Dear Spouse (A Letter to the Partner of an Entrepreneur)

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Dear spouse/partner 

Welcome to the crazy, adventurous and the roller coaster startup life. When someone starts a business, it means she feels strongly that she can make a difference and create something of value because that's what businesses do, they solve problems. And great entrepreneurs are the ones who solve great societal problems therefore your partner is on the way to solve a societal problem. If he succeeds, society will greatly reward his effort. But remember nothing good comes easy. Therefore in the course to solve problems and affect society in a good way, your dear partner (entrepreneur) may seem concerned about the business more than any other thing. All thoughts and emotions go to the business and therefore this person you've known for a while all of a sudden becomes distant and always deep in thought. But don't worry too much and it's a normal 'teething' process for any entrepreneur because that is what happens when one desires to change the world.
 Therefore as a partner you'll have two feelings about the whole startup situation. Its either you're extremely supportive and helpful or you secretly wish that the startup will not do too well so that your partner will give up and you'll return to your  'normal life' where you both have dead end jobs and work till 65. But the thing with entrepreneurship and starting a business is, even if the startup fails, there is no normal life afterwards because money, time, energy and a lot of emotions have already been invested which you can never get back. Though your partners startup might look to be going no where today, i can assure you that when you hold on a little bit longer and that moment of profitability, stability and/or acquisition comes, nobody would have to tell you deciding to be an entrepreneur is one of the best decision you partner has made.
Because first of all, successful entrepreneurs make lots of profit which leads to financial freedom. When there is financial freedom then there is piece of mind because money is not one of the things a successful couple would have to think and argue about. Money is the reason why a lot of us go to school for many years, get advanced degrees and even work overtime. Just to make a little bit more therefore think about how all your financial problems would be solved. Then there is the time factor. Successful entrepreneurs who have built successful businesses do not have to work as much. They can hire a competent team to do daily task and even manage the business whiles they enjoy their lives. More money for a spouse means, there is time to travel, explore the world and do all the things that interest you as a couple. You get to donate to charities and causes that are dear to your heart and make a real difference in your society or country.
Does all this sound like a dream and unreachable? well it is achievable and here are someways to  quicken the success process for your spouse.

• Allow your entrepreneur spouse to complain: By saying allow them to complain i mean give a listening ear when they are venting their frustration with a employee, supplier, a business partner, their fears, anger and all the varied tantrums that can be found in the entrepreneurship spectrum. The thing with entrepreneurs is they think everyone is incompetent and they are the salt of the earth therefore they tend to complain a lot. The best you can help is give a listening ear. Please don't tell your partner (entrepreneur) 'You're too whinny'.
• You can help with some of the work your partner is doing. There are certain mundane jobs with a startup that does not require a phD to do. You can devote an amount  time of say a few hours a week to help with your partner at work. Doing this can give you sometime together and can be another point of alone time for the two of you.
• Sometimes prior to starting the business, your partner had certain household chores that she/he would normally do at home. During the 'make or break' phase of the startup, you can add these simple chores to your own chores. You can put it on your to do list as one of your task now. To give your partner a little bit more time to work on the startup.
• If your spouse is doing the startup with other partners you should try and establish contacts with the spouses of the other partners. Try and maintain some level of friendship with them. This can serve as a support group. Your group can serve as evangelists for the startups product and services. 
• Occasionally, genuinely ask your partner how the venture is going and be ready to celebrate or sympathise with your spouse when things are going great or not so great. And be prepared to listen if your partner is frustruated like the first point above. Please don't ask like it's a chore you have to do show genuine interest and concern. Because not asking is better than asking in a corny way.

Entrepreneurship is no doubt full of ups and downs and can really be a stressful ride but if you're willing to hold on one more moment and persevere. Your partner and yourself will enjoy the rewarding benefits of having your own business. Hoping to hear about you doing great things and donating a ton of you country's currency to a charity... Good luck

                                                                                                                     Your Faithfully

                                                                                                                       Ntikumah

In Garu: Everything is Round

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From Bawku and all the blabbing about donkey travel  and how they can help reduce Co2 emission and global warming. I made my way to my friends place at Garu which is a small town about 35 kilometres from Bawku in the upper east region of Ghana. At this time all the travelling i've done during the week from statue watching in Bolgatanga to squatting on top of a crocodile for a pose at Paga was beginning to take its toll on me and i was dying for a proper bed and some good home made meal.

