Expansion of my real ghanaian smock business

Justice Kwasi

Nsawkaw, Ghana

100% repaid

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How it Works

Entrepreneur

Name

Justice Kwasi

Member since

January 2015

On-time repayments

190 installments • 14%

About Me

MY STORY
Am Okyere Paa Kwasi Justice, 30 years of age and a graduate of the Wa Polytechnic. i am also a tailor who specializes in men clothes especially smocks. i am also a good entrepreneur whose aim is to build my own business to bring back and also enhance the wearing of African fabrics. i was born in agona swedru in the central region of Ghana but moved with my father to the upper west region where my desire to learn smock making and tailoring as a whole began.i had a little tough time growing due to the separation of my birth parents which i had to leave with my grand mother until about my eighth year when i move to permanently to stay with my father. my interest in sewing and especially smock weaving all started as just having fun as the person who thought me was a family friend who i used to pay casual visits but i no time i had developed interest and so was put under apprenticeship where my desire and talent where coached and well harnessed to my own good. in all of this time my father still ensured that i got myself educated and so school was made a first priority for me. i went to the wa community JHS through to the NANDOM SHS where i did business as a course and proceeded to the Wa Polytechnic where i obtained a HND certificate in Accounting. in 2008, i had to come to the Tain district for my National service as part of a national requirement. life in a new environment was not easy and so the only alternative means of survival was for me to start my tailoring activities and through dedicaion, hardwork and committment things took a positive turn and since then i have not look back. initially i started with just sewing for close friends but the quality of my work brought other customers and the customer base diubled when i decided to introduce the sewing and selling of smocks, something that was new to most people at the time.i like selling and trading in general and as such selling of these products from about five years ago is what has kept me to this moment and seen me through my education. At the moment i have a shop where i sell these products, though very small it is my dream to see it grow. i have someone who is helping me out at the shop and paying him monthly. My dream is to see smocks made from Ghana and all other made in Ghana products especially made from fabrics take a center stage in the world market to be used as a means often reducing poverty in rural communities.
I am the first of eight children born to my parents. growing up from a large family like mine wasn't easy but through commitment and hardwork which was instilled in me by my father I never gave up but saw beyond the sky as my limit.
I currently live in nsawkaw which is located in the tain district of the brong ahafo region. it is a very cosmopolitan community with people from different backgrounds. the major form of economic activity here is farming and trading. mostly yams are farmed on large scale by most people especially men with the women also engaging in trading activities. the district is circled by the river tain, where the district takes it name from. there are some notable tourist sites but popular among them are the Bui dam which is a hydro electric power source for the country and also the beautiful caves at Hani where it is believed the inhabitants came from.
i have two beautiful daughters and a fiancee whom i am getting married to before the close of the eleventh month in 2015. am so lucky to have these kids of mine who are so intelligent and smart looking and healthy as well. the eldest of the two who is only seven tells me she would want to be nurse when she grows and i pray it comes through for her.

My Business

ABOUT MY BUSINESS
I am in the production (sewing))and sale of African wear especially smocks and other shirts. the smocks apart from their beautiful nature are mostly used worn to traditional events such as funerals, festivaIs and naming activities. they can also be seen in other social gatherings like church, parties and other official events as it has the tendency of giving people a sense of unique identity and this ensures that they are always in high demand.
i chose this kind of first and foremost because of my love and interest for arts. i see smock and dress making a form of art that only lovers of art will appreciate. also it is very lucrative when well managed and this brings huge returns.
have a lot of styles and design which people love to see and buy every day and this is generating a good profit for me and as such I want to expand my business and expand to other parts of the country and beyond and to also serve as an avenue to employ others who have no work to do. I currently have a shop at Nsawkaw where I have a apprentices who are effectively working hard for me and as such my customers are really appreciative of my work, good designs and quality fabrics.
profits from my business are used to ploughback in growing and expanding the business. with a lot of investment opportunities around, portions of profits are used to invest to accrue more profit and this helps me to take care of my other siblings and pay the school fees of my seven year old daughter and just recently also put the two year in school in the beginning of this academic year,
I would be glad to get this loan to be able to get access to the other regions and also spread my tentacles beyond the shores of Ghana in order to be able to fight the unemployment situation around here and also be able to good profit so as to be able to pay back. I promise to execute and respect the rules and regulation of this noble institution. Thank you.

Loan Proposal

This loan if granted, a bulk of it would be used to purchase more materials for production. since i do not do the weaving myself but buy from others i would used part of this loan to purchase from them. to come out with a well designed smock, one needs a well and beautifully woven fabric from a quality source to produced a well designed smock and this will involve placing orders weeks ahead and that will require placing cash ahead of time.
also to sell my products to customers in nearby communities, i need to move around frequently and that involve transportation cost which i intend to use part of my loan raised to cater for.
my business is very lucrative as it offers me the opportunity to make much profits. smock and other African wears is gradually taken center stage in Ghana. Some few years back, the government instituted a proposal that will ensure that most Ghanaians especially civil and public sector workers wear made in Ghana products to work and other state functions and ever since then demands for products like what I am into has really increased. it is soo fascinating to enter an office on a Friday and see many workers wearing made in Ghana goods. business men like myself have taken the opportunity to turn this novel idea into our advantage by making sure that these products are at the door step of everyone who needs them. on a weekly basis make more than enough to cater for my expenses such as production and transportation cost as well as electricity and also pay my employee at the end of the month and also be able to save some for further expansion and growth.
sales from my good products enables me to support my family in terms of feeding and school fees of my siblings as well as also save. it will also enable me to add more personnel to help as the expansion will require bringing on board more hands.
i intend to abide by all the conditions associated with zidisha and i am most grateful for the wonderful opportunity.
thank you.