Gifty Serbeh-Dunn

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[00:00] SPEAKER_00: It's VanCoovers Podcast on the Canada's Podcast Network.
[00:27] SPEAKER_01: Today's episode is brought to you by Shaw Business.
[00:30] SPEAKER_01: Shaw Business offers a whole suite of smart solutions like smart Wi-Fi.
[00:36] SPEAKER_01: With dedicated networks for you and your guests, smart Wi-Fi keeps everyone's
[00:41] SPEAKER_01: connection separate, safe, and secure, and it reaches all corners of your business.
[00:47] SPEAKER_01: So whether you're at your desk or in a meeting room, you're still connected and
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[00:56] SPEAKER_01: Archpernoors.
[01:01] SPEAKER_01: Hello, this is Robert Spiral coming to today with VanCoovers Podcast, a member of the Canada's
[01:06] SPEAKER_01: Podcast Network where we talk to the Archpernoors who are making it happen here in VanCoover,
[01:12] SPEAKER_01: British Columbia.
[01:13] SPEAKER_01: Gifted survey done, founded She Butter Market in 2003 to create an all-natural beauty
[01:20] SPEAKER_01: product while supporting widows and their families in Ghana to climb out of poverty.
[01:27] SPEAKER_01: Gifted believes that her business is a force for the good and by doing business right means
[01:32] SPEAKER_01: that everyone benefits.
[01:34] SPEAKER_01: From the widows in Ghana who make the She Butter for a premium price to the consumers who buy
[01:40] SPEAKER_01: her high-quality products.
[01:42] SPEAKER_01: Well, Gifted, welcome to the show.
[01:44] SPEAKER_01: Thanks for taking the time today to be here for all our listeners.
[01:48] SPEAKER_01: Thanks very much, Robert, for having me.
[01:51] SPEAKER_01: Great.
[01:52] SPEAKER_01: Okay, I want you to tell us a little bit more about yourself, where you're from and give
[01:56] SPEAKER_01: us the details on your current business.
[02:00] SPEAKER_02: Ah, thank you.
[02:01] SPEAKER_02: Well, I was born and raised in Ghana, in northern Ghana specifically, from a small town called
[02:08] SPEAKER_02: WAA, W8 Spelt.
[02:10] SPEAKER_02: And I was invited to visit some family friends in Canada a long, long time ago in 1981.
[02:18] SPEAKER_02: And whilst I was here, I mean, soon after I arrived here, there was a military coup in
[02:23] SPEAKER_02: Ghana.
[02:24] SPEAKER_02: And my father had been successful in business.
[02:27] SPEAKER_02: He had a construction business that was thriving.
[02:30] SPEAKER_02: And during that coup, business people were target.
[02:34] SPEAKER_02: And so my father felt that since I was in Canada and was safe, I should stay.
[02:42] SPEAKER_02: So the family I was visiting with and my father made arrangements for me to stay in Canada
[02:48] SPEAKER_02: and the rest has been history.
[02:50] SPEAKER_02: I've been here since.
[02:51] SPEAKER_02: I always had strong attachment to home, though.
[02:54] SPEAKER_02: And I always wanted to go back to Ghana and live in Ghana.
[02:59] SPEAKER_02: And somehow the universe decided that that was not the way it was to be.
[03:03] SPEAKER_02: I ended up meeting a married Canadian man and settled in British Columbia.
[03:10] SPEAKER_02: We met in Ottawa and we moved to BC.
[03:14] SPEAKER_02: And he ended up doing some working Ghana over the years.
[03:17] SPEAKER_02: You know, when he got his working Ghana, we traveled there often.
[03:22] SPEAKER_02: And because I'd always wanted to be home and I was always interested in doing work with
[03:27] SPEAKER_02: women and children, I would kill you, observe what was going on with the women.
[03:32] SPEAKER_02: And I had a sense of guilt because I felt like I needed to be there to be helping.
[03:38] SPEAKER_02: And I was living in Canada.
[03:39] SPEAKER_02: So every time we went, I brought stuff, you know, chachkis.
[03:43] SPEAKER_02: I bring all kinds of stuff.
[03:45] SPEAKER_02: And one year I was home and I was ready.
[03:48] SPEAKER_02: We were ready to come back.
[03:49] SPEAKER_02: And I asked what I could bring the next year when we visited.
[03:53] SPEAKER_02: And one of the elders said to me, we don't want anything.
