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Host
Wayfair Every style, every home.
Guest
Right?
Host
Or they'll cook rice. I mean, my mom used to do that at some point where she'll cook rice and then, you know, sell it in front of her house, right? So I never saw people doing that. So I have always been of the view that society changed it.
Guest
Right.
Host
That was the way people were living. But then society changed it.
Guest
Over time, society changes it. And individuals also change, revolve. You see, time is not static. Time is always moving ahead. And you don't need to be static whilst things are changing. You don't also need to prepare yourself to change with time. This statement or this lesson was taught to me during my national service with Junior and one of my bosses, Mr. Dying. He says that you might get an opportunity to work somewhere, but if you've not prepared for it, the opportunity might come, but you cannot grab it. So prepare yourself for the change so that if the opportunity meets you halfway or even see it, you run towards it and it becomes yours.
Host
While somebody is at university today and you know they are thinking of getting a job, but it may not happen. What sort of preparation do you think they can have in order to grab opportunity when they come out?
Guest
They should invest in a skill, handiwork, skill.
Host
Give me two examples of skills that you think people can learn at university before coming out.
Guest
Plumbing, fashion. And finally sewing is part of fashion. So the final one is welding. You can achieve that skill, learn it. You might not know that might be your source of income after school. Let me give you an example. My dad, as I said, he was a tailor when I was in Egypt. Shs I tried learning the skill and he told me that. If this work is what I did to make money, wouldn't be seeing ourselves in this kind of circumstance.
Host
What was he trying to tell you?
Guest
That the trade was dying.
Host
I see. And he didn't see a need for you to learn it.
Guest
Right. Because he felt that people previously, people were coming to his shop or people were coming to sew Example trousers, shirts. But right now they already made ones which have been imported.
Host
Okay.
Guest
So the market is dying. So why would you want to come and learn such skill where the market is dying? But I had love for it. So I did it behind his back. I still went ahead and learned it. Yeah.
Host
One of my good friends, Coach Ekoe Shawn, usually talks about this. He says that if you're a 40 year old and you have a certificate and you don't have a job, you should throw the certificate away. And the idea he wants to give you is to learn how to bake bread and sell it. My question is, how much did it cost you to start your bread business?
Guest
It cost me 600 cedis. How? As and when I finished my national service, I had done a lot of investments. Investments in acquiring the equipment required for starting the bakery. But it was left with the raw materials and I had just 200 cities left. And I took a quick loan from MTN of 400 Ghana cities and I added it. I remember very well. And I went to my mom and told my mom that this is the amount of money I have. So if she could, she has a fair idea because she buys, she's a trader, so she knows where I could get flower products at a much cheaper cost. So that if I buy, I start with it, I'm good to go. So I did. So she showed me a place in Kaneshi. I went to buy the stuff. Even transportation to come back home was an issue. But I called her, she told me to take a taxi. She pay for the taxi and that's how I come. I started my business with 600 Ghana cities. I didn't buy a full bag of flour. I bought the necessary things that would keep production. So we started production. That's where the challenges came in. It didn't go the way I anticipated because as I said, I started this brand especially the cost of a full sugar bread was 16 Ghana cities. And I was selling a mini size for also 15 Ghana cities. And the Ghanaian in their normal perspective, when you say bread, they are looking at it like the big bread.
Host
Right? Okay.
Guest
Are we okay? So not everyone was making a purchase. And people who made a purchase about it complained too bitterly. So I was listening to a message from from on YouTube and it was from Kenya. Japon. Since Ghanaians talk too much when they don't know the value they are getting.
Host
Let me stop you here for a minute. So if it's your first time watching Connected Minds or you have been here before but still have not subscribed do us a favor because majority of the people that watch our videos have not subscribed. This doesn't help us grow beyond what we expect. So help us by hitting the subscribe button. Thank you. Now let's get back to the conversation.
