Long one but worth reading. On Mon Aug 11, I was in a Yutong bus from Kumasi to Cape Coast. I had a call from a very good friend whose reason was to let me know that if my company was having an auction of cars and I happen to win the bid, he is interested in buying the car from me. I realized why some people cover their mouths when talking on phone after I ended this call. A very handsome, well built and nicely shaven gentleman who you can easily pass for the CEO of any start up tech firm sitting beside me was eavesdropping. Gentleman: Sorry I has listened in on your conversation but I figure you may be a big man small boy. Me:I smiled shaking my head. He reached for his bag, pulled out documents and IDs to introduce himself. He continued: I have been searching for a job for almost 2years now. I was laid off because of downsizing and cost cutting measures of my company. I have a wife and a daughter and times are hard for me . am going to Cape Coast to see if I can get some loan a friend promised. Pls help me get even a janitor job or even messenger job pls. Me:What is your qualification? Gentleman: HND Marketing Me:And what can you do best? Gentleman :I dont understand. I dont get you. Me:Are you hardworking? Are you diligent? Are you persistent? Are you best at being truthful? Are you disciplined? Are you loyal? He was quite and look quiet stunned. I continued: Permit me to share a story with you. Am a Transmission Engineer but I started off as a sales person with no qualification to show for it. After school I was posted to a village in the Nkwanta district of the Volta region precisely Pusupu to do my National Service as a teacher. I went. I did contact anyone to alter the placement for me especially when my whole life has been in the city. I usually take two days to get there from Kumasi through to Ho, Hohoe, Brewaniase and make that 11km journey to Pusupu. After service, I came down to Accra. Life was about to start for me. Yes, my father lives abroad and yes my mother is alive but my ambition to lead as a first born rested on my shoulders and they cant be bothered. CVs have been sent but I had to do something with my life. The old girl cannot be sending the occasional Ghc100 now and then. I have plans and ambitions. I had to sell pen drives, hard drives, cameras etc etc from office to office for a paltry amount of Ghc60 a month.This was 2009. Hajias koko and kose never parts from my bag every morning. Fighting with trotro mates be what? This is Accra. Bugaga must come in at a point. People I encounter to sell stuff to will wait for me to talk plenty, then tell me they are sorry they dont need it. I felt like hitting them. I did not. I was learning to be patient. Internet cafes also took a lot of my money because I use to advertise online. People will call me to bring a particular item I have advertised. I will roam the streets of Accra getting lost and asking for directions from countless idiots who succeeded in directing me somewhere else. After locating them they will tell me they thought I had a particular brand. I felt like punching them in the face. I did not. I was being diligent. Meanwhile, the brand I had was clearly there in the advert .Good days too were good days. I can sell stuff, walk from Cantonment to Tesano and sing all the way. I cannot be bothered because I will be getting a commission on top of my salary. That day I make sure a certain lady at Jehovah Is My Witness chop bar at Apenkwa sees that I have come paaa. (By this I had bought some roasted plantain with groundnuts and he gladly joined me). I continued : Some of my colleagues were at VRA, vodafone etc etc. See, I never allowed the faith in my God wither. I still believed that He was gonna show Himself approved. It was just not time yet but I could not sit and lament. Sometimes I intentionally go hungry all day deceiving myself I was fasting and praying over my CV. I still paid my tithes from what I was earning. I sent my CV for the third time to one company because that was the place I wanted to work. This time I was called for an interview. I attended the interview not knowing ANYONE there. NOBODY put in a word for me. In fact it was one person I knew. And that is God Almighty. He does rules in the affairs of men and it normally occurs IN HIS TIME. The rest my friend is history. Gentleman:Wow. Me: Please dont wow me. It is my life. I had to do what I had to do. Go to that woman who has a shop in your hood. Offer her a business proposal. Tell her you can supply her the same items she sells without her having to go to town. Go to peoples homes, tell them you can wash their dirty clothes for them. Come get some kayeyei ladies,supervise them, pay them well so they wash them for you. Change your MINDSET. If others did it, you can. If you are patient, diligent, loyal, faithful, disciplined and INNOVATIVE, you can create your own marketing company even in this harsh economic conditions. Yes, there is money in this country. Just be Innovative. It does not cost much. To you my friends who are well to do and cant be bothered, sometimes, just sometimes park your cars and join the public transport. You never know whom you may empower. Much as people are suffering, it puts a reality check on you not to take certain things for granted. What you are whining about today is what someone is attending prayer meetings and asking for. And to those of you almost on the verge of giving up, always remember that your present situation is not your final destination.The best is yet to come! Just hold on. Thank you.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 04:18:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015