When Benjamin Anyanah arrived in Accra looking for work, a newspaper retailer was reluctant to trust him with his stock.
Anyanah was a stranger. The retailer, Charles Agbonyo, did not know whether he would return after taking the newspapers.
So he gave him just two copies of the Daily Graphic.
Anyanah sold both and returned for more.
It was a modest beginning to a trading venture that he says eventually helped provide the savings and business experience that contributed to the establishment of BC Bencyn Group, operators of Bencyn Pharmacy and Susu Enterprise.
But his journey into business had begun even earlier, with a hoe and a rice farm.
After completing sixth form in 1987, Anyanah returned to his hometown at a time when employment opportunities were limited.
His maternal uncle, a blacksmith, gave him a simple hoe, which he used to cultivate rice.
The farm eventually produced several bags of rice, an experience Anyanah says gave him the confidence to look for other opportunities.
He subsequently travelled to Accra hoping to find work. When formal employment proved difficult to secure, he turned to newspaper vending.
After successfully selling the first two copies given to him by Agbonyo, Anyanah gradually increased the number and variety of publications he sold.
His stock eventually included international publications such as The Times, Newsweek, Ebony and Reader’s Digest.
For Anyanah, those early experiences taught him lessons that would shape his approach to business: start with what is available, identify a need, save and reinvest.
Anyanah said he did not begin his entrepreneurial journey with substantial capital or financial backing from investors.
Instead, he relied on the income he generated from his activities and developed the habit of saving part of what he earned.
Over time, his ventures developed into BC Bencyn Group, which includes Bencyn Pharmacy and Susu Enterprise.
He also continued his education, including studies at the University of Cumbria between 2012 and 2014.
Looking back at his journey, Anyanah believes saving was one of the most important habits that allowed him to progress from one venture to another.
“You cannot grow without saving. And you cannot grow without ambition,” he said.
He encourages young people earning regular incomes to consider setting aside at least 10 per cent while exploring appropriate insurance and investment opportunities.
He also advocates financial discipline, including reducing unnecessary expenditure and making sacrifices towards longer-term goals.
Anyanah also challenges the perception among some young Ghanaians that travelling abroad is the surest route to economic success.
He argues that the determination and sacrifice required to seek opportunities outside Ghana could also be applied to identifying and developing opportunities at home.
His own journey, he said, began without substantial capital: first with a hoe to cultivate rice and later with two newspapers entrusted to him by a retailer who barely knew him.
Each opportunity provided something with which to pursue the next.
For Anyanah, that experience underpins the advice he now gives young people: starting small does not necessarily determine how far an enterprise can grow.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Moses Anaba Azubire | Bolgatanga
