By Betsy Ramser Jaime
Born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, Prince Agyei Boateng, is 31 years old, and is a recent addition to the Zidisha community. He holds a BSc. degree in Biology Education and has been an entrepreneur for almost 3 years. With the help of the Zidisha lenders and community, he hopes to continually be able to grow and scale his business.
In describing his business, Prince shares, ‘I deal in second hand good from Europe and the USA ranging from clothing, electronics, home appliances and automobiles and I own an electrical shop that sells switches, bulbs, electric wires and sockets on a small scale.’
So far, Prince has been able to raise 6 Zidisha funded loans, beginning in October 2020. With his first loan, he raised $13! After this initial loan, he shared how this loan impacted his business as he took to his discussion page and wrote, ‘My first loan with Zidisha helped me to make good sales when I use the loan to promote my advertising on Jiji.com.gh. Two people called to order laptops the same day. Zidisha is more!’
Shortly thereafter, he raised his second loan, this time for $35 to continue where he left off with his first loan, writing, ‘I’m using the loan to start a new marketing strategy to improve and cover the cost of online ads and expenses associated with the delivery of items purchased by customers as they buy online.’
For Prince, his new marketing strategy seemed to be paying off, and he continued to put his next two loans of $71 and $122 toward further marketing efforts. As he requested the loan he shared, ‘This loan would be used to place advert on Jiji.com.gh and tonaton. Part would be used to cover delivery cost when someone orders a product on the platform. Also part would be used to cover phone calls and data cost.’
After using his previous loans for marketing and advertising, by November 2020, Prince was ready for his sixth Zidisha funded loan, this time, to help him increase his stock for his electrical stock. Requesting $193 he wrote, ‘I need this loan to increase the stock of my electrical shop. I wish to bring in more electric bulbs, lanterns, copper wires, lamp holders, switch’s and plugs. Part of the loan would be used to create new shelves to keep the new stock.’
Shortly thereafter, he took to his discussion page on November 10, and shared, ‘God bless you for your kindness. God bless everyone for their support. With Zidisha my business is growing more than I anticipated.’
Most recently, in December 2020, Prince raised his largest loan yet, for $616, allowing him to expand his online advertising effort, bring in new products to appeal to different customers, and even hire an additional delivery worker to make delivery faster and more convenient for his customers.
Now, as he starts off 2021, Prince is proud and thankful of what he is building, and is also excited for the future of his business. On January 1, 2021, he shared this update, ‘It’s always a good thing to remain committed to what we are responsible for and do good and remain faithful all the time. If we keep the good values we have been taught, we all grow together and helping hands like Zidisha lenders will always be there to offer help to those who need help. God bless everyone!’
Would you like to make a difference in the life of an entrepreneur like Prince? Make sure to head on over to our Browse Projects page to read about our Zidisha business owners around the world.
