leaders are just people who love knowledge. So at a point in time it starts to come out. I call it concentration of knowledge. If you see this cup here, if you put a lot of water in it, it will start to overflow and there's no way to let it go out. If it doesn't go, it will frustrate you, it probably will kill you early. So I think that was it, that was it.
- [07:42]
Derek Abayte
Most of the questions I've had has been around your entrepreneurship acumen. As an individual, you don't just share knowledge because you've read it somewhere, you leave it. You are a testament of it. You have a business that you run. Talk to me about that path too.
- [08:04]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Ah, very, very, very. Okay, so our business we are into, I did a lot of projects, project business. So it could be agriculture business, agriculture projects, construction projects, or various projects, electrical projects. Actually I've worked with a lot of institutions in our country for the first 10, 15 years of my business. That was it. We're focused on building, you know, working on projects for semi government institutions and private institutions as well. So I would not want to mention their names. But we did a lot of units, construction unit for companies and doing some projects, you know, major ones. But along the line I saw that it would be better or it would have been better for me to, especially the construction side, just to Focus on my own projects.
- [09:00]
Derek Abayte
Why?
- [09:01]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Because when you build, you finish, you take the money. They own the property and when there are stresses or when there are non payment, you suffer with them. So if you have money, then why don't you look at yours as well? So along the line we also branch into our own development.
- [09:17]
Derek Abayte
Where did the desire come from, the.
- [09:19]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Desire to branch into our own after having made a lot of errors and mistakes? I remember there was a time we worked for some people and they owed us in millions and it was all people, they were pulling us and we could not take from them as well and eventually had to negotiate, you know, so. But it's business, business. When you start, it's a journey, you're learning, you're learning. And when we start, there are a lot of errors that we made, you know, because I didn't come from so regulated business background, I just had a desire to be to myself. You know, the more you acquire a lot of knowledge, the more you see that for you. If you want to live life on your own terms, you would have to take the path that many people will not want to take, which is entrepreneurship actually. And so that part that we had to take, which we did not have a lot of preparation, a lot of knowledge, you know, we, we cut ourselves through a lot of bad decisions and that's why we got to a stage. I decided to say, okay, how do we channel all this knowledge, all these experiences, all these pains into something beneficial, you know, so that's why we went into development as well. And we are into fashion, fashion production and fashion retail as well, you know, so we, we've been through some other other things, but I hardly share a lot of these businesses that we own. Why? Because what pushed me into sharing was I saw the need for us to rediscover ourselves as Africans. That journey would not have to have a lot of businesses. I had to see the shift of minds. I don't think that is just as building businesses and employing people that will change our continent. Because if you meet any thought leader or any leader that you have talked to or you, you listen to, you see that they talk about our mindset, our mindset, the way we see ourselves, the way we think. And I think that kind of solution will come from people who are thinking at a very high level. And that will be an intellectual exercise, you know, so that's why I really focus on that, the mindset. So my first book was Perspective how to develop the mindset to start and build your own business. I focus on the Mindset, the journey that had to go through to shift my mind from just looking at everybody and saying that they are doing well, but where are the Africans?
- [11:37]
Derek Abayte
For a man who speaks very much about starting a business without capital, how did you get your capital?
- [11:42]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Capital? I was the capital capital from where? That's, that's what many people would, Would want to look at. I, I think that when you watch a lot of business discussions and education, you might situate it in the systems or in the culture or in the environment that you come from. You know, there are a lot of things that the west particularly have taught that we have blindly copied and tried to apply as if they work here. So, for instance, if you pick a typical business tutorial, you have to have an idea and then you have to have some equities, some investor, you know, and these are the way that you regiment them. For many of us in our country, I don't think that's the part. The people that I saw, my uncles, my, you know, my grandparents, the things that he did, what they did, that they will say they are not business. They just started with that they had, you know, and that the zeal, the passion, said, I want to do something for myself. And what do I have to start with? The first step that you have.
- [12:41]
Derek Abayte
But that's the question.
- [12:42]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes.
- [12:43]
Derek Abayte
What do we have to start with? What is that thing?
- [12:45]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
It's more of a mental thing first. Okay, you must accept that. Okay, this is the part that I want to take. Okay. As a matter of fact, many people who are looking for what they call capital, they are looking at something different from what I, I see. Because if you look at the economy In Ghana, about 80% of us, our source of income is, is, is, Is from us.
- [13:08]
Derek Abayte
Okay?
- [13:09]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
We are not employed.
- [13:10]
Derek Abayte
Okay.
- [13:11]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Those other countries that you look at, I think about maybe just about 10% of them are really people that create their own businesses. Okay. Many of them in those countries rely on working for some organizations from governments, some individuals, and being paid. Our statistics are different. That's why we have a lot of young people looking for job. Why? Because the jobs must be created by people. And if you look at the percentages, many of us, the jobs that we have to do will be the jobs that we have to start ourselves. And so when you say that you are looking for capital in such an economy where many people have started something just by going to see Derek say that, okay, you have blocks here. Can you give me some to sell? Huh? That's the way you start. You see, when you come from those quarters where the business must be staged like you know, the way you have started and an office, a car, a project is set for you, a product is developed, you take it to the market. You have a marketing manager, sales manager, accountant, operations. That's, that's not how many of us will have to start with. Because the structures that we need, you know, to start from that level are non existent in our country.
- [14:24]
Derek Abayte
Okay, so if you use me as a case study. Yes, use me as a case study.
- [14:27]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes.
- [14:28]
Derek Abayte
And say Derek, you are 20 years old today, right? You didn't start with capital. How, what steps do I have to take to also be able to have my business?
- [14:39]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
I think that is the ambition and I told you, the self investment, the knowledge, the knowledge itself is the capital building yourself. You can't come out, out of schools wanting to start something with your engineering degree because not much was taught on, on business itself and even the self discovery that you have to go through the mental shift, you have to go through the environment that you have to understand the typical graduate, like the young people here, listen, when they come out of school, you are either thinking of going to, going to do masters, looking for government job, you know, going for a multinational job, something like that. Many of us will not even think of staying in our country in the first place. So that, that automatically shifts you from you even looking at opportunities in our country, let's say business. Many of us will start by taking the first step, which is looking at problems, looking at something to sell, looking at a service to offer, and sometimes for free. For many of us. For many of us. If you are looking for 100,000 to start business, look at your father. Look at your father, look at your mother. You see, it's not about just arguing like many people would think, look at your reality. Because the people who are asking for capital, it's obvious that they don't have means, that they come from background, that nobody is there to help them. So when you come from that kind of background, okay, go to Abu Sokaya and see a lot of the young boys who are there doing guru work. What capital do they have? It's just a sheer zeal that, listen, I don't want to sit at home, I have to do something for myself. And if they go there and they're hardworking and they're honest, they can see people looking for parts and they know people who are selling those parts and the services that they provide there, they can have something to start with. If you are looking for capital, if you so believe that you need 10,000 to start something, Go to construction site, you have energy, carry something, go to the market. Look at our sisters who are selling tomatoes there. Where did they have the capital to start? When you talk like that, people think that oh, I've completed university so I can't do that. That the same investing person will move from Ghana and go to another place and do whatever they have to do there. It's only when it comes here that we are thinking that we have standard. Okay? So I think that if you're serious, it's for the serious money. Not everybody, not everything is for. I think this one is not for the one who is waiting for somebody to hold their hand and give the money. It's for somebody who says that, let's say I'm tired of this situation, I want to do something for myself. And we are saying that your network, the people that you know, your background, the people that your parents know, the people that you talk to, your friends, your WhatsApp page, the people that you can easily call if you so need something to start, it's within that. It's within that and that's how you start. And it doesn't have to be nice.
