Start-up chronicles: I served my drinks at the wrong event; had to refund

It’s been more than two years since I started this business. I had gone several months without pay at my former workplace and I literally had to do something about my situation. It wasn’t like I had a choice.

For all those months I wasn’t getting paid, I was spending at least GH¢300 cedis on transportation every month. When I made my decision to quit, I was broke and I had a son, two sisters to take care of.

Then came the Besiaba’s Brew idea.

We are into making of local drinks such as Asaana, Sobolo, Lamugin, Brukina, Samia, Atadwe milk (tiger nut pudding), palm wine, fruit juice, punch, ‘small chops’, as well as a subsidiary business that hire intelligent hardworking girls as waitresses, ushers etc.

To say the journey in the past two years has been easy would be a lie.

One of my biggest lessons to date was when I had to refund a client’s money. Not because I didn’t deliver but I did so at the wrong event.

The person giving the location gave me the wrong location where incidentally there was also an event taking place. I quickly did my set up; served everything before I realized I was serving at the wrong event. Very strange, I know. I didn’t get paid. For a small business like mine, I was broken.

Now if the one contracting me does not take me to the location before the event, I go there personally to avoid such recurrence. In this business, punctuality and commitment are key to survive.

I am a university graduate with a second class upper, but I refused to sit at home doing nothing. I know if I had to wait for a job that could as well take me forever or perhaps yield into someone’s lustful desires in exchange for a job. I am having none of that.

My little advice to anyone wanting to start a business is to start with or without support. Just be committed to what you are doing and believe in yourself. It’s not easy, you will sleep on an empty stomach sometimes but if you want to succeed, brew the best and make it healthy. ‘

Be humble and pay attention to clients’ complaints.

Nothing good comes easy.