[03:57] SPEAKER_02: We just want to work.
[03:59] SPEAKER_02: And I thought, oh, well, you know what?
[04:01] SPEAKER_02: They don't have no idea where I live.
[04:04] SPEAKER_02: There's no way I can provide work.
[04:07] SPEAKER_02: But because my background was in wanting to do something for home and make a difference,
[04:13] SPEAKER_02: it really bothered me that I hadn't really reflected well on not bringing stuff.
[04:23] SPEAKER_02: Or that it was also, I was thinking of me.
[04:27] SPEAKER_02: I was using my guilt to try and help the women.
[04:31] SPEAKER_02: And that was very misplaced.
[04:33] SPEAKER_02: So the question of the issue of wanting to create work for them really sat with me and
[04:41] SPEAKER_02: it bothered me.
[04:42] SPEAKER_02: So over the years, I noticed that Chabara was popular in North America, was becoming
[04:47] SPEAKER_02: popular in North America.
[04:49] SPEAKER_02: And the light bulb went up one evening when I was watching TV and saw that Nivye had
[04:54] SPEAKER_02: Chabara in their products and it was advertised.
[04:57] SPEAKER_02: And I thought, you know what?
[04:58] SPEAKER_02: All those women who spoke to me that day, they all make Chabara.
[05:02] SPEAKER_02: What if, what if I sold Chabara in North America?
[05:06] SPEAKER_02: Would I not create work?
[05:09] SPEAKER_02: So I got very excited.
[05:11] SPEAKER_02: And I don't have a business background.
[05:13] SPEAKER_02: And so I always said that my business was really inspired by those women in my home.
[05:19] SPEAKER_02: And that's how I came to start selling Chabara.
[05:23] SPEAKER_02: So I started off just wholesaling Chabara and it wasn't going great.
[05:27] SPEAKER_02: So I decided then that I would, well, inspired by my husband the second time around.
[05:33] SPEAKER_02: And said, well, you know, it's North America.
[05:36] SPEAKER_02: Most people are not making this up.
[05:38] SPEAKER_02: Why don't you make a start a skincare line?
[05:40] SPEAKER_02: And I thought, really, I have no idea.
[05:43] SPEAKER_02: But again, fortunately, living on Vancouver Island, where there's so much creativity,
[05:48] SPEAKER_02: so many people making so, doing stuff.
[05:51] SPEAKER_02: I found a huge network of people who were willing to help me.
[05:56] SPEAKER_02: And incidentally, was through a friend who had a shop and worked with a woman in Vancouver,
[06:03] SPEAKER_02: who was an aroma therapist.
[06:05] SPEAKER_02: I got connected with her.
[06:07] SPEAKER_02: And she taught me to make products and I launched Chabara Market.
[06:11] SPEAKER_01: Okay. Did you need financing to start your company?
[06:14] SPEAKER_01: And how do you currently make money in the business now?
[06:17] SPEAKER_02: So I have needed finance.
[06:20] SPEAKER_02: I did need finances.
[06:21] SPEAKER_02: At the start, our family financed it and as time went on, I was very fortunate to be connected
[06:28] SPEAKER_02: with RBC with the Royal Bank and had incredible support from the bank.
[06:34] SPEAKER_02: And I got some financing from the bank and also not just finance and incredible advice.
[06:42] SPEAKER_02: And so that helped me greatly to get going.
[06:47] SPEAKER_02: And since over time, I have had customers, really wonderful customers.
[06:54] SPEAKER_02: And through some of our projects and contracts, we've been able to refinance
[07:02] SPEAKER_02: from some of the sales that we've done.
[07:05] SPEAKER_01: Okay. What is the last thing that I was
[07:07] SPEAKER_02: incrementing, I mean, very helpful in getting me going.
[07:11] SPEAKER_01: Right. Okay. Now, what is the long-term vision and what will your company look like in the future?
[07:16] SPEAKER_01: Do you see the company expanding into other areas and where, beyond Vancouver, BC or even Canada?
[07:23] SPEAKER_02: Well, for sure, I think we're an international family.
[07:28] SPEAKER_02: We have international suppliers.
[07:30] SPEAKER_02: And so I want to see, I would like to see the company doing more with the women
[07:36] SPEAKER_02: in Africa, in Ghana specifically.
[07:39] SPEAKER_02: And also, I have had interest from several countries in Africa.
[07:43] SPEAKER_02: People asking me to make products for them to market.