- [17:15]
Derek Abayte
Start with it doesn't have to be nice.
- [17:16]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
You know why, why does it have to be nice? Because you already don't have anything anyway. It's just like the seed that you want to plant, it goes to the debt. Does it have to be nice? Does it have to worry about me going to the debt? Because you have to be planted, then you can germinate, you know. So I think that you look at your situation and tell yourself, listen, these are the things that I have and so I have to start something. And so I think, I think that many of us, if we stop the argument of me waiting for somebody to hold my hand and daring to do whatever I have to do in the. I mean not, not crime, not something wrong, but at least something decent. All of us can do something. I know a man who is at office, 70 year old man, he started to move cup cup, you know, the, the brown boxes that people, you, you buy machine and they come with, they started to gather them and sell them to people, you know, industries. And that, that man the other day that, the other day that I was talking to, he had about 70000 in his account. You know how he started, we were talking, he asked me something, I said but you can start to pack because we bring things, you know, the things that we said, we bring some of them and the Boxes that are left, you know. So he started to gather them. I drew his mind to it. And now that is his business. He bought Abuboye from that business. Somebody stole it, he bought another one. Now the man is even collecting plastic bags. Okay, the sachet one. I think that anybody who is trying to wait for Capita to start anything that he has never done is not ready yet. If you are so ready, you start something. Because the guy who's telling you is capital, his phone is 5000. And many people have started some things with 200 Ghana cities. I know a gentleman who sometimes brings me some interior roasted corn.
- [19:10]
Derek Abayte
Roasted corn?
- [19:11]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes. He heard us talk that you can do something. This is the guy with a master's degree or something like that. And now he's even exposed some of them. Wow. I think that you can learn a lot of this business concept from everybody everywhere. But when it comes to our country, if you are writing business plan proposal looking for investors and nobody knows you, the time that you go, you, you are using to go and look for investors. Use that time to go and do something, you'll be better off. Because I know people who have gone everywhere to look for investors capital and they're still looking senior. Because really that capital is you Senior. Yes, sir, that's.
- [19:49]
Derek Abayte
I think you've given us two examples already.
- [19:50]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes.
- [19:51]
Derek Abayte
Five businesses that people can start.
- [19:54]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes. Without capital, I don't know why people have. People want people to chew everything for them. Business is looking for problems in our society.
- [20:00]
Derek Abayte
Okay.
- [20:01]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
You can't be even direct about which business to start. If you go out of this building now, we can see hundreds of problems that are there. And any one of them, the trained mind can turn in one of them.
- [20:12]
Derek Abayte
The train mind.
- [20:13]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes. Into business. The train mind.
- [20:16]
Derek Abayte
How do we train our mind?
- [20:17]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Self development. Where do we start from? Knowledge acquisition. You need knowledge to face life, not the classroom. Knowledge. Knowledge to discover yourself, your strength. As a matter of fact, I start with even as Africans, knowledge of ourselves, our history. Because that changes the game for everybody. And that changed the game for me actually because many of us, the way our mind is, we really don't have a lot of confidence in ourselves and we don't have a. We don't have a lot of confidence in our country and even in our own people.
- [20:46]
Derek Abayte
Well, before we solve the problem.
- [20:48]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes.
- [20:49]
Derek Abayte
Why don't we have that confidence in.
- [20:50]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Ourselves because of the way we were brought up? You cannot develop confidence as a people or as an individual if you do have good memory of who you are. And many of Us as Africans, we don't have good memory of ourselves. The kind of connection that we even talk about, the sense, the history that we know as a people. Many of us, we can't go beyond 200 years. Some of us will even stop at 1957, Ghana, Independence Day. That kind of history will never make you strong. Because every time that you get up as an African, whether it's the Africans who are saying a lot of negativity to you, or everybody else is telling you that we are nothing. Listen to radio, watch tv, go to the classroom. Everybody is trying to tell you that look everywhere about Africa. So that breaks your confidence in your, in your own ability to do something for yourself. So when you come out, I would say that the onus is on you to read history. Not, not, not 50 year history. I will go as much as 10,000 year African history beyond the lies that the Europeans have promulgated because that's where they, that's where they, that's where the problem is. Because you can see a very nice lawyer prominent in our society become successful. Interview him. Half of the statements, if you really critical, you see that you can never build your confidence with a lot of these statements from what they are saying. Why? Because they themselves have not studied the history. There's no group of people who are not proud of their heritage and where they come from, who have become successful and creating their own destinies. So the self confidence is key, the self identity is key. And for me that is what. If there is anything that changed the game for me, it is when I started to study that that I became so much relaxed. Because the history burns you. The people that have studied African history to a very deep level, when they meet, they don't mistrate themselves, they speak well of themselves.
- [22:47]
Derek Abayte
Where do we start from?
- [22:48]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Where do we start from? You know, there is a lot of information by African writers, Pan African historians, our own President, Dr. Nkrumah, his books is a good start. I have one that I'm reading. African Minds Unite. Just read it. It's gold. So the tools, we have them. If you have completed any course anywhere, it doesn't matter, the PhD from anywhere in the university, if you're any university in the world, if you're an African American, the knowledge that you need to repair yourself, to face life, this world that they have created for us, that they say that the Africans are nothing. The other day I was doing a program. Somebody said that somebody from Nigeria went to some of these universities, top universities, and they were teaching them some economics and the man asked the lecturer, so all these examples that you are giving, what is Africa? You know what the lecturer said? He said that Africa is not part of the global economy now. This is the psyche that they have on us. And you are here trying to go where? And so if you don't develop your mind to situate things, you become so much frustrated. And that's why sometimes even people who have become so much successful still feel inadequate because they compare the complexities of Africa and where they are, you know? So I say that the calmness will come when you start to study your history. And it does the magic if you don't. There's no people who are not proud of their language, their culture, their tradition. Wow.
- [24:12]
Derek Abayte
Never let me stop you here for a minute. We are on the journey of changing the minds and the lives of people. So if you haven't subscribed and become part of the family, please hit the subscribe button and turn on the notification. Thank you. Now, let's carry on with the conversation. Finished university, did some work, started a business. Now enlightening people on this journey. After I have started discovering myself by reading this whole African consciousness stuff, getting deep into our roots, what will be the next step?
