In 2023, we decided to open up the US market so that we could expand our operations. Preparations went well and we were well received in the US among biking enthusiast. We had a lot of people supporting us and encouraging us to set up operations there.
Back in Ghana, I had left the business in the hands of three major people to ensure that there is proper operations, the Production Manager, the cashier and the Stores keeper. My assistant was due to have a baby and so she went on leave in late May, 2023.
Whilst I was in the states pushing for market entry, I had the trust that the managers in charge were doing a great job. I had been calling every day to get situational report from the Production manager and the picture painted was very nice and pleasant and so I was happy.
In June, one of my partners from Germany visited to see how production was going and he called to give me a different picture of what is happening. In June, I had a call from my bank that my cashier had presented a cheque and the cheque had actually been paid.
I could not recognize cheque number presented because I listed all the cheque numbers I signed and had them with me in the US for verification. Only to realize that this guy had fake my signature and had gone into my account 4 time and had withdrawn over 4000 Ghana cedis from the business account.
I quickly caused his arrest. The family came to settle the amount and he was jailed 6 months by the district court.
When I came to Ghana in August (I did not inform anyone of my coming) and the scene I was greeted with was an eyesore. The whole factory was bushy and production was very stagnant. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the production manager hardly even enter the factory when he comes to work.
He will sit at the office and when it was 5pm, he will pick his bag to go home. Of the orders that we had received, not even half had been produced. I had no option but to sack him and guy had the nerve to ask me about performance bonus. I asked God to give me the utmost patience.
In late October, we were to audit our stores and that was when I also realized that stores person had not kept any records ever since started his job. I called him to ask why and he had no excuse because he had been trained. I decided to let him also leave. After he left, I went to town to to procure some items he had been going to buy for the factory and I was amazed at the prices and the invoices he was presenting to us.
Most of the items I got them about half price or sometimes even 1/3 of the price he was quoting for us. I sacked him too. Most times, the youth especially young graduates will complain there are no jobs but when the opportunity comes, they put up all sorts of bad attitudes. Most people prefer government jobs to private jobs because of the freedom they will enjoy in the government.
Now, I need to sit down and refix everything again to get the business going. Sometimes, I wish I had never started this.