[07:48] SPEAKER_02: Currently, we have some customers in the UK.
[07:51] SPEAKER_02: And we want to start to see our customers expand within the EU.
[07:57] SPEAKER_02: And particularly Africa, we're looking at the Middle East as well.
[08:01] SPEAKER_02: Yeah. So we want to go global.
[08:03] SPEAKER_01: Great. Okay. So let's talk a little bit about Vancouver and doing business throughout BC,
[08:10] SPEAKER_01: actually, since you're over there on the island.
[08:11] SPEAKER_01: What are the biggest benefits for you and being an entrepreneur here in British Columbia?
[08:16] SPEAKER_01: I want you to give us some of the good points about starting a company here.
[08:19] SPEAKER_01: I'd also want you to give us some of the tough things or challenges for listeners,
[08:22] SPEAKER_01: so they can keep an eye out for them.
[08:25] SPEAKER_02: Yeah. Fantastic. Great question.
[08:27] SPEAKER_02: I have found living on Vancouver Island as I alluded to before, incredible support, incredible
[08:34] SPEAKER_02: knowledge. I started off in my kitchen and I had to call on people. I had no idea about making
[08:41] SPEAKER_02: products. But as I said, a lot of people on this island who are so knowledgeable, one of my
[08:47] SPEAKER_02: girlfriends is a herbalist. And I'm constantly calling an entrepreneur for help.
[08:54] SPEAKER_02: That has been been wonderful and also attitudes. You know, the attitudes on Vancouver Island
[09:00] SPEAKER_02: is we want to buy local. We want to do lots in our community. I have had extensive support
[09:06] SPEAKER_02: from the community in general and really, really healthy attitude towards the work that I'm
[09:13] SPEAKER_02: doing. Great deal of support. One of the biggest challenges of being on the island and working
[09:18] SPEAKER_02: from the island is that we have to bring so much in. The cost of doing business here is quite steep.
[09:25] SPEAKER_02: You know, I have to bring the Cheybara from Ghana. It comes to Vancouver and then gets tracked here.
[09:31] SPEAKER_02: And when I buy essential oils, a lot of what I, the resources I use in my business are coming
[09:37] SPEAKER_02: from elsewhere. So that can be very costly. That is one of the challenges. But it's a challenge
[09:44] SPEAKER_01: that we manage and we overcome. Okay, great. Now we do some of our best work outside the office.
[09:51] SPEAKER_01: Is there a place in on Vancouver Island close to where you live or work where you like to go
[09:55] SPEAKER_01: recharge or get inspired with ideas or just think about your business? And does it change with
[10:00] SPEAKER_01: the season considering all the rain we get on the island? Well, the beach, the little beach in
[10:07] SPEAKER_02: Milbe. I live in Milbe. We have a beautiful beach. That is sometimes so quiet. I can, the times when
[10:13] SPEAKER_02: I can go on the beach and I'd be the only one there with my dog. I love to take my dog on the beach.
[10:19] SPEAKER_02: He loves the beach and we have our little corner that we sit and I meditate and reflect and he plays
[10:27] SPEAKER_02: on the beach. Yeah, so we've got that. We're very blessed. Even when it's raining, you know, even
[10:33] SPEAKER_02: even in the rain, all you have to dress up for it. So I put on my rain jacket and I go out in the rain
[10:39] SPEAKER_02: and same spot and it's really lovely. There are times when the tide is too high and I can't go
[10:46] SPEAKER_02: on the beach, but we have incredible trails on the island. I love to go to Cobble Hill Mountain
[10:53] SPEAKER_02: with my dog again and really friendly people. People are very helpful if I get stuck with
[11:00] SPEAKER_02: something happens with the dog. There's always somebody there. So I'm very fortunate to be living
[11:06] SPEAKER_01: in paradise, really. Great. Okay. Now we have a lot of international listeners. So this next question I
[11:12] SPEAKER_01: want you to speak to them. If you were to start all over again and you just moved here to Vancouver
[11:17] SPEAKER_01: Island, but this time you don't know anyone knowing what you know now, what would you do and how would
[11:23] SPEAKER_01: you go starting all over again as an entrepreneur? Wow, little bit of reflection required here.
[11:33] SPEAKER_02: Knowing what I know now, my approach to the business would have been a little different,
[11:39] SPEAKER_02: where I would have chosen to market my products would have been different because I think it would
[11:45] SPEAKER_02: have been a little more lucrative. I mean, the health food sector has been really great for me.