- [24:51]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Once you have discovered yourself, nobody will tell you what to do. It's just like if you put something that, let's say there are some chemicals, when you put here, believe it, it will rise. You know the same thing. The force is in that, that force, because the moment a man becomes confident, a man becomes confident in who he is, nothing will stop him. There's no great achiever who does not believe in his own ability to create his own destiny. So when the man is sitting back asking for somebody to hold your hand, they have no confidence in themselves. And I see a lot of us, we are trying to get confidence from everywhere, but within us or from us. And so I say that that history that you study, Ghana Empire, Mali Empire, Asante empire, all those you will start to see, start to connect the dots. It repairs your mind, I tell you, because the results are there. I have a lot of young people who, many of them just completed SS or ajss. And now they are very bold. And there's something I've seen about people who listen to us. They always tell you, now I'm confident. And then it dawned on me that many of our people lack confidence.
- [26:08]
Derek Abayte
Where did that problem come from?
- [26:11]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Is the conditioning okay? It's the conditioning. You cannot educate the people and tell them that. Listen, you went to school with me. I don't know whether you went to school in Ghana, but every hero in that book, he's not African, he's a foreigner. So where is the wisdom of our forebears? Are you saying that we didn't have any civilization until some people came? So the kind of current, you know, the current education that we have was not really designed to create thinkers and creators.
- [26:41]
Derek Abayte
Is that the route to financial independence everywhere?
- [26:46]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Everywhere. Where the Africans are building industries, developing new products, building our society, Even our politicians, if they don't know who they come from and who they are, except what they were taught in school, they can't do much for us.
- [27:01]
Derek Abayte
Look at what we're taught in school.
- [27:02]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Cool. Yes. And much of what we are taught in school is not an education to build confidence of the people. If that is not true, look around and see. Why is it that if you ask the students here, if they put a visa here, how many of them will live here? And yet everybody is coming to our country.
- [27:20]
Derek Abayte
But you were educated abroad.
- [27:22]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Which education? I had my four year education here. Just one year. That is not. That's just an interjection. I wouldn't think. I wouldn't put my education abroad. No. I was educated in Ghana. Primary school, secondary school, junior secondary school, universities. Yeah. Just happened to hope one year somewhere.
- [27:39]
Derek Abayte
But you still had to do that.
- [27:40]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
No, that one year cannot match 15 or 20 years. So much of my education, I'm an African educated, not foreign. No.
- [27:46]
Derek Abayte
So why was that one year important?
- [27:48]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
It's the same intoxication, it's the same blindness. They tell you that you're not enough until you go somewhere to get some kind of education, which really is not true because education will make you see your opportunities around you. The examples that they gave us in those things, do you think we will come here and do something with it? You cannot really achieve a lot without you knowing your environment. Education is going deeper within you to know who you are and your environment. That's education. It breaks who you are within. That kind of education did not bring anything because they were not talking about me. Huh? They were not. So you can go to any great university and come back and still mess up. And we can see that a lot of, you know, a lot of people have gone everywhere because really education is discovering you, who you are and where you come from. Then you can solve problems. And so when you have that kind of discovery, when you're solving any problem, you're not scared. And you really will not wait for anybody to hold your hand and give you capital before you start because you know who you are.
- [28:49]
Derek Abayte
You've been preaching this message for a very long time.
- [28:52]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes.
- [28:55]
Derek Abayte
Are you seeing the good works that you're doing in the people?
- [28:58]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Hundreds and thousands, many. You go to our Facebook page, you see it. I have WhatsApp groups, maybe 20,000 different. My number, if you go there, many if you. Whenever you organize somebody, you see people come. The stories that they share. So many, so many people in their villages. When I travel, people see you. When they come, they thank you. Just the other day, somebody came on one of our programs. He said that he's been listening to me for the last eight years. Okay, this thing I started long ago. Yeah, maybe I will give you the sequence of how I started this education. And he's been following it. He lives in America. He's a corporate man. He's become successful. And he said that I did one video and I said that, listen, Africa is our responsibility. We have to solve it. So that was the first time I was talking to him, just the last two days. And he said that I took that and so I started to channel my money into Ghana. He said he had given up on Ghana. He will not come because we had, you know, we had. We have destroyed his money. Ghanaians are not trustworthy, that kind of thing. Now he has pottery farm, which is about 90,000 beds. He has started. He set up a computer programming or something like software development company here. And he moves around by he frequency. Ghana. No. This story is just one out of many who listen to us. There was this girl who was listening to us here, but she will not believe he went to America. She was doing some job. She said that she was. She was in depression. She was a graduate here and she was working as a care somewhere. And out of her messages she decided to come back and start something. Now she has her own distribution business and she says it's not going back. She left the baby, a baby which was nine months, to go to America. There are so many people who are in England, call us all the time. Okay, I have young boys who would just send their videos. The small shop that they have opened, the hardware shop that they have opened. A young man called me from the northern part of Ghana. He said that, boss, I'm a nurse, graduate, nurse in a village somewhere. And I heard you say that everywhere that we had, there are problems there. And so he paid attention. He saw that the community that he was in, there was no pharmacy or there's no chemical shop. And so he and his friends, they contributed money. You know, five people everybody brings thousand. It's your 10 you take. And out of that he started that chemical shop and now he's opening a clinic, let's say in Africa. Just as you plant a seed somewhere and it germinates in some places you plant them and put fertilizer they say does not germinate. Every idea that you have here, there's potency in that idea to germinate. Somebody is telling you that you're not enough. And that's the problem that we have to overcome.
- [31:47]
Derek Abayte
How does it make you feel when you hear the success stories?
- [31:51]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
That there's no better way to see people that change not because you have given them money, but because they have become bored in their own ability to create their own destiny. There's no greater help that you can give people than that. It's one thing to give you money and there's another thing that you make your own money. And these are people. Some of them make more than maybe. Probably what we make. I know a gentleman. He completed school three, primary three. He didn't go anywhere. He started to listen to what we teach. The other time he was going to go for spare parts. He went with about $100,000. He says that boss, before I was. I mean I had that not listen to you. I will probably use that money to buy Landcruiser. Because he thought he had reached. But when he started to listen to us, no, he said I could do more. Now he imports oil lubricants. Major Tiller and his kind. We have many. The other day your conference a woman came to me. He said that I listened to you. I and my husband, we have come to build hospital and they came to the conference just to say thank you. Many like that. A lot of our teachings are not in English and it's intentional. Why you want to speak to the soul of your people speaking the language they understand. We think that the English that you're speaking means that many of our people. How many Ghanaians have higher education degree? It's no more than 10%. It's no more than 10%. And so we intentionally. We strictly so that my friend who is a mechanic, my brother who is a cocoa farmer, the teacher somewhere there are so many teachers who just send you the farms. People are buying lands because of us. All the various platforms that we have been on. A lot of people abroad, they come, they buy land. Before they didn't have confidence in ourselves, in our country. Now they are coming. Yesterday somebody called me say I'm coming home because of you. So many people why do you think.
- [33:56]
Derek Abayte
Everyone can be an entrepreneur?