At Garu, all picture picture taking and interesting topics for blog posts derailed as i met my friend Joeseph. Everything then degenerated into conversations and chit chatting and our obsession with the latest movies (our shared passion). We also visited mutual friends who were also doing their national service in the area. But one thing that really took my interest was the round nature of the mud houses. Mud houses in the upper west where i was coming from are usually rectangular or square shaped therefore it was a pleasure seeing new ways of how people build houses.

I wished i lived in one of these 'bad boys' ha!

But i also wondered how furniture and other house hold equipment will fit into a round hut but it turns out people who live in mud houses do not have much anyway therefore there was nothing to worry about. Inside a mud house you will usually find a mat spread on the floor, a radio set, a plastic chair and the individuals clothes and a few cooking utensils. The lifestyle is quite minimalistic.

Picture of the town 'Garu'

After two days in Garu, my backpacking trip had come to an end officially as in the places i wanted to visit because in Garu i crossed every destination off my bucket list except Tamale. But then i wanted to go back to Wa through Tamale so that i could have a feel of what the northern region of Ghana looks like since i have not been there yet and besides i didn't want to go back the same way i came that is through Upper east region.

Bye Joe but before i leave let's take a selfie!!!

Tourist Site: Wechiau Hippopotamus Sanctuary-Ghana

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Wechiau Hippopotamus Sanctuary

Wechiau hippopotamus sanctuary is a wild hippopotamus habitat located in the Upper west region of Ghana. Wechiau is the last town and district capital of the wa-west district.

Get There

 Wechiau is approximately 34 kilometres from Wa which is the capital city of the Upper west region. There is public transport going to Wechiaw from Wa everyday of the week. Private car rentals are hard to come by. Therefore it is advisable to rent a mini bus from Wa when travelling in groups. But on a solo expedition you can join the public vehicles going there.

Accommodation/Lodging and Dinning  

Accommodation: The hippo sanctuary has guest house accommodation for tourist who want to spend the night. There are clean basic rooms with fans (no air conditioning). There is no restaurant therefore there is a kitchen on site. You can buy fresh farm produce from the market and cook your own meals. Cooked food is also available in town but be careful.

Activities

The office of the hippopotamus sanctuary is located not very far from the town square. The office is where you book the tour to see the hippopotamus.  After booking the tour there is then the 18 kilometre ride to a village called Talewona, this is the nearest village to the river (black volta) where the hippopotamus reside.

Hippopotamus sanctuary office

Hippopotamus skull

Crafts store

Reception area

Activities available are 

The River Safari

You tour the black volta river in a canoe where you get to see the hippopotamus in their natural surroundings. The hippopotamus swim during the day and hunt for food at night. The river also serves as a boundary between Ghana and Burkina Faso. These hippopotamus are wild and not caged therefore it is interesting to watch them in their natural habitat and observe the way they react to people.

Bird Watching

You can also see varieties of birds especially early in the morning. You can go along with binoculars for better viewing opportunities. There are cattle egrets, grey herons and kingfishers

Camping

There are designated spaces meant for camping as well as opportunity to visit the three main families who live close to the river. This offers you the opportunity to see the way of life of a traditional West African family in a village dwelling 

Prices

• Booking for the tour cost 10 cedis for non-nationals and 8 cedis for Ghanaian nationals and students. Students must present their ID cards (tour fee include the tour guide and life  jacket for canoe ride)
• The river safari cost 8 cedis per hour
• The guest house accommodation cost 15 cedis for the night

NB: All the prices stated are 2014 prices

Contact

You can contact this tourist site at http://www.ghanahippos.com/

or the following numbers

+233-024-280-590-8

+233-026-577-311-7

6 Ways To Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking

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For a lot of people public speaking or anything that has to do with expressing a thought or opinion to a group of people is a big no-no for them. But truth is people who have strong communication skills and 'charisma' are naturally thought to be leaders even if they are incompetent. Therefore being an above average speaker is key to getting ahead. These are four ways i believe can help you conquer your fear of public speaking.