[11:52] SPEAKER_02: However, it was slow going and now that I know a little more about the island,
[11:59] SPEAKER_02: I have found so many wonderful spars on the island and I might have started there and might have
[12:04] SPEAKER_02: built up my capital a lot quicker if I had gone that route. So knowing what I know now,
[12:13] SPEAKER_02: that's where I would have started. There's not much else I would have changed. I think I would have
[12:18] SPEAKER_02: so gotten into business. Yeah, travel can be a challenge, but again, everything is manageable and
[12:26] SPEAKER_02: we just make it work. Knowing what I know now, I think that a lot more planning goes into working
[12:36] SPEAKER_02: from this island. I wasn't much of a planner until I got into doing this business and I have found
[12:45] SPEAKER_02: that I have to plan a great deal because I'm far away from most of what I need.
[12:53] SPEAKER_02: And so it requires a lot of thinking and a lot of planning. But with the technology that we have now,
[13:02] SPEAKER_02: it is easy to be connected. I don't feel isolated. Perhaps I've come across as so, but really,
[13:09] SPEAKER_02: I am not. I have Skype, I have Zoom, I have, I'm really very well connected with the people that I
[13:16] SPEAKER_02: need to be connected to. So it's not, it's not too bad. It's not too hard to do business from here.
[13:23] SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's talk a little bit about your routine. What does the first hour look like for you when
[13:27] SPEAKER_01: you get up the morning? Do you have a specific routine or a ritual that helps you get motivated to start
[13:32] SPEAKER_02: your day? I do have a routine. I, again, prayer, I start off with a prayer. And then the next thing is
[13:40] SPEAKER_02: after I've had my cup of tea, I'm not a coffee drink, I'm a tea drinker, I hit the beach with my dog.
[13:46] SPEAKER_02: And you know, my dog is my, he's such a great teacher. Oftentimes I'm in a hurry. And the dog always
[13:53] SPEAKER_02: reminds me to slow down because he's gonna, I have a rodigian rich back. And when he decides,
[13:59] SPEAKER_02: very strong willed, very stubborn. And so if he decides to stop and sniff at a shrub, he is going
[14:07] SPEAKER_02: to do it. And, and I have to say to myself, yes, you know, we really do have to stop and smell the roses.
[14:14] SPEAKER_02: And my dog is reminding me of that. So I start off with, I start my morning with that meditation,
[14:21] SPEAKER_02: with that reminder. Because in bitterness, we often, you know, we're in a rush. We're rushing all
[14:26] SPEAKER_02: the time to get stuff done. And my dog really helps me set the tone for the day. But yes, I want to
[14:34] SPEAKER_02: be effective and I want to be efficient. But I have to remember that I live in the universe. And I
[14:41] SPEAKER_02: have to take it easy. And I have to have balance. And my dog helps me do that. So that, that is
[14:49] SPEAKER_01: the way I start my day. Do you think entrepreneurs have to be weird or unique in a positive way or
[14:55] SPEAKER_02: wired differently? I really think so. I think that we have to be entrepreneurs have to be positive.
[15:04] SPEAKER_02: Because I say to my friends often that if you're afraid of no, if you're afraid of hearing no,
[15:10] SPEAKER_02: don't bother getting into business. Because that is, that is something we hear very, very frequently.
[15:17] SPEAKER_02: And sometimes people throw no at you with a whole bunch of negative baggage and package. It
[15:26] SPEAKER_02: comes wrapped in a big package of no and can be so depressing and such a downer. And so you have
[15:34] SPEAKER_02: to have a positive attitude and be open to hearing it. And be open to taking a no, that big package
[15:44] SPEAKER_02: of no and turning it into yes. That is one of the things that I think entrepreneur, for me,
[15:50] SPEAKER_02: anyway, I have found to help. And I think only way to do it is to have a positive attitude. And not
[15:58] SPEAKER_02: to really personalize a lot of the negativity that comes at one. So, so often, you know, I can have
[16:08] SPEAKER_02: days that I just know days. And I take them as they come. And I take them with the attitude that,
[16:16] SPEAKER_02: well, you know, this is just for now, it's going to be, it's going to be yes tomorrow. And I think
[16:21] SPEAKER_02: the only way to do so is to have that positive attitude. Yes, there's a famous quote that says,
[16:26] SPEAKER_01: for every no, that means you're just getting one step closer to a yes. So yeah, just got to
[16:31] SPEAKER_01: keep that in mind. Okay, what books are you reading now and why or even audio books? And can you
[16:37] SPEAKER_01: recommend any books for our listeners who are also aspiring entrepreneurs? Actually, I'm reading,
[16:43] SPEAKER_02: I just picked up Kofi Anand's book. I don't know if people, well, international listeners and most
[16:52] SPEAKER_02: of our listeners are probably familiar with Kofi Anand, our UN Secretary General, who just passed away
[16:59] SPEAKER_02: two weeks ago or two or three weeks ago. And he was from Ghana. So I'm looking at the world now and
[17:09] SPEAKER_02: looking at the world as in, you know, we are one small global village. Actually, it's so funny.
