At age 31, Mohammed Amin Mansur is breaking barriers in the field of carpentry.
Many are dazzled by his craft, with increasing demand for his products.
But the computer engineering graduate had to make a critical career decision; weighing his job as a systems administrator at a major hospital in Kumasi, to becoming a furniture producer.
Mohammed Amin had always admired his grandfather and desired to follow his steps as a successful carpenter.
He realized his part-time job as a systems administrator was not paying off.
His grandmother, Hajia Awuraba was his Good Samaritan who supported him financially to make ends meet.
Hajia Awuraba's words were plain to Mohammed Amin, "Keep faith and be loyal to yourself"
Mohammed Amin decided to go back to the drawing board.
He spent most of his free days monitoring his grandfather's carpentry work located near the family home.
Mohammed developed great interest in carpentry work. The opportunity presented itself one day when his grandfather asked him to try out furniture making.
"He said I should try it. If I fail, he would replace it for the owner. I did and got it right," he recalled.
He had to position himself well by doing stuff free-of-charge for friends within Aboabo Nima.
During that time, he needed to be more creative and add value to his newly found love.
Between 2013 and 2014, Mohammed Amin decided to convert a small part of his family home into a shop.
"My brother, Awal Fulani, later gave me his tent where he repaired phones for me to work," he said.
Mohammed later moved from the house to the tent and to his current location where he is now expanding.
He received ¢300 a month as a systems administrator but now makes an average of ¢3,000 in the same period.
Amin Furniture has six apprentices, and he has built a platform that attracts over 500 customers across the country.
Mohammed Amin says he is no longer interested in taking up computer engineering as full-time employment because of opportunities to serve many clients with his furniture works.
"I rather prefer to establish computer engineering shops,” he said.
It made sense for Mohammed Amin to take inspiration from his grandfather, Baba Razak, an entrepreneur for nearly three decades.
Baba Razak started his carpentry training in 1969 and completed in four years.
Between 1977 and 1979, he worked as a carpenter in Burkina Faso and Niger before moving to Cote D'Ivoire to ply his craft.
In the 1980s, Baba opened his shop at Royal Junction in the Asokore Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti region.
When Mohammed Amin decided to follow the steps of his grandfather, some family members opposed his carpentry venture.
His mother, Hajia Haritha Amin, was disappointed in her son for failing to pursue his career as a computer engineer.
Nine years after making the move, Mohammed Amin says he has no regrets.
He hopes to emerge one of the largest furniture producers in the country.
“The investment I made will aid rapid expansion in new regions across the country, attracting more customers and giving the best in fashion," he said.
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