Segment: Why Dropping Out Was His Best Decision: From House Boy to Owning A Business.

Summary

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Konnected Minds Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode: Why Dropping Out Was His Best Decision: From House Boy to Owning A Business
Host: Derrick Abaitey
Guest: Felix Efutu, Founder of McPathy (Plantain Chips Business)
Date: December 18, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of Konnected Minds explores the journey of Felix Efutu, who went from living as a house boy to building his own successful plantain chips business, McPathy. Host Derrick Abaitey delves deep into Felix's humble beginnings, the realities of entrepreneurship in Ghana, and how dropping out of university turned out to be his best decision. The episode offers candid insights into resilience, mindset, and the importance of giving back, aimed at inspiring young entrepreneurs, particularly those who start with very limited resources.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Family Background and Early Hardship

• No Academic Precedent in Family ([00:00])
  • Felix starts by revealing no one from his extended family had ever graduated from school. He is the first, having completed high school.
  • Quote: “There has never been any graduating the family. And then by the grace of God, I've completed high school and I started on my tabletop. I have a lot, I've been through a lot and I've experienced a lot. And that is what has really developed me to become who I am today.” – Felix [00:00]
• Felix describes missteps in managing early business growth, notably misappropriating funds and the dangers of assuming success can be easily replicated.
  • Quote: “I opened the branches, but disloyalty broke the branches. And that was when I learned my biggest lesson… Success comes from your experience.” – Felix [00:21]

2. Entrepreneurship in Ghana: The Real Picture

• Derrick asks Felix about the truth of doing business in Ghana ([00:44]).
• Felix admits the journey is grueling, but his purpose goes beyond profit.
  • Quote: “I'm not into business for money or profit. I want to impact life.” – Felix [00:49]
• Entrepreneurship is presented as both challenging and exciting due to the unique opportunities for learning in Ghana.
  • Quote: “It's very hard in this country, but it's also more enjoyable here. Like, there's a lot of fun doing business in Ghana.” – Felix [01:54]

3. Starting From Scratch & Overcoming Adversity

• Felix's business, focused on plantain products, began with a tabletop start-up ([02:08]).
• The journey was filled with emotional and practical hardship, including nights of crying and moments of gratitude that the vision persevered.
  • Quote: “There have been times I cry, there have been times I get overwhelmed and there are times I just have to be in the moment. I think such is life.” – Felix [02:15]
• Derrick highlights Felix’s reputation for supporting other entrepreneurs and celebrating their work, not just focusing on his own.
  • Quote: “You've literally just gone there to support other people who are building their businesses… Where do you find the joy to do that?” – Derrick [03:01]

4. Motivation for Giving and Supporting Others

• Felix shares that the desire to help comes from an internal sense of abundance.
  • Quote: “If you don't have abundance in you, you can also give up. So before you would think of helping someone or being in support of something, it has to come naturally for me.” – Felix [03:28]
• He stresses giving must come from a genuine, effortless place.

5. Educational Path and Family Upbringing

• Felix did not attend university ([04:02]).
• He provides a vivid narrative of a challenging upbringing in a broken home, bouncing between relatives across the city due to extreme poverty.
  • Quote: “I grew up from a broken home, from a very basic family where even feeding 3 square meal a day is always a challenge. And unfortunately, my parents couldn't really cater for my education.” – Felix [04:15]

6. Living as a House Boy and Learning Resilience

• Felix describes being “like a houseboy” to relatives who weren't direct family ([05:45]).
• These experiences, especially with an entrepreneurial aunt, instilled core values of discipline, hard work, and early business exposure.
  • Quote: “It was impactful because that was what has built my resilience and my confidence to where I am today.” – Felix [07:13]
• Daily routine included helping in a busy market shop before and after school, coupled with high expectations for academic, moral, and household performance.
  • Quote: “So I needed to sit up academically, I needed to sit up with my house choices and also I needed to also sit up with my morals.” – Felix [07:22]

7. Formative Influences and Entrepreneurial Spirit

• Felix credits his resilience and entrepreneurial mindset to a combination of strict discipline, adapting to drastically different environments (from Jamestown to East Legon), and practical business training from chores and shop work ([08:23]).
• The morning routine (listening for the radio segment as a cue to get ready) reinforced discipline essential for business success.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I didn't really misuse my money, but I misappropriated my money... disloyalty broke the branches. And that was when I learned my biggest lesson...” – Felix [00:16]
• “I'm not into business for money or profit. I want to impact life.” – Felix [00:49]
• “There have been times I cry, there have been times I get overwhelmed and there are times I just have to be in the moment. I think such is life.” – Felix [02:15]
• “If you don't have abundance in you, you can also give up… you have to have it in abundance in you and then you can freely give up. So it is something that I have in me. It's a natural gift.” – Felix [03:28]
• “I grew up from a broken home… even feeding three square meal a day is always a challenge.” – Felix [04:15]
• “It was impactful because that was what has built my resilience and my confidence.” – Felix [07:13]