[17:16] SPEAKER_02: I can't, the title of the book has just escaped me right now, but it's Kofi Anand's last book.
[17:23] SPEAKER_02: And I picked it up. I haven't even opened it. I put it aside to read. I'm going to be traveling
[17:30] SPEAKER_02: next week. And when I go, it's the one that I want to take with me. And the other one that I
[17:36] SPEAKER_02: haven't started and want to read because I just finished watching the, well, I watched last week,
[17:44] SPEAKER_02: the funeral of John McCain and I want to pick up for whom the bell tolls. I had read it in high
[17:51] SPEAKER_02: school in Ghana. And so when it came up in the services, I thought, you know what, it's time to
[17:58] SPEAKER_01: pick that up again. Okay. Any online or offline tools that you like to use on a daily basis?
[18:06] SPEAKER_02: Um, so the online tools that I use on a daily basis, of course, my, my, my teenage one tells me
[18:15] SPEAKER_02: I'm old and I keep using email. I do email very, very often. I mean, because I'm, I'm talking to
[18:22] SPEAKER_02: people all over the world. I don't know if WhatsApp qualifies as one of them, but I'm on WhatsApp
[18:30] SPEAKER_02: constantly because I'm dealing with people in Africa and a majority of people at home on,
[18:37] SPEAKER_01: on WhatsApp. And so I use it often. Okay. Um, any offline tools that you use like pen and paper?
[18:47] SPEAKER_02: Pen and paper all the time. I'm so old fashioned that way. I use pen and paper all the time.
[18:55] SPEAKER_02: I'm, I'm actually more of a pen and paper woman than I am online. Aside from, of course, WhatsApp,
[19:03] SPEAKER_01: but I love pen and paper. Okay. If you were doing what you do now, what would you like to do for a
[19:09] SPEAKER_02: profession? If I weren't doing, I have asked myself often now what I would be doing. And sometimes
[19:18] SPEAKER_02: I say to myself, I really can't think of something, anything else I could be doing, but this. However,
[19:24] SPEAKER_02: I have to adjust that a little bit and say that I've always, I have a background in conflict
[19:30] SPEAKER_02: management. And I look at some of the conflicts that are going on around the world and I often say to
[19:37] SPEAKER_02: myself, you know what, especially when I hear of the babies crying and I think, oh my god, I wish I
[19:43] SPEAKER_02: could do something about that. And so I would probably do work in conflict management and probably
[19:51] SPEAKER_02: do work with the United Nations in addressing some of the conflicts that the world is facing.
[19:57] SPEAKER_02: Things I get in better on the African continent, I think. But that's something that I would probably
[20:04] SPEAKER_02: have done. Women and children, I did to my, to my soul. And I would like to, I would have been
[20:09] SPEAKER_01: doing work that would address the situation. What kind of a job would you not like to do? Couldn't do it.
[20:17] SPEAKER_02: I couldn't do, I couldn't work, I couldn't be a nurse. I could not be a nurse because I would be
[20:25] SPEAKER_02: an emotional baggage. I would, I would bring, I would bring patients home all the time. And I think
[20:32] SPEAKER_02: I would kill myself in the process as in emotionally drain myself. So I couldn't, I admire health
[20:41] SPEAKER_02: health care professionals greatly because I could not do that.
[20:47] SPEAKER_01: In business, what is your favorite word, quote, or sentence that you like to use?
[20:53] SPEAKER_02: My favorite, my favorite word is do not give up. Do not give up. Is that a sentence?
