Joy Business Van: Turning crisis into business opportunity -Story of Pisen Ghana

At the peak of a power crisis which brought discomfort to individuals and businesses, four young men set out to find solutions to enable people to carry out their day to day activities with ease.

In a little bedroom corner, four childhood friends, Daniel Kwame Osafo, Nii Lantei Mills, Joseph Gyamerah-Ako and Leslie Okyere conceived the idea to market and distribute power banks.

“Energy is something we are all passionate about. So after the discussion, we did extensive research. We realized that everybody wanted a power solution but not many people had the money to afford a home unit, a generator system or a power inverter system”, Daniel told Joy Business’ Daryl Kwawu.

The quest to meet a need some 18 months ago led the determined men to secure a franchise from Pisen to distribute power banks and other mobile accessories. Today they have turned into very successful entrepreneurs.

It wasn’t all rosy, though. “We started as amateurs. We had to learn on the job every single day. We have had to make mistakes and rectify”, Joseph explained.

The business currently employs a core of over 20 capable individuals in various capacities overseeing a comprehensive operation that covers the entire country. They have a sprawling distribution network that has a presence in the retail shops of the major telecom companies and over 60 major shops in the open market.

Since its first sale, which was hand delivered, Pisen currently interacts with thousands of shoppers via online, retail channels, coordinated activation activities and targeted sales drives nationwide.

“Managing every single one is not easy at all but small small…’’, Nii Lantei admitted.

The four business partners have got a different mix of characters that give them the synergy to succeed at what they do. Daniel is very particular, Nii Lantei, the critic, Joseph is considered the pillar of the team and Leslie, free-spirited. What has kept them together is the bond they have built since childhood.

“We grew up in basic school, through to high school and the university. We have grown beyond being friends and business partners. We are family now. Everything we do, we do together”, Leslie added.

Pisen Ghana on the 21^st of May, 2016 picked up an award for the Best Mobile Accessory brand at the 6th edition of the Ghana Information Technology and Telecom Awards held in Accra.

The award recognized the giant strides Pisen has chalked in establishing the brand as a recognized name in the mobile and digital accessories business in Ghana.

The young entrepreneurs revealed their current efforts are geared towards expansion in West Africa to large replicate the success of the Ghanaian operation.