- [33:58]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Why can't everyone be an entrepreneur in an economy that 80% of us are self reliant? You are telling people to go look for job that is for an economy that is 90% employee base with credit card, house loan and car loans. Even in those economies that they say that they pay them well. He said support them with credit cards. And all those here who's supporting you with credit card, who support you with house law, Carlo. And he said that we should depend 1000 Ghana city a month because not every one of us can be an entrepreneur. You want financial freedom, you must solve business problems if nothing at all. Even if you are not building business, the fact that you can create value and get extra income is something that you must encourage. So if you want financial freedom for our people based on our reality, don't tell people that not everybody can be an entrepreneur. That is that there's a lot of concept that is coming from the west and they don't apply here. It's just like them saying that everybody In Africa is $1 a day. Those kind of things. Do you, if you move around Ghana, do you think that the minimum income or the average income is $2,000 a year? Those kind of things. Do you think that if you move around, you see the cars that people drive and the houses that people live in, you go to your village, you think that they make $2,000? No. You see the data that a lot of these organizations are using. They just use about 1%, 10% accurate data. A lot of what we have to assess is not something that they have the data to. Even if they have good art to interpret things in our favor, they don't have the right data. Okay, so Africa's volumes are in what they call the informal sector. And that's where the wealth is, that's where the wisdom is. That's where the knowledge is. So if you want to become successful in our country, don't look at the one 10% that the ones that they bundle and give it to them, not that one. If those things were true, our economy would have crashed long ago. In an economy that nobody gives you loan with all these indicators, why do we still eat and build? But there's more volumes here. And that's why the foreigners come. They say there's money in Ghana. Why? Because the money that is in our country is not captured by the so called data that they have. The size of our economy is far more than that. Don't believe those figures. How do you say that the people who came to colonize you and have always sought for you to be under them would then interpret data to make you say that you are making effort and you're growing. Do you think that's how the game is, sir? You're waiting for them to tell you that you're doing well. They will never do that because they're a jungle. For them, somebody must choose somebody. And so that's why you have to build your history so that you can see clearly. Other than that, you live a misery life, okay? Because it's conditioned that the Africans must be slaves, must be the servants in every everywhere, Go to anywhere in the world. Look at 70% of our people, what they do and tell me if it, if that is worth it. Go anywhere. Just a 1% top is not the meaning. No, Go to England, you live there. Look at the Ghanaians, majority of us, what do they do there? Independent of education, background. You think that those things that we do there, we will do them here. Go to Australia, go everywhere that Ghanaians are Africans, are Nigerians, everywhere, okay? So the data is said that you have to prime these people not to have confidence in who they are, in their heritage, India, in their prosperity, in their ability to create their own wealth so that you can enslave them forever. And that system has not changed. It's still continuous, is in education, it's in our religious teachings, it's on our tv, in our movies, everywhere. So for you African to have mental freedom, you must have different data to interpret all these insurgents, because they are insurgents. We are at war. We just don't. We are not aware, okay? At war we are psychological warfare. Don't you see it that the man is doing so well here and he still don't value it? He will still not value it. He has dignity, freedom, pride, respect in society. He's built house for 10 bedroom here. And he's in England with a small corner somewhere doing some job that he would never be proud of. Psychological welfare, which is another way. And so it's our duty to bring it to the notice of our people that freedom is first heard in your mind. That need to express in your finances, in your connections, you know.
- [38:25]
Derek Abayte
So, you know, a breaker after the event.
- [38:31]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes.
- [38:32]
Derek Abayte
I got a message from one of the ladies.
- [38:36]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes.
- [38:37]
Derek Abayte
Are we gonna get certificates?
- [38:39]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
That's right. After.
- [38:41]
Derek Abayte
After attending the event. Why do you think our people are so concerned with the certificates? Certificates, certificates.
- [38:49]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Because education does not make you to think beyond a certain measure. You can't be successful until you start to think Critically certificate so that you can go and look for job and tell somebody that I came to connect mines and this is my certificate. Your certificate is the results that you have great achievers in this world. That is the certificate, their results. The other ones which are following everybody is their people. So they hide behind their people. That's why when you meet them, they are telling you, I'm an engineer, I'm a pharmacist. Where is the proof? Because the proof of your education is what you have produced. It's not the salary that you take, it's not the work that you do, it's the freedom, the ingenuity. Everybody must be able to produce something. And that thing that you produce must be able to bring you freedom. And much of that freedom is financial freedom.
- [39:35]
Derek Abayte
How about the problems that comes on the path of trying to produce something? How do we deal with that?
- [39:40]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Even the human being that the women carry, they are bringing life into existence. There's still difficulty. That's how the world operates. Everything that you want to birth any greatness, there's pain. And that's why when you don't have self acceptance and self identity and confidence, you can't endure the process. Okay? Because there are so many things that will be thrown at you. So you cannot have a high level of self doubt and be a great achiever. You must be self driven. Courage is required. Your ability to overcome inertia is key to success.
- [40:18]
Derek Abayte
Let me stop you here for a minute. We are on a journey of changing the minds and the lives of people. So if you haven't subscribed and become part of the family, please hit the subscribe button and turn on the notification. Thank you. Now let's carry on with the conversation. You're probably the most optimistic, positive person I've ever known. Since the last time we spoke and as a testament to you, you know, I sometimes I speak to you about some of the problems I go through in business and you're like, nah, forget about the problems, just keep going.
- [40:55]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes.
- [40:57]
Derek Abayte
Where do you get that from?
- [40:59]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
The history. It situates everything.
- [41:03]
Derek Abayte
But what happens to the emotions we feel every day about the problems we go through?
