Business is War and Growing Your Business is the Only Way to Survive

It may be subtle or active such as Ninetendo vs PlayStation, but not growing your business guarantees a future without your business in it. Eventually you will be out of business even if you are just selling the popular waakye in a small community. Take what happened to Akyaa as a lesson.

Akyaa was the only one selling waakye in a 500-eater market and she enjoyed all the sales for the reason of being the only food seller on the market. She is reluctant to expand into other market or provide options for her customers because she even gets buyers from different community which sometimes creates shortage.

Eventually someone joins her in the food market, Afia an elderly woman who is retiring from carrying things around decide to setup kenkey and pepper on a table. Very few people, less than 50 buys from her but the food is not good enough and her sales drop to 20 eaters per day. The waakye seller jubilates as she witness’ her dominance in the market.

Afia listens to her critics and make an improvement on her pepper which gradually take sales to 60 eaters and becoming an option food. Her son who just completed her national service and can’t find a job with his business degree decides to help out with her mom. The presence of a handsome male attracts additional female customers increasing their sales to 80 eaters. Kofi upon realizing that kenkey selling is the only income of the family begins to pay attention to customers to increase their number. He even shares his contact with the ladies to call and check if there’s kenkey before coming.

They keep on increasing their quality and service conditions. One day a girl calls from the hostel and plead that the food be sent to her. Kofi asks his unemployed college friend who keeps hanging out with him to do him a favor and deliver the food. Soon other customers start requesting the food to be delivered and the two friends now add a delivery system to it.

The waakye seller starts complaining and telling people that Afia is using juju to steal her customers. The stress develops into anxiety which gives her stomach upset and headaches confirming her suspicions of juju. She starts visiting spiritual places and is given concoctions which have no FDA approval. She keeps falling sick and the quality of her waakye service is affected.

By this time, Kofi has stopped searching for job and is teaming up with his friend as full time kenkey sellers with the aim of expanding into other markets and other dishes. Delivery radius is increased, popularity of their food keeps growing and the ruling waakye seller is now reduced to rubbles.

The kenkey on a table has now evolved to become a growing restaurant. The faith of the waakye seller lies for any small business that refuses to grow, they become vulnerable to the growth of their competitor or the arrival of a big company. We are in a world where staying in business means dominating the market.