• Keep your presentation as simple as possible. By simple i mean keep only  the relevant facts on your slide. Try and memorize the simple facts of the topic and the whole presentation 
• You know how a picture is worth a thousand words, well graphs and statistics is a story written with numbers. A simple bar chart can save you a long explanation and that extra 2000 words you would have used to explain a certain point. No matter how lively you are, at a certain point you begin to sound boring (its called diminishing returns). Even if you're not mathematically inclined. you can start with pictograms and simple bar charts and graphs. A great example is demonstrated by Bill Gates here
• Adding rare information to your presentation makes it enjoyable for example did you know Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is the longest English word according to Wikipedia? Incorporating these little "did you know" facts into any presentation can breath some new life into a topic that can otherwise be boring or repetitive.
• When you are asked a question during question time. Listen carefully to the question. Do not listen to the question and think of the response you are going to give simultaneously. In most cases the answer to someones question is embedded in the question itself therefore if you listen carefully the answer will be clear to you. It might not even be a question but someone seeking clarification or opinion but because you did not listen, you start beating about the bush. An audience notice when you are not  paying attention to the questions therefore be attentive as possible. After carefully listening to the question and you still need some time, ask the individual to repeat the question. This will permit you to listen to the question again and respond appropriately. After asking for a repetition and you are not sure go with your guts and say what comes to mind but stress the fact that you're not sure therefore you will cross check and get back to him or her if they can leave a contact.
• Don't hide your quirks. When we are preparing to speak in public and make a presentation, a lot of us try to be as rigid as possible. But then we have little quirks that makes us stand out for example the way we lift our eyebrows when excited, how we gesticulate, your smile and your general demeanor. Don't try to suppress these quirks and weirdness. Rather take advantage of them because you might not know who will find it attractive.
• Miscellaneous: By miscellaneous i mean all other things you have to do before the presentation/speaking these are

1. Be adequately prepared. That is get your notes, power point, flash cards ready whiles you practice at least 3 times with a friend or in front of a mirror. This is how you nail the first point above
2. Sleep well the night before your big moment. On the day exercise, eat and dress well
3. When introduced to your audience take deep breaths and don't be in a rush to speak right after the applause. You can smile, make a thoughtful comment about how on time the program started and other general remarks which will allow you to stall a bit and organize your thoughts. Tip: You can say "thank you" "thank you" many times like President Obama of the U.S does after an applause when he's about to make a speech.
4. Maintain eye contact no matter how weird this may seem. A lot of people seem uncomfortable with eye contact therefore end up looking on top of the heads of audience. Fix your gaze on the audience but no one in particular and put your points across. 

There you go, these are ways you can reduce and maybe eradicate your anxiety for public speaking and making presentation. Hope this helps you.

The Xylophone With Wise Words

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Whiles in Bolgatanga on my backpacking trip, i spent some time at the arts and crafts village  to view some of the amazing hand woven artifacts the craftsmen have made. Whiles perusing the stores (purchasing a craft was not in mind). i came to one shop and saw a nice little xylophone i couldn’t take my eyes off. I therefore asked of its price from the shop attendant who told me it cost 20 cedis (about $10)  but she was not really sure of the price. She claimed she was watching the shop whiles the owner is away for a funeral so i should come the following day. When she requested i come the following day, i was quite happy because i felt i was ready to buy it on impulse.

But back at the guest house, i couldn’t get this xylophone off  my mind so early the following morning armed with 20 cedis in my pocket, i marched straight to the crafts store. Upon arrival i didn’t meet the attendant but rather a guy with dreadlocks. After the usual pleasantries i informed him of why i was there and he said he was informed of my coming to the shop and yes the she lady i met yesterday quoted the correct price.