- [41:07]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yeah, so we understand emotions will get today to get up, it will die off tomorrow. So the emotions should not decide the forever. If you want it's emotions. Somebody has chopped your money today. Put that in perspective. Why did they even chop that money in the first place? What were the lapses in your decision making? What did you look for? Was that person even brought up today? I was training some of our workers, we told them that, listen, in this life, if you want to become successful, you cannot deviate from the topo, the topology. What it means is that if this is the truth, the further you go from the truth, you cannot become successful. The truth does not change. So if you are an honest person and you move from that, no matter what material gains that you get, eventually you lose, okay? The love, the compassion, your work ethics, your positivity, you cannot deviate from that. That is you. And wherever you take that one, you succeed. Many people don't have that topology, okay? So they deviate. They are looking for everything by themselves. Just like your ability to continue to learn and to discover yourself, you cannot take that one out and think that you can be successful and still be fulfilled and happy and content. No, there's one thing to have money, and there's another thing to have inner joy, okay? And there's another thing to have even value on human lives. There's nothing that will bring you greater joy than sticking with your core beliefs. That does not, or that do not deviate from the topology if you want, okay? Those are intrinsic truths that human beings must have to develop. Many people develop, deviate from that in their quest to look for money. No, you cannot sacrifice our people to get money and think that you'll be fulfilled. No, it doesn't work. So if you even see nations that sacrifice human beings for their wealth, you see the consequences, you see the guns, you see the knives, you see everything because they deviated from the core, which is human value. So everything that you do, if it will sacrifice human value, you don't need it. Eventually when you steal from the other one, you are actually stealing from yourself. It's called, these are principles, eternal principles that you abide with. And once you have them, then you don't need to steal from the shop. Just go, gradually you'll get there and you'll be as happy as anybody you know. So these are called, these are, these are principles of wet creation. Because the essence value is the human. The treasure on earth is in humans. So if you destroy another woman, you're destroying the treasure. And there's no treasure than inner joy in peace, you know? And these things, these core things we have to teach our people so that they can have self value. That the fact that you have completed school and you don't have a job here does not mean there's nothing here. Just develop those things, develop them. And the thing about it is that if you don't develop them, you can go anywhere. We have seen a lot of Ghanaians move everywhere and they want to come back. There's equal measure of Ghanaians who want to come back, huh? Than those ask those who want to go. Many of them who have lived 20, 30 years abroad, they are finding every way to come back. Many of them. I'm telling you why. Because you can't deviate from the core truth. So success is really changing lives. And this is not just saying these are principles. You see, the things that we teach, they are not. We are not talking about motivation. We are talking about systems design, systems that will bring you results. The history that I talk about, this is part of the system. It's a core foundational system that you cannot have proper success in anything if you don't know who you. Who you are and where you come from. It's part of the system, you know. So the things that we teach about finance, these are systems, entrepreneurship. It's a system. I'm not coming to tell you that not everybody is born an entrepreneur. I won't say that. The guy has completely invested five years now he's at home, There's a land at his village, he can start cassava farm. You're telling him that you can be an entrepreneur? What are you saying? What's entrepreneurship? It's not solving problems. Is there any magical thing about it? In countries that they wanted to enslave people and make people live on salary, those are the ideologies that they promoted. We don't have that path to development. So a lot of the things that they teach, we cannot bring them to our people. And so sometimes when I see there is colonization of ideologies, and you can see that in AI as well. And Africans must do that. Because, you see, it's not just the physical space that they colonize. They colonize knowledge as well. That's why they told you that your people were nothing and you believe it. There are a lot of fantastic innovators in Ghana. Where do we find them? So the same. So the ideologies is what they push there. So are you able to see which one is right and which one is wrong? Even the star that you promote, you don't have to do, say on your podcast as if you were in New York in the name of you going international. Because really many people who watch you are Africans anyway. Very few Caucasians or Chinese will really watch you. Much of the traction will come from our people. Our people. So you have to talk in that context. You have to talk in that context. A lot of our musicians. Why did they have. The attraction is here from home. That's it. How many Ghanaian musicians started abroad and are known globally? Wow. How many? Tell me, footballers, innovators, how many? It's here. The Africa that we say is bad, it's the same Africa that is breeding this. Because that's the truth. Where your root is, is where you germinate. You develop your strength from. And that's where your support is. This one is not debatable. Okay, so look here and build something. Even when you are bringing all these ideas, like you write books, you must write books that the people can read and relate to in the environment. Examples must be here because you are speaking to them, so that they can use it to produce something, get results. You know, it's not just an ideas, it's the things that you have practiced, that you have done. You have found a way because you are still moved. You know, we are finding inroads, if you want, because the things that have been dump on us, they were dump on us to confuse us. So sometimes I listen to people, I say, no, no, no, this one does not cut it. It won't get you results. The people must be clear. The ability to have clear thinking, clarity of thought is a tool for success.
- [48:02]
Derek Abayte
Where does religion play a role in this?
- [48:06]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
People ask me a lot of about religion. Religion that is built on love, truth, acceptance, justice, and for it. But the one that is telling you that your grandmother is for me, that's something that's calm. The one that is telling you that I've prayed for you. You become successful, I pour oil on you. So in spite of your financial ignorance, you'll be wealthy. No, it deviates this principle of knowledge as a seed of anything. So if you're going to become financially successful, but you must have the required knowledge in that freedom is in knowledge. So any. Anything that you have resourcing, the base of it is what is the knowledge? You can't build a nation if you don't have the knowledge to build it. You can build a factory if you don't have the knowledge. You can build a studio if you don't have the knowledge.
- [48:59]
Derek Abayte
But do you. Do you think that even some of the people leading the people also don't know? Or they are. They know.
- [49:07]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
We judge you by results, huh? I talk of topology. The more you deviate from the core truth, you don't know it, even if it benefits you. You may seem like you know it and you're twisting it. The fact that you're able to twist the truth to gain self Means that you are lied to self because eventually to destroy you. Just like you drinking poison. So they may seem like they know it, but they don't want to teach it. It's not true. You cannot really have the truth and teach lies. I don't believe in it because the most valuable things in life are human lives. So if you destroy my life, you will deceive yourself. That's my core belief. Because if you look at the results, if what you're teaching is right, why are the people confused? Why are the people looking for visa to jump out? Did you not tell us that God is everywhere? Why are they still here at the workplace? So they are stealing because of what you have taught them to teach them the truth so that they can feed themselves. And those will come to the financial information skill that they have to be equipped with.
- [50:22]
Derek Abayte
Are people making a deliberate effort to keep people where they are so they can control them?
- [50:29]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Some people believe that. Okay. But even if you do that, you can't hide the truth. Eventually it will blow on you. People have those core beliefs that not everybody can become successful. Not all of us were born rich. Some of us would have to be servants. I don't believe in that. Because if that were true, then God would not give everybody talent. The fact that he gave everybody talent means that everybody can be somebody. He said the little you can do to help them to become that somebody is a service to God. But don't believe that you intentionally have to keep some people poor so that they can wash your car for you. That's a lie. Those things can be done by robots if you're innovating. There are things that machines are doing now that human beings don't have to do. Human beings must have dignity. Is there anything that takes off dignity from womans? Unacceptable.
- [51:29]
Derek Abayte
I'm sure you are enjoying this conversation at this point. And I have done an episode with my senior man here and it was a fantastic conversation. And for me, every time I speak with him, I have to pause because I need to think about what he said. So I want to give our audience in the studio today the opportunity to also ask questions. So the first person I will take is my young entrepreneur Albright, who was our one of our connected champions in the connected academy group.
- [52:11]
Albright
To Albright, thank you so much for this opportunity. I'm really enjoying the conversation. Indeed, the capital is me. But my question is, what daily habit or routine has contributed most to your long term success?
- [52:30]
Derek Abayte
Daily habits.
- [52:31]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Wow. Daily habits. A knowledge acquisition every day. Knowledge acquisition every day. I read I search, I listen, I watch YouTube video. The time that Internet was not popular, okay, I will buy CDs and watch them. Some of them were not even Ghanaian content. I was watching them constantly, constantly. And there's not today anybody who has known me have hundreds of books, okay? It's the knowledge. It protects you. And the more you can centralize the knowledge based on what we have, that's it. So daily habits, knowledge acquisition every day. Because I knew that the school knowledge was not enough. It was not cut for it. So for the certificate, it ended there. I had to do what I had to do. And that would mean that I had to re educate myself for life. The other thing is that when I get up, you know, you do business, so you must work, so you go to your routine. And about 80% of the time I would take my children to school as well. That's the time that I talk to them. You know, you bond with them. That meant a lot to me. So whenever you're going, you ask them questions, they ask you questions. But that is something that I will not take for granted. But again, you know, connecting with the right people. Connecting with the right people. Ambitious people, People who are. Who are not thinking at the low level. You buy a car, they are angry. No, no, those are not the people looking at. They are looking at your house. That's not it. I'm looking at people who are looking at changing destinies. So minds like that, I connect with them. And many times they may not even be physical. It may be very distant. Some of them are even dead people. But I love connecting with them because of their mind. I have some men that are listening to almost every day. Anytime that I'm not so happy, I watch them and I become my life. Why? Because of the depth of knowledge that they share. So these are routines that I go through.