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Key Timestamps

• 00:00 – Felix on being the first in his family to finish high school and starting his tabletop business.
• 00:44 – The real truth about entrepreneurship in Ghana.
• 02:08 – Beginning the plantain chips business and facing early adversity.
• 03:01 – Discussion on Felix’s supportive role in other entrepreneurs’ success.
• 04:02 – Confirmation that Felix never attended university.
• 04:15 – Description of turbulent upbringing and frequent relocation.
• 05:45 – Becoming a “houseboy” and learning business from an entrepreneurial aunt.
• 07:13 – The impact of household discipline and early work on Felix’s resilience and confidence.
• 08:23 – How strict routines and chores cultivated his entrepreneurial mindset.

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Tone & Language

Felix is honest, humble, and reflective throughout the discussion, often emphasizing gratitude despite hardships. Derrick is warm, supportive, and curious, drawing out Felix’s lessons for listeners seeking motivation and tangible guidance.

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Summary Takeaways

• Resilience often grows from adversity. Felix’s journey underscores that hardship and strict discipline can forge entrepreneurial spirit.
• Success is not copy-pasteable; each context teaches its own lessons.
• True impact comes from purpose, not just profit.
• Building a business from nothing is possible, even without higher education or foreign support, if one develops grit and a mindset of service and learning.

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Transcript

[A]

Out of my mom's siblings, right down to my cousins, my nephews back then, and then right on to even our 10. There has never been any graduating the family. And then by the grace of God, I've completed high school and I started on my tabletop. I have a lot, I've been through a lot and I've experienced a lot. And that is what has really developed me to become who I am today. I didn't really misuse my money, but I misappropriated my money. I opened the branches, but disloyalty broke the branches. And that was when I learned my biggest lesson, that you can't just start something at one particular place and be successful and think you can apply the same method to another place to think you become more successful there. No, success comes from your experience.

[B]

And also, what's the real truth about entrepreneurship in Ghana?

[A]

But there are times I've really been talking that and I felt like, why did I do this? I know there is going to be a lot of challenges, but that has never discouraged me because I'm not into business for money or profit. I want to impact life.

[B]

All right, beautiful people, you are listening and watching Connected Minds podcast and is your host, Derek Abayte. I'm going to be having a conversation with an entrepreneur, Mr. Felix Efutu. He owns a company called McPathy. I personally buy there. It's probably the best chips, plantain product that I've had in the country. And you should sit through and watch this conversation because we are going to talk about how, how did he start and what amount of money did he start his business with. So for the young people that are expecting the conversation on how to start from zero startup capital or very limited startup capital, and you don't have any opportunity to travel abroad, this conversation is for you. You've always been asking and I've delivered. You're welcome to my studio.

[A]

Thank you, Mr. Abate. Very awesome. And more relaxed than before.

[B]

Yeah. And you look great. You look fantastic.

[A]

Thank you very much.

[B]

From the last time we met. Business is hard, isn't it?

[A]

It's very hard in this country, but it's also more enjoyable here. Like, there's a lot of fun doing business in Ghana.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because you tend to experience all the experience the world experience you don't even expect to experience. Yeah, it is. It is very possible here.

[B]

Yeah. So your business is in planting products, essentially, that's how you started.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Talk to me. How was the journey like starting up?

[A]

The journey, I would say, is just the regular or the basic startup business as any other young entrepreneur who want to adventure into food business will also experience. But what makes mine stand out is the fact that I was able to start up from a tabletop to right now owning a company out of Plantages production. And the journey has never been smooth. There have been times I cry, there have been times I get overwhelmed and there are times I just have to be in the moment. I think such is life. So it's. It's all part of life. And we are grateful we are here today because the main vision is. Is evidential now and we are happy that we are impacting life and we are living the dream.

[B]

You know, I just. I don't want to cut you, but I must say this. What I love about you is the fact that I have seen you in several places where you can. You've literally just gone there to support other people who are building their businesses. And you did that for us as well. At the Connected Minds Live, our maiden edition. You were there to support. You gave us so many gifts for our audience, for our speakers. It's amazing. Where do you find the joy to do that?

