By fiifi DZANSI

On 6th March 1957, Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s Prime Minister, stood on a podium to declare Ghana an independent state.

That emotional speech sent jubilations across Ghana and beyond. 

Freedom, finally, was in the grips of Ghanaians. No more slavery. No more kowtowing to the Whiteman.

This freedom, though, didn’t walk in alone. It came with its own baggage. Some opportunities were lost, many more left uncreated.

Governments come and go. 

Challenges and problems keep staring at us. 

Solutions are scanty.

You’re fed up with your boss because you don’t want to be under somebody making the rules. You don’t want to be accountable to anyone. So you quit to be free – and run your own business.

Eventually, you realize being your own boss means carrying all the burden – paying tax, rent, utilities, employees. Every aspect of the business becomes your worry.

You stay up late thinking, working, drinking several mugs of coffee and eating junk food.

You see, independence is relative. Nobody is absolutely independent. All of us depend on oxygen, water and food to keep living.

As an entrepreneur, you depend on your employees to produce results. The success of your business is dependent on as to whether your clients keep coming back.

When starting your own business, keep a modest expectation because many of the lavish lifestyle painted by entrepreneurs is just a delusion.