Guest
So that statement resonated with me. Then I started doing education about what I'm selling, why you should get this as compared to getting the other one. Because the plain bread, the sugar bread, the butter bread that we get is just for taste. We are not getting any significant nutritional benefits from those ones. But with these ones, with the banana bread for example, we are using 100% bananas and flour if you want it. On a very good note, we use almond flour or oats flour to make the production so that you get 100% of the vitamins, the natural amino acids and all that from the product you are consuming. So I started preaching that and all started from social media, Instagram and I started getting a certain class of people or class who were diabetic. So they were couldn't eat these kind of white bread loaves and all that. So once they bought it, they ate, they checked their glucose level, whether it had risen high. They realized that once they eat it, it's super stable, right? So one person informed the other. Then it became like I've gotten a channel of people. Every person who is diabetic, one or two chances the person is also having high blood pressure. So I got there by diabetics and those people were hypertensive as well. Then those were where my markets were coming from consistently. And also a dietitian also ordered for me and realized that this is good. So he started recommending me to his patients. That's where the market started. And me doing further markets or further teachings on social media. I also got another category of people who are already healthy, but they are trying to stay healthy. That's how come I even got the name, the motto for the brand, Eat healthy, stay healthy. So that started and one or two people added and I realized that eating the normal with this one, when you eat it, you stay fuller for a long time because of the high fiber content in them as compared to the white bread. Once you eat, within a few hours, it just leaves your system. So people realize that this is value for money, not quantity. So that's where I realized that my market is not just for the ordinary Ghanaian or anyone. Some people are just trying to fill their tummies and hustle. Once in a while they might try it, but there are people who are constantly eating it. So that they might still enjoy the privileges they have, or they might the kind of taste and preference that they still want. And there are still people who are eating it just to stay healthy to prevent future problems. So that's where I saw my market audience. That's a niche and we've capitalized on it till now.
Host
And it all came from a message you heard from honorable Ken.
Guest
Right.
Host
And you started creating content around it.
Guest
Right?
Host
I mean, content is magical. There's no business advice that you would receive today that doesn't have an element of social media in it. You have the tool, you have a phone. Just create content. Right. And feed them with the right information.
Guest
Right.
Host
I think for you, the way you did it is powerful. Give people education. And once you educate them, they find the products and you are selling the product so they buy it from you.
Guest
Good. So in the end, that's how we started. And based on that, I had to do further. As I said, a lot of Ghanaian youths do not like to do research. They like to just take what they see as they head it. Whether the narrative is true or false, they just hop on it and in the end they just repeat it or reiterate it or make it louder with their platforms without them basically understanding the situation. So when it comes to example, my workplace, I tell them that if you hear information, verify it before you come.
Host
Connected Minds Podcast
Wayfair Announcer
Apro vecha los ahoros the memorial day in Los y compra los vasicos pare lo gar pormenos ahoro centadolares en la parrilla gas de cuatro que madores char broil performance series.
Host: Derrick Abaitey
Date: May 23, 2026
In this insightful episode, Derrick Abaitey explores the intersecting themes of preparation, changing societal norms, and the transformative power of content creation in business success. The guest, a bakery entrepreneur, shares his personal journey from limited resources to establishing a niche business, underscoring how education, adaptability, and leveraging social media empowered his brand.
Societal Evolution and Skills:
Actionable Advice for Students:
Launching a Bakery on a Shoestring Budget:
Early Business Struggles:
Turning to Content Creation:
Niche Market Discovery Through Education:
Brand Positioning:
On Preparation:
On Practical Skills:
On Business Start-up:
On Educating Customers:
On Social Media’s Role:
On Customer Outcomes:
This episode is a playbook for aspiring entrepreneurs in adapting to societal shifts, leveraging education and content to build a thriving business, and carving out a meaningful niche. The guest’s story is a testament to resilience, the value of skill acquisition, and the critical role of information-sharing in today's marketplace.