I was on maternity leave in June 2011 when I got a hint that the division in the organisation I was working in was going to be closed by the end of the year. I felt the usual panic that comes with the possibility of losing one’s job.

I picked a phone and started having random conversations with my friends about what I could possibly do in case the unexpected happens (something I do every now and then when am overwhelmed).

After picking up pieces of several conversations I decided to do what Elizabeth Odunlami asked me to do. She simply asked me: what is it exactly that makes you happy? And I didn’t have to think about it so my outright answer was: Enterprise! I love enterprise.

That was when I finally came to terms with the fact that I needed to make that move that I had long contemplated. I have always believed that the need to earn a living is not enough to start a business. I will tell you why in a short while.

It was nothing close to good timing when I decided to start a business alongside my regular job because I had two toddlers to handle. I pulled out my business plan which had been sitting on my desk top for a year.

Abena Acheampong

I certainly did not have one-tenth of how much I needed to start, so I had to start from somewhere… somewhere very small and conservative. Unfortunately, I didn’t even have what would give me a small start.

In an attempt to raise funds for the start up, I contacted my mother who felt quite arm-twisted. Her reaction was: “you know the only money I have is my pension lump-sum which will not be prudent give out as a loan for something we aren’t sure of”. I felt bad and backed off.

One early morning in August 2011, she called me on her own and informed me that she had decided to give me a loan; her pension. I felt scared initially… Reality set in from that moment. Questions started popping up in my head.

The most prominent one was what if the business could not survive? But that was quickly counteracted by a superior question: what if it does more than survive? Mama did loan me some money which was not enough, but I know that is all she had; she would have given more.

After two years I still had my regular job and was still overseeing the day to day running of the business with 3 full term employees. Year-one was ok, Mama’s loan was paid off; and I was getting excited. Year-two was full of storms.

That was the bumpy ride stage for the business financially because we lost a couple of major clients. It occurred to me at some point to just close down and concentrate on my job since I had nothing to lose.

That was when the two other reasons why I desired to build an enterprise kicked in. My number two reason was to build a sustainable business and number three was to create employment. I thought of these two and then suddenly, the need to earn a living was no longer relevant (as I still had a job). Thankfully, reasons 2 and 3 kept me going until we went past our ‘hard-time-moments’.

This morning, when I got an SMS alert from the bank, wishing Travel & Logistics Pulse a “Happy 4th Birthday”, I smiled and said thank You Mama! And Thank you heavenly Father for bringing my way such a Fabulous Woman for a mother.

I was indeed made in Ghana by Mama.

Abena's mother