[21:04] SPEAKER_02: That's a sentence. It's a quote sentence. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, that's just, just don't give up,
[21:09] SPEAKER_02: just don't give up. I keep saying that just don't give up. And it's one that I could spend hours
[21:15] SPEAKER_02: on packing because that's been my experience that many times when I reflect on the journey that I've
[21:22] SPEAKER_02: been on, many times I was tempted to give up and I didn't. And now I'm seeing such positive results
[21:30] SPEAKER_02: with hanging in there. And yeah, so that's one that I would love to share. Don't give up.
[21:36] SPEAKER_01: What is your least favorite word or sentence you do not like to hear?
[21:43] SPEAKER_02: Oh, God, what is my least? It's not possible. Oh, I hate that when people say,
[21:53] SPEAKER_02: well, it's not possible. You can't do that. Everything is possible. So I don't like to hear it's
[21:59] SPEAKER_01: not possible. Okay. If you had to pick one or two words to describe yourself, what would be
[22:05] SPEAKER_02: and why? Well, positive. Positive is one. I am very optimistic. Optimistic is a better one.
[22:17] SPEAKER_02: I am very, very optimistic and I stay optimistic because I think it's good, it's good for my soul.
[22:24] SPEAKER_02: I feel good when I'm feel positive. So positive. Yes. Okay. What keeps you up at night if anything?
[22:35] SPEAKER_02: Financial strain, financial collapse and failure of the business because I feel that there's so
[22:45] SPEAKER_02: many people dependent on my success and I depend on their success as well. And I think that if I
[22:54] SPEAKER_02: were to give up, I would not only disappoint, but stop the kind of poverty alleviation I'm able
[23:03] SPEAKER_02: to do with my business. So that worries me. Sometimes when I panic, that is what I panic about.
[23:10] SPEAKER_02: If we don't do well, so many people will not do well. Yeah. Okay. I want you to give us the
[23:16] SPEAKER_01: top three things on your inspired lifeless. This could be a bucket list of any sort where you want
[23:20] SPEAKER_01: to travel more whether you want to do philanthropy, a TEDx talk, write a book, anything like that?
[23:27] SPEAKER_02: Well, you've hit on some of them. Travel more, I have a lot of connections all over the world.
[23:35] SPEAKER_02: And I would like to go around the world and see all my friends and family sometime. So that's on
[23:43] SPEAKER_02: my bucket list. And I also want to do more philanthropy. One of the things that I would like to do
[23:50] SPEAKER_02: would like to use this business to do is help educate more children in my community. I have always
[23:57] SPEAKER_02: said that if I were to do extremely well, I would like to set up a foundation for educating
[24:04] SPEAKER_02: children in my community community in Ghana and particularly young girls. So that's on my bucket list.
[24:13] SPEAKER_02: And the third is I'm often encouraged to write a book about my experiences doing this business.
[24:21] SPEAKER_02: And just experiences haven't had to leave home, leave Ghana at a young age. And my life experience
[24:29] SPEAKER_02: leaving home and being in Canada and having all my family in Ghana, I here would make an interesting
[24:36] SPEAKER_01: book. So maybe one day. Okay. Do you have any advice that you may have received that you can pass on
[24:44] SPEAKER_02: to entrepreneurs throughout BC? Yes, I, the one that sticks out clearly in my mind always. I have
[24:52] SPEAKER_02: so many. I have received so many. But one that I'd like to pass on at this stage is listen to your
[24:58] SPEAKER_02: banker. I list, I tell the story of years ago when I first started the business and I was doing
[25:04] SPEAKER_02: extremely well. And one of the bankers I worked with at an RBC in Milbe encouraged me to
[25:12] SPEAKER_02: increase my line of credit. And I said to him, oh no, no, no, I cannot do that. I'm afraid of debt.
[25:19] SPEAKER_02: I don't ever want to, I don't want to take on more debt. I don't want debt. And he said, well,
[25:23] SPEAKER_02: you're doing well now. And I think it's a good idea. If you don't use it, you don't use it. But
[25:28] SPEAKER_02: you have it. And typical, typical of a Ghanian, I wasn't going to do it. I, because it, it, it just
[25:34] SPEAKER_02: smacked of more debt. I didn't do it. And you would know it years, a few years after this conversation,
[25:41] SPEAKER_02: the markets crashed. And the business suffered greatly. And I wasn't able to get more credit
[25:47] SPEAKER_02: as easily as I would have at that time. And that's always stuck with me. And I've always said, you
[25:53] SPEAKER_02: know what? I should have listened to this wonderful banker. He had my interest in mind. And I did
[26:00] SPEAKER_02: not listen. And it's one that I regret. And so listen to your banker and take some of advice,
[26:08] SPEAKER_02: some of the financial advice they give because they know what they're talking about. I didn't know
[26:13] SPEAKER_01: anything about that stuff. And I didn't listen. So now do you regret? Do you use a financial advisor
[26:20] SPEAKER_02: in addition to bankers? I do. I do. It's certainly I do. My, my business account manager at RBC has just
[26:30] SPEAKER_02: been absolutely wonderful. And not just him, all the staff, all the...