- [54:24]
Derek Abayte
Can you share one person you listen to the most? One person.
- [54:27]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Wow. This apostle, he changed my life. Instead. Frederick Casey Price, he did a series on race, religion and racism. When I was doing masters, that's my blessing. There was no YouTube, but they had this website that they were streaming and some of them were on demand. I watched them. That's why I had my boldness. Earlier than that, I read articles from Dr. Ronoko Rashidi, Dr. Molly Feasanti. I tell you, I didn't understand why as Africans, we're in that situation. So I was looking for answers and I think they really broke the system down for me to understand it and I could accept myself. If you are abroad and you're coming home and you're scared. You don't have that content. That's why you're scared. The moment you have that content, your consciousness will restore. Africans have culture, cultural sense, which is beautiful, but the consciousness will restore your dignity as an African. Boldness, courage. And so those are the things that I feed on. Awesome.
- [55:33]
Derek Abayte
Yeah, awesome. Albright, has that answered your question?
- [55:37]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Great.
- [55:39]
Derek Abayte
Then we'll go to Charles. Charles is also from our connected academy community, the community for entrepreneurs.
- [55:47]
Charles
All right, thank you, sir, for this opportunity. I feel like today's the day the Lord has made for me because I've been a serious student of your works. I've been watching your seminars online 24 7. Like, it really shifts my mind on how I should carry myself and be focused on finances and everything that will make me increase my potential for my work. So my work has been going well. I'm a functioning entrepreneur. I shop online. I. I have my customers, my boys, I supply. So it's been good. And my question is, I have this amount of money in a bank, and I know that banks, the rate is like, it's not going to help me if I keep that money over there. So I just want to ask if it's advisable for me to use that money in the business or I should keep it for there for a meantime and see if I can increase. Because I have a motive of getting a studio, right? I have a motive for getting a studio. So I want to say, but the money is not enough for that studio yet. So I would like to ask if it's okay to leave it there or I have to. Is there any way I can use that money to do any other business rather than leaving it in a bank? Just like that.
- [57:07]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. A lot of us will not have access to bank loans, investors, the trust. The strategy we use was organic growth, putting back the money, expanding yourself. What you're doing, if you're not making, I think your target should be at least, you know, I believe in the zeros. So maybe 10 cities a month. Then you add another zero. It goes to 100 cities, another zero goes to thousand. Which one are you? It goes to 10,000. 100,000. A million a month. Mark yourself that way. So let's say you are under 10,000amonth. You don't have to keep the money, grow the business, make sure that you. If you're selling, let's say, 10 clothes every month, how do you get to 20 or 30, you know, so give yourself that mark. I really Think that anybody who is making about 100,000 profit money that you don't use, you don't need every month, you're not doing badly at all in economy, you know, that your business can give you that. So that should mean that maybe you're doing about maybe, you know, 300,000, 400,000amonth. That's not bad business at all because that then crosses about 5 million, maybe a year, you know, so if you can get that 100,000, so whatever your number is, I would say that focus on organic growth, expand. Because a lot of us, the money that we can fall on from the banks is too. We are too expensive. And so as you become so much reliant on them, you prevent your growth, you know, so the little money that you have, expand your business constantly until you get into the millions, you know, and, and that's the part that we actually took. We took workshop to two to three, to four, to five, to six. We have our own workshops that you have three story workshops that we built. You know, we have our office. You came there, we built all of them without loans. Okay. A lot of apartment units that we have, none of them was sponsored by anybody from anywhere. It's the same thing. Once you get the business to a certain stage that you're able to have full grip of the business, make sure that you focus on expanding and building their asset base, you know, because there's nobody coming for you. I'm telling you, if you so focus on that, grow it than you try to. And don't just be in haste to go and buy a nice car. No, focus on the growth. It gets to a point that even if your business collapses, the other things that you have pushed money in will still be there, you know, and those are the things that we have, we have really done. And that's the model that we have used. Okay? And I think that you can use that.
- [59:33]
Derek Abayte
You're a fantastic man. That's why I keep saying that. You're one of my favorite people in Ghana. Yeah, you've done great. When you speak, I almost feel where the message is coming from, you know, Very sooth, very quiet, very gentle and very honest. Thank you for supporting these young ones for me. I had to pull them in. There's one more person that's got a question for you. I had to pull them in, you know, to come and ask questions. But I know that my faithful entrepreneur Albright has got another question, so I'll throw it back at her again.
- [60:09]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Okay.
- [60:10]
Albright
If you were to start a business today, In Ghana, with limited resources, what industry or what area would you focus on first? Let's say I've given you 90 days to do that.
- [60:22]
Derek Abayte
You have 90 days. You have limited, limited resources to start a business. What industry are you going to go into Ghana?
- [60:29]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Our economy. Almost every industry is open. Whether it's health, whether it's agriculture, education, whether it's construction, even financing. People giving women money, mobile money services everywhere. Okay, so it's merely the need in any area. Go to any of our district capitals, our villages and towns. I know people who have sunk. Yes, Boho one Boho and is charging. And out of that one one borehole, he has multiples of them now. People who are creating toilets and taking money, small money who are now into big time development. Employee architects and project managers who speak in English there. And the core business of the, of the, of the one who is into that development is just normal kvips. So all right, it can be agriculture, it can be even okra, tomato, it can be you getting into mobile money accessories. There's this young man that normally part of a, of a network and he says full accessories at Circle. You know, before he started listening to us, he was not really paying attention to his money. The other day he told me that he was saving 300 every day now. Okay, 300 every day. And it didn't start with much. He didn't even have anybody to support him. The other day I did a program on Digital World and I said that we live, we vacillate in those words now. So you cannot be cut from it. You know, yesterday he sent me a message that you, you went on Tick tock and just one night he sold 3,000. Okay, so you, you have technology, beautiful lady. Just get to Kaishi and see products that you can easily put your phone on or your camera on and see what you cannot sell. So everywhere that there are challenges that I need, people are looking for. Okay. And one of the greatest component that we undervalue is the product called knowledge.
- [62:21]
Derek Abayte
Wow.
- [62:22]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
It's in high demand in our country and yet many people don't even know it. And people think it should be free. Like what you're sharing now.
- [62:29]
Derek Abayte
Yes.