So I defied all my backpacking rules that is 

• Buying a xylophone is not part of the budget
• This was going to be “extra excess”  luggage (emphasis on extra and excess because for the time i started backpacking i was already carrying this huge sweater which I wasn’t wearing)
• I had a few destinations and tourist sites to go

I still broke the rules and bought the xylophone anyway. Mr Dreadlocks went ahead to tie a few strings on the xylophone and  tune it properly. After that he played a wonderful tune on the xylophone. That was when it occurred to me i didn’t even know how to play a xylophone.So I panicked and informed him how i was eager to buy a xylophone but didn’t know how to play it. He said 

"that’s the nice things about xylophones you learn how to play it by creating your own tunes. Very much like life, you have to dance to your own rhythm"

 This statement reminded me of a blog post  i wrote a few days ago about how not talent but hard work will make me successful. I smiled

What Startups Can Learn From Youtube

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courtesy: Youtube.com

As an entrepreneurship geek and youtube fan, i have noticed startups and entrepreneurs can get ahead by emulating these 3 things from youtube to build a strong brand.

• Collect Consumer Data

Google owns youtube and google is fundamentally an advertising company. Just like advertisers use data  for targeted marketing, startups and entrepreneurs can find simple ways to collect client data so that they can better mold products for customers needs.  This can be done by keeping the tinniest record available on the consumer. These tinny records become big data and enough data of a consumer allows you to make informed decisions about consumers wants. When you open youtube the videos you find in there are always somehow greographically, politically or culturally relevant to you. As you click on more videos, youtube uses your history to find more videos that are relevant to your intersest. That is how you end up watching 16 related videos instead of the 1 you originally planned to watch. Likewise, startups can create an information curating model that will always inform their decision into making products and services 

• Customize Products and Services

One of the key things i like about youtube is how relevant videos associated with what you're watching pops up, this is as a result of the you viewing history. The more you indulge in the videos, the more they are able to better suggest videos for you. Likewise entrepreneurs can tailor make their products and services to better satisfy the client. The one size fit all approach to business does not work.  Notice how youtube reiterates "your account history is visible to only you" when you're clearing your search history? This shows how important entrepreneurs can take advantage of consumer data to make specific products for a specific market. Because think about it, if the Pareto 80/20 rule is anything to go buy 20% of your clients would contribute 80% of your startups revenue. It just makes sense to pay more attention to your repeat clients whiles on the look out for other custormers

•   Build a community

10 years ago i don't think there was anything like a youtube 'star' but now there is, and there a few of them who are even breaking into mainstream media. Sometimes i log on to youtube not just because of the video but rather for the comments because some of the comments i see on there make my day.  Just like youtube stars have a strong following/subscribers who would not allow any troll to say something negative about their favourite star or icon, building a community around your product will help your startup get free publicity and gain fans who would be willing to evangelize the product both online and offline. These loyalist can serve as a focus group for the entrepreneur to test new products and ideas. Just like how youtube encourages conversation and replies, entrepreneurs can take advantage of feedback and encourage consumers to have conversations to help them gain maximum feedback.  

A Case For The Donkeys

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Since i started backpacking, i have come to realise how important donkeys are as a mode of transportation for people in the Upper east region. Granted there are donkeys in Upper west  as well but the numbers here cannot match that of the Upper east. These donkeys usually cart a varied range of things from farm produce, firewood to goods meant for the market not forgetting the occasional lazy human being. Doing all this at a graceful speed of 20 kilometres per hour. The cool thing about donkeys is that they do their work with so much grace and i couldn't spot " i am sad because God created me a donkey" look on any of their faces. But  later in the night my theory of  "donkeys have no regrets" was to be put to shame. Apparently donkeys have this really whinny high-pitched sound they make when they have no work doing. The noise they make is quite similar to a horses' whine but this one was on another excruciatingly annoying level. Imagine sleeping at 2am whiles a donkey stand behind your window making such noise.

But whiny noises or not i have grown to like them i wouldn't mind getting one myself. Because think about  it. You don't have to buy any fuel, you also need no mechanic and all the pain that comes with owning a car.  all you need is a stable shelter some forage and water and you're good to go. It wouldn't be a bad idea as this will be how in my own small way reduce my carbon footprint and help reduce global warming besides things does not look good for my country Ghana economy wise and fuel prices are going through the roof therefore my donkey would be how i would help my country depend less on fossil fuels. Throw back, (Jesus sat on a donkey)

From Bolgatanga i made my way to Bawku where i stayed less than two hours because i was in a hurry to see my friend from university who is based in one of the towns near Bawku called Garu. These are samples of  pictures from my stash of donkey pic collections. Enjoy

Tumu

Navrongo

Such a beauty this one- Garu Tempane