[A]

I would say the joy will come from within. Because if you don't have abundance in you, you can also give up. So before you would think of helping someone or being in support of something, it has to come naturally for me. Or else you realize you are giving, but you are not really pouring out how it's expected. So you have to have it in abundance in you and then you can freely give up. So it is something that I have in me. It's a natural gift. I love to give, I love to support. When I have the capability to do that, I'll do it effortlessly. Effortlessly.

[B]

Felix, did you finish university?

[A]

I didn't.

[B]

So look, you've done incredibly well. I want to know your path from the school you went to at the early stage all the way through to the point you decided, I don't want to go to university, I want to start a business.

[A]

Thank you for the question. And I would say my beginning has never been as rosy as a lot of people may as experience as their upbringing to be like. I grew up from a broken home, from a very basic family where even feeding 3 square mil a day is always a challenge. And unfortunately, my parents couldn't really cater for my education. So I ended up living with other families and relatives that can help me with my upbringing and my education. So I basically didn't grow up in one home, but I ended up growing up or Being raised in different homes. So I basically in the whole of Accra, I've lived from the east to the west, at the north and the southern part of Accra. So I started from Jamestown. I was born and raised in Jamestown. My mom is actually a ghan. My dad is also a ghan. We are all from Jamestown. So I was born and raised there. And I. I recall when I got to class one, my daddy and my mom has already separated. So I had to live with my father. Because, you know, Ghana here tradition says that it is the men who raise men. I had to live with my. My father. I lived with her, him for quite, I think a year to two. And I realized things were extremely difficult. And whenever I come to my mom's place, So whenever I come to my mom's and I get whatever, you know, as a child, your basic need is food and somewhere better to sleep. So when I come to my mom, I get what I want to eat and then somewhere better to lay my head. So as time goes on, my need gone beyond just basic needs than also how I can like a component that will bring up a right child. And I realized it was being lacked in my community. And luckily for me I had relatives who also noticed that default. And then they came to my rescue. So I ended up living with my grandmom in Kaneshi from there. I left there because she. I was hard so she couldn't handle me. So I came back to live with my father and it was still the same story. So I had to leave my father's end and go to live with other relatives which are actually not my family. So basically I was like a houseboy to them. And that was where I discovered my true potential. Right?

[B]

Talk to me. What was happening in this, in. In that house?

[A]

It was a lot. So luckily for me, she. She was also an entrepreneur. She was into coach store business. And back then, I think around 2008, huge. So she was living here in East Lagoon. And then her shop is in Madina market. And back then in the early 2000s, she had one of the biggest coastal shop in Medina Market. So I live with her right from the morning, I'll do my morning choices as a regular child. And then from there I'll go to the shop with her and assist her in setting up and everything. Because she doesn't trust any other person than me. So she makes sure I put everything she needs in order for her. And then I will go to school. Right after school I have to come back and help her to close the day before we come back home and then the day was ended. So that is how my life routine as a young teenager revolved.

[B]

Do you think you overworked yourself in that house?

[A]

I would say yes, but it was impactful because that was what has built my resilience and my confidence to where I am today.

[B]

How, what exactly did they give you?

[A]

Basic training of how a boy child is supposed to be raised. And I had it all. There's no room for errors, there wasn't any room for being lazy and there was no room of being academically low because luckily for me, right from Cyto it took me to one of the best preparatory school in Medina Bakhtin. So I had no other excuse to fail my exams. So I needed to sit up academically, I needed to sit up with my, my house choices and also I needed to also sit up with my morals. And it was a tough journey for me because coming from Jamestown and all the way to east lagoon, it's a two different society or community altogether. Yeah. So the 360 was a sharp one for me.

[B]

I'm just trying to figure out exactly what aspect of the training you had in that house that made you very entrepreneurial. Is it the chores you had to do in the around the house and to help her with the business as well?

[A]

I'll say yes. So the choices you, as I said, as I mentioned earlier, you don't have an excuse to be, to be, to be lazy. So there's a time I had to wake up and do all my choices. And there's a time back then we, we used to listen to Grado Ghana in the morning at 6 o' clock and then my mom will get up from her room at 6 o' clock and then right at 6:30, I think at 6:30 they give a particular segment on the radio and that was when. Okay, so our radio is on Obono FM, right? But I know 6 o' clock they moved, they switched to Radio Ghana to take the news and then right after 30 minutes they'll come back to FM. So then when they are coming back to Bunu FM there is this kind of money segment, money drive they have. So when they have a jingle for the morning drive, so when the jingle starts ringing wherever I am, I must know that it's time for me to bath for us to leave. So that is the Discipline Connected Minds podcast.