- [62:29]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
People pick pay millions to get them. You know what I shared the other day, Saturday is something that you can make a lot of money from. And we share this for free. Why? Because really people's confusion. If you solve that, you have projected them to succeed. And so knowledge is a critical product that many of us and a lot of you, you have expertise, you have Skills, learn how to monetize that, learn how to turn that into a source of income. You don't need to complete university and wait for somebody to give you a job. The world is over. Now when you were in the university, we're not using, we didn't have Telegram and WhatsApp and TikTok and YouTube, affiliate marketing. Everything that is happen happening in the digital world now you are there. So the time that you come out to say that I'm looking for a job, it means that you didn't live in your time. Ha. You didn't live in your time at all. So think anew. Think anew. If you have a YouTube channel for now, okay, you can put anything on will drag for the first two years or so. But when it starts to make you $100 and you're a student by the time you complete school, you need somebody to employ you. Now Facebook and sometimes you know even what they pay you when you build the attention there, when you build the followership, anything that you put there are seminars. What do you think? We organize is the email list, is the WhatsApp groups, is the telegram, is the SMS is the live programs that we do, the connectivity we do online. Online programs. And do you know where we get them? Because that is almost like a following.
- [64:03]
Derek Abayte
Yeah.
- [64:04]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
And everybody is looking for something to better their lives.
- [64:07]
Derek Abayte
Is it easier?
- [64:08]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yeah.
- [64:09]
Derek Abayte
To be a millionaire now?
- [64:11]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Far easier. Far easier. Just build attention. If it's fufu, if it's chopper that you have, put a camera on it and see. I know a young man who says fast food, he has a lot of following on Tick tock. Every day you go to the Joint SQL people are looking for something. Can you find them? The reason these superstars and you know, celebrities, the reason that people look for them is what is because of the media. Yeah. It's the same opportunity that all of us have now. Build a following in any of these platforms and whatever idea that you have, whatever product, whatever skill can go, there's no point that a lecturer will sit there and say that I'm waiting for the government to pay me 20,000 when you can have a farm. You can't even teach what you know. There are a lot of courses now you just have to find a way to get to where the masses are. And sometimes it may not even be in English.
- [65:12]
Derek Abayte
Doesn't have to be in English.
- [65:13]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
No, it doesn't have to be. Ghana is 35 million people. If you get 1% of it is how much? 10% is 3.51%. Check it and see at least 350,000. So you think that is weak number. Get 0.1% of that every day you can get thousand people to buy whatever that you have. Okay, so those are nabis.
- [65:38]
Derek Abayte
You speak of it as. And I'm speaking from the message that comes from Twitter.
- [65:43]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes.
- [65:44]
Derek Abayte
It's not easy.
- [65:45]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
We said that is easy. Stay there broke. It's very tough to be broke. It's far easier to try to become successful than staying there to be poor. So you are. It's easier to become successful. So it's not easy at your level. It's a thinking process. It's a thinking framework. You don't have to think like that if you want to become successful in anything that you do.
- [66:06]
Derek Abayte
We are not going to stop this recording today. I have.
- [66:09]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes.
- [66:09]
Derek Abayte
Another question from Charles. Yes, he wants to have another go.
- [66:15]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Okay.
- [66:16]
Charles
All right, sir, thank you very much. I'm talking about savings. And when you wake. So you put the money back into the business to expand. So where or how much can you save? Because service is also important. When you save your money, your money will save you. I heard that a couple of times. So how much should we be able to save? Set aside not touching it for maybe rainy days. And how much should we reinvest back to the business?
- [66:48]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
You see, those are some of the jargons that they have used internationally, where we don't have access. People with credit cards will be telling you save money. When you are building business and you have product, you are selling 10 of these cars caps, you have saved 100 Ghana and there's order for 10 and you have 5. Are you going to keep the money there? The machine that you have created will make sure that you get money every day. And so for me, saving is keeping money to put back in the business. It's not going to put in the account for somebody to give you 1%. How many years would it take you to multiply that money? There's this young man who, who listens to us and just like you educated, the mother says, Burkina, you know Burkina, that white drink. And he's shy to even take it to the market. So one time he went to the mother said, mama, I want to take it to the market. So. And she told me, he told me that he was shy. So the mother gave him about maybe 400 product or something. And he found. He found a way to take it to the market. At the end of the day, he had sold. He has sold 600 Ghana cities. So he made at least 200. If you. He had put 400 in a savings account in Ghana, the whole year is how much. Okay. So when you are building, don't keep money somewhere saying that bank will pay you interest. When your business is struggling to have money, just make sure that the, the system that you're building is strong enough that you see money every day. It's not about savings if you want to create weight per se, like keeping money for somebody to pay interest or for rainy day, but it's really building a machine that cash flows every day. Okay. So for instance, my wife and I, it's not like we keep money somewhere so that at the essence, we can keep it somewhere. But really what we focus on is you being able to count money every day. Because the richest people in the world, they count money every day. That's why they're rich.
- [68:37]
Derek Abayte
That reminds me of echoes on Coach.
- [68:41]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes.
- [68:41]
Derek Abayte
That reminds me of some of the things he said. This is a fantastic advice. I think you've done an amazing job. There's one more student that wants to speak with you. So I've now got Isabella in the studio. So it's now Isabella and Albright. And the reason I kept Albright in the studio is because she was a winner of the connected champion. So I want her to have more value.
- [69:06]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Okay.
- [69:06]
Derek Abayte
As well. So I kept her in, and then I brought in Isabella. And she has got some questions to ask you. So I want to give her the floor to ask her first question.
- [69:19]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Okay.
- [69:19]
Albright
I want to ask if you were starting over today with limited capital, what would be your first three strategic moves?
- [69:30]
Derek Abayte
Strategic moves that you would take if you were starting out again. Strategic moves that you take.
- [69:37]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
You see, you look for problem that is very much important to people. Look for something in the community that there is demand for. And then you. You start with that there is no business until what you have is needed. Okay.
- [69:51]
Derek Abayte
Okay. Repertoire.
- [69:52]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes. There's no business if what you're selling, nobody wants it. So you want to sell, let's say, women slippers. And where you are selling it, there are no women, then there's no business. So whichever solutions that you have, whichever product, service, there should be a need for it. So just look for the community or problems. Maybe there's the boys are there, they are looking for chopper. They don't have any. And so I said, job idea, very simple, not complicated, Very simple one. So long as there is demand for it. And many times you are modeling the business. So don't put everything that you have in it is that you are just Testing a concept.
- [70:30]
Derek Abayte
Okay.
- [70:31]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
If it fails, you can try another one. Okay. Yeah. I told them this, this lady and the husband from Canada, they followed what we teach and they have relocated. I told them that until you have a model that is working, don't put everything in it. So they started poultry farm with 400 base. Meanwhile, they came with some money, but now they understand it. So there's bears, there's techie, there's all kind of things. And they are now focusing on this one. Why? Because in an environment, model it first, test it. If you lose more money, you can go to the next one. If you put everything in it and it's locked. And that's why we say that don't go and look for somebody's money or bank loan and test something with it. Because now you see, when you business is about action, action. It's about what you do on the floor. When you hit the floor, all that is in your head is different though it's what you are doing that will make, that will give you proper feedback. Okay? And you're going to learn. It's just like you building anything. You will test it. And when you're testing some things, you'll be corrected. So the idea is perfect only in your head. When you hit the ground, then you get sense. And so test it with the little that you want, you have. And once you become a bit, you know, skilled, you understand, you get the feedback right, you know who wants what. Then the little that you have, you can gradually start. You keep adding up. That's right.
