By Betsy Ramser Jaime
‘My name is Terry Amponsah Frimpong. I come from a small town in the Kwabre East district of Ghana.’
As a student, Terry did his basic education at St. Joseph catholic school in his hometown. Afterward, he went to secondary school at SIMSS college at Mamponteng. Upon finishing school, he became a shop assistant at Rollex shoes and clothing center. During this job, he expanded his knowledge in buying and selling. Since then, he’s been able to use this valuable experience to start his own grocery shop.
Terry shares, ‘From the little savings I had, from being a shop assistant, I started a grocery store. My business since 2016 has seen some improvement. I lent good customer service so people feel happy when they buy from my shop especially the youth. As a means of helping the society, I give some of the goods on credit to people who are in need.’
To see Terry for yourself, you can watch his video here to get an inside peek into his shop and hear more about one of his recent Zidisha funded loans.
Regarding his shop, Terry says, ‘Most of the things I sell are food items. For example bread, biscuit, fruit drinks, white oats, and water. These are basic things that everyone needs. No matter how difficult life is, you need to eat and drink water. The food items keep my business moving all the time and it gives me some profit the I use to repay the loan.’
So far, in his time with Zidisha, Terry has raised 5 Zidisha funded loans, since joining in February 2021. Starting out, Terry raised $12 with his first loan and fortunately he also had funds that he had saved from his previous experience as a shop assistant.
The following month, in March 2021, Terry raised $23 and shared, ‘First of all I want to thank Zidisha as well as my lenders for accepting and funding my loan. As a shopkeeper, it is my dream to stock my shop with different kinds of goods. I will use the loan for baby diapers, white oats, and mosquito coil, and insecticide spray.’
As Terry raised his next loan for $60 he was able to add cosmetics, pomades, and deodorants to his stock in his shop.
After receiving his loan, Terry took to his discussion page and wrote, ‘Many thanks to Zidisha and my lenders for the loan they granted me. The loan was used to purchase white oats which are different from the brand I had already. Thanks for your support for my business.’
In April and May, Terry raised loans of $129 and $208 to put towards a new freezer for his business.
Most recently on May 6, 2021, Terry went to his Zidisha discussion page and shared, ‘I thank my lenders for the loan they have granted me. The loan has helped me to purchase a new freezer to replace the old one which got spoiled. I acquired the freezer on a credit basis. I hope the future loan from Zidisha will help me to pay for it. I am very much grateful to my lenders.’
Would you like to make a difference in the life of an entrepreneur like Terry? Make sure to head on over to our Browse Projects page to see what other Zidisha business owners are up to.
Betsy is a Writer and Editor living in Florida with her husband. She has been writing with Zidisha for 5 years and loves sharing the inspiring stories of Zidisha entrepreneurs. You can connect with her on her personal website.