[26:36] SPEAKER_01: Oh, this is so wonderful to enlighten it. Yeah, going through a little bit of a storm here today.
[26:45] SPEAKER_02: Wow, wow. Anyway, yes, all my, all my financial advisors, that's including the staff at RBC.
[26:55] SPEAKER_02: And my business manager has been just fabulous. And yes, I feel like I'm in this business with them
[27:03] SPEAKER_02: because I know deep down that they want me to succeed. And they've been very supportive
[27:11] SPEAKER_02: of seeing me to the end. And I feel very fortunate for that.
[27:16] SPEAKER_02: Okay, Gifty. And of course, my fan.
[27:19] SPEAKER_01: Sorry. Yeah, are you ready to have some fun?
[27:23] SPEAKER_01: I'm ready to have some fun. Okay, great. Okay, as you know, entrepreneurs are very, very
[27:28] SPEAKER_01: busy people earlier. You said that you got your talking to people from all over the world. And
[27:33] SPEAKER_01: you're on WhatsApp, you're on your phone all the time. But we're going to take you away from all that.
[27:37] SPEAKER_01: There's a small tropical island just off of Fiji that only has one phone booth there. There is no
[27:42] SPEAKER_01: internet. This place does exist. We're going to drop you off there. You won't have a computer or a
[27:46] SPEAKER_01: smartphone or a tablet. You can use the phone booth located there any time to call the boat.
[27:51] SPEAKER_01: We'll come pick you up. How long would you last before you made that call? And what would you do while you
[27:57] SPEAKER_02: were there? So it depends on if the people that with me. Because I'm a people person, if the people
[28:06] SPEAKER_02: there with me, I will last about two, probably 10 days. And then I would start thinking, oh,
[28:11] SPEAKER_02: I'm going to go back and work. But if there are not too many people with me, again, because I'm a
[28:19] SPEAKER_02: people person, there are no people that I will feel very isolated. However, I would want to rest.
[28:26] SPEAKER_02: And I think that I will meditate. I will walk quite a bit. And I don't think that I will last
[28:34] SPEAKER_02: more than five days doing that. Because I am not an isolationist. And I think after three days,
[28:46] SPEAKER_02: I would be well rested. And then I might do two days of just doing nothing. Then it would be time
[28:54] SPEAKER_02: to go home. Time to call the boat. We'll come pick you up. Yeah. If there are no people there,
[28:59] SPEAKER_01: then it would be time to go. Okay. Okay, Gifty, how can our listeners get whole of you? And is there
[29:05] SPEAKER_01: anything you would like to add before you leave us today? I would like to add that I am super, super
[29:14] SPEAKER_02: grateful for the opportunity to be heard and to share. And I can people can reach me through my
[29:21] SPEAKER_02: website, info at Shabaramarket or www.shabaramarket.com. And what I would like to add is that, you know,
[29:32] SPEAKER_02: we can all make a difference. My customers say to me, oh, you're so brave to be doing this business.
[29:37] SPEAKER_02: Oh, you're so talented. I don't think that's what it is. I think that I was fortunate to discover
[29:45] SPEAKER_02: that I can make a difference. And I know that when people participate in what we're doing,
[29:52] SPEAKER_02: and in what others are doing, they do make a difference. And that's what I would like to share
[29:59] SPEAKER_02: with everybody that in the things that we're doing, if we do it with the community in mind and
[30:06] SPEAKER_02: in heart, we do make a difference. And to just keep going. Okay. Thank you. Great. Okay. Well,
[30:13] SPEAKER_01: thank you for coming on the show. I've learned a lot about you. And I'm sure our listeners have as well.
[30:20] SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you for the opportunity. Okay. Great. We'll see you next time.
[30:24] SPEAKER_01: Thank you. Bye.
[30:27] SPEAKER_00: Hey there. Thanks for taking the time today to listen to Bank of his podcast on the Canada's podcast
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