- [71:53]
Derek Abayte
We have spoken about what people need to build, to become independent, financially, mentally and every other thing that we've spoken about. But what are some of the things that people do also that keeps them broken?
- [72:12]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Because one, if you think that is luck and miracle and favor that will make you rich, that's non starter. So you stay there for a while. Once a while, somebody will win lotto at one out of a million, you know. So you take full responsibility for your financial status. That makes a lot of things, you know, very easy. Because then you know that whether you are winning or you're losing, a lot of it depends on how you act. So and lack of financial education, this is okay. And we call something a lifestyle inflation. Lifestyle inflation. Any money that you make, you blow it, you increase your lifestyle. You're using Thousand Cities, you're using this phone, it was okay, then you get another 10,000. Now you have changed your phone. So really the increase was not much, was not needed. You can't gather money to invest. When you spend everything that you make, you destroy everything that you make. So your ability to control and keep something and put in something that will bring returns is a way to get out of poverty, you know, so you don't. If you make. If you pay 10,000 or 100,000amonth and you spend everything, you are the one who is not making much. The only difference is the enjoyment. But really, when there's a strike, all of you have the same challenge, you know, so that's why somebody executive top, you know, paid a lot of money. But when they fire them from their job the next minute and they are begging everybody, you know, so the wealthy is not really what you drive or where you live per se, but what works when you don't work. Wow.
- [73:42]
Derek Abayte
Emmanuel is from our entrepreneurs community, and he's got a question for you. He says that he's heard you speak on several occasions on this podcast as well, but he has a strong feeling that you have a certain understanding of spirituality, and he wants you to elaborate.
- [74:08]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
On how.
- [74:10]
Derek Abayte
You see and understand spirituality.
- [74:15]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Religion and spirit things are very much important to our people. What is part of life? I think I see the spiritual as just the same thing, not deviating from the culture. That's spiritual sense. You can't tell me that you a spiritual person and you are dishonest, cheating people. You're lying, you're cruel. I don't see that as you being spiritual. Spiritual is higher sense of oppression. Reflecting God is a spirit. And I don't think God will steal your money if you say you reflect God. And I want to see that character. You really a higher sense of spirituality is you at least trying to mimic the God that you say. Wow, yeah, that's spiritual. It's not you trying to say, I've seen something. Oh, no, no. Anybody can see anything. I will bring it to the character. The love that you have, the way you treat one another. Great. For me, that is really what they call spiritual.
- [75:14]
Derek Abayte
Fantastic. Isabella, you have another question.
- [75:19]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
I can tell, but did I answer your question?
- [75:21]
Derek Abayte
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Definitely. I can tell that your next question was just coming out of your mouth.
- [75:29]
Albright
Okay. I want to go into farming, but I don't want to be a farmer. I want to buy from the farmers and distribute it to the market for men. How do I do it?
- [75:43]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
How do you do it? And take has been doing it for 100 years or 20 years when you were children and take care. She. What is the name of this? Okay, okay. She will go to the farm and buy plantain A lot of them, okay? So go to where the farmers are. Buy them. A lot of our women will sit on care. Go to where the tomato farmers are, the onion farmers are, the cassava farmers are. You see, the problem with those of us with school and English is that we have left a lot of the economy in the hands of those we say didn't go to school, you know? So go to them and learn from them. Every market, there's a queen there, a particular product. Go to them. They have better information than what I will tell you here. Every product that you decide to go into, they know almost everything about it, okay? So when you go, maybe you will see lapses that you can maybe take advantage of it, for lack of a better word. But really they have a lot of information, more than what I was sitting. So go to the women who are doing it, okay? Every industry there are, there are people who are doing it and they've been doing it and they are doing so well. Some of them have taken all their children to school. They have become doctors now. They don't want to go to do those things again. And they are on building three bedroom with a bunker. Yeah, okay. All right.
- [77:16]
Derek Abayte
I think that's a fantastic answer. Emmanuel again. Yes, he says he's in debt. What practical steps can he take to become debt free?
- [77:28]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Stop borrowing, okay? And take the responsibility to say that I want to pay this debt. And when they call you pick and whoever you owe, go there and tell them, I owe this much, but I don't have it now. Maybe agree on something, put something on paper, give me six months, one year time, I'll be able to, maybe I owe 10,000, I'll be able to stagger it from six months time, thousand thousand every month. But let me go and build myself first. Maybe if you can place a hold on the interest people. When you owe people, it's not so much that they want their money, but it's the disrespectfulness attached to the debt that you or their money with you, their money is with you. They call, you don't pick. And you are even telling them that they are stupid. Meanwhile, if it were you, you would have gone there to bully them. And so, in as much as it's very inconvenient and sometimes hard when you owe somebody, you don't have a freedom. That's why you have to be respectful and to be truthful and say that I want to handle this, so give me time and whatever that you agree, when you can meet it, get back and talk to them, many times it's a stage. And so when you're in debt, don't kill yourself, don't beat yourself. You and the debt, they are different. Your foolish self created the debt, but it's not you. Your wife self can correct that. Okay. Business comes with a lot of troubles and difficulties. So when you are in it, just always have the mind. That is a process, it's a stage. And I can come out if I become better.
- [79:03]
Derek Abayte
You know, if I become better. Yes, I love it.
- [79:06]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yes. You can't solve it unless you become better. So that's why you need knowledge. Entrepreneurship is about knowledge acquisition. 90 of the time. If you can't win, if you're not making the right decisions, the reason you got into debt is because your decisions were not right. You know, the parameters that you used to make those decisions were wrong. So now you have to have different parameters, then you can correct it.
- [79:31]
Derek Abayte
I have had the best time of my life. I've had the opportunity to sit down with a man that I respect so much and to also have people in our entrepreneur's community to sit here and also ask questions as part of the audience. It's a beautiful day. It's, it's. It's a fantastic conversation that we've had and I hope you have enjoyed this conversation. My Senior is on YouTube. I'll leave all the details in the description. He has a Facebook account. Tick tock, Instagram. You can find him everywhere. He's the man that has started the revolution of changing the minds of people. He has 11 books written to his name.
- [80:16]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Thirteen.
- [80:16]
Derek Abayte
Thirteen books now.
- [80:17]
Kwapnao Ben Dako
Yeah. The last one is financial systems. Right.
- [80:21]
Derek Abayte
So get yourself copies. I'm gonna drop the details in the description so you can get copies. My aim for this whole podcast and this whole conversation is that when we are thinking of strategies to apply to our businesses, we think of Katnobendako, we think of Eco Eshon, we think of Derek Abite, we think of. We think that's the aim of this. We need more of our people to get into the information space so that we can apply their principles to our problems. We're doing just that because of you. So thank you so much for being a part of this family and making it to the end. My name is Derek Abayte and I would want you all to say thank you to our senior man, Kobno Bendako in the comments. Take care of yourselves. And I'm out.