From Small Business Owner to Regional Coordinator of Ghana

Frank and Esther’s Journey to Sustainable Self-reliance

Frank and Esther, husband and wife, and residents of Ghana, Africa were running a small plumbing business before hearing of the Academy.

Frank attended his first START NOW training in March of 2022. The training was led by Executive Director Robert Heyn. During the training, Frank learned the 25 Rules of Thumb and participated in what he calls “mind-provoking activities.”

One of the Rules of Thumb that really stood out to Frank was “Practice Separate Entities.” At the time, Frank’s personal and business funds were combined. After the training, Frank separated these two accounts and began tracking his income and expenses on an Excel spreadsheet. That’s when he really began to see a difference. 

With small and sustainable changes, Frank was able to hire Esther full-time to manage the business. In addition, he now has four full-time workers and several contract workers now helping to support the business. 

Says Esther about her experience, “The Academy training taught me to have written agreements. This made our business stand out from the crowd. With that, we were able to draft contracts with everyone involved in the company to be on the safer side. Additionally, we started practicing separate entities, and this helps me see what the business is making in terms of profit.”

Frank was immediately appointed chapter leader and learned how to train others to improve and start their own businesses. Says Frank about Chapter Support Groups, “People have business ideas, but [knowing] how to grow is difficult. There is nobody to mentor you on how to start and develop your own business. That is what the Academy is. They give their support with their resources and through Chapter Support Groups.”

Frank was recently appointed as the regional coordinator for the Ghana area. He now leads 3 Chapters throughout Ghana and 10 in Nigeria with three more opening soon. His leadership experience was incredibly helpful in the opening of the Nigerian Academy Chapters.

Frank and Esther’s ability to create sustainable opportunities for self-reliance has blessed their family as well as countless lives in Ghana and now Nigeria.