Konnected Minds Podcast
Konnected Minds: Success, Wealth & Mindset. This show helps ambitious people crush limiting beliefs and build unstoppable confidence.
Created and Hosted by Derrick Abaitey
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Konnected Minds Podcast
The Quiet Billionaire: McDan's Journey to Building a Billion-Dollar Legacy in Africa - Dr Daniel McKorley
Dr. Daniel McKorley, known across Africa simply as McDan, welcomes us into his world with a startling confession: "I lost everything." This raw admission sets the tone for an extraordinary conversation about resilience, discipline, and the true meaning of wealth in the African context.
From his beginnings as a street boy in Labadi to becoming one of Ghana's most successful entrepreneurs, McDan's journey is a masterclass in turning adversity into advantage. "Starting as a messenger was the greatest opportunity I've ever had," he reveals, detailing how that humble position became the foundation for a business empire now spanning logistics, aviation, mining, and more. With over 7,000 employees, his net worth has surpassed a billion dollars—yet he still drives just one car and approaches life with disarming humility.
What separates McDan from others isn't just business acumen, but a profound philosophy that "your principle should be above your desire." He shares the three crucial stages of business development—infant, organic, and corporate—while explaining how most entrepreneurs fail during the critical transition phases. His approach to wealth creation follows a similar pattern: "When you're young, work hard. In middle age, work smart. Finally, let your money work for you."
Perhaps most surprising is McDan's perspective on parenting wealthy children. Despite his resources, he enrolled his son in a modest school and made him start as a security guard in the family business. "In our quest to give the best to our children, we rather destroy them," he cautions, advocating instead for teaching the value of work and discipline regardless of family wealth.
For aspiring entrepreneurs, his message is clear: you can start without money through sales, service, and value creation. Success depends on understanding what he calls the three pillars: "the street, the book, and God." This holistic approach has not only built his fortune but fueled his extensive philanthropic work through the McDan Foundation.
Ready to transform your mindset and approach to business? This conversation might just be the catalyst you need. Subscribe now and join the millions finding inspiration in McDan's brand of hope.
Watch the video episode of this on YouTube - https://linktr.ee/konnectedminds
I lost everything. I had to sell my car to pay my three four-week salary. That was the end.
Speaker 2:But it wasn't the end of me. You made your first million At what age 28,? Yes, 28. And then you lost it at what age 32.
Speaker 1:Every young man must have a price, and that is your principle, and your principle must be about your decision. What you accept will never upset, you will never frustrate, you will never depress. You need to be a master of your own feelings. How do we keep money?
Speaker 2:you are 20 years old again and you're about to start life. What decisions would you make?
Speaker 1:it's okay, this level. I wouldn't want to repeat some of them.
Speaker 2:What's the lowest scale of logistics that a young person can do? You can do.
Speaker 1:We have three stages of business life cycle the infant stage, the organic stage and the corporate stage. You can have a very good business plan, but it might be the wrong person for execution.
Speaker 2:The next billionaires in the world will come from Africa. Do you think you'll be the first Ghanaian to go on the?
Speaker 1:forums. My network has passed a billion. I really admire your energy.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Connected Minds Podcast. We set ourselves on the path of building a studio for our guests and for the audience, and we've done just that Today. I'm very pleased that the man I've got in the studio in our new studio today is Dr Daniel Makoli McDon. Everybody calls him across Africa. How excited are we our audience and myself to have him in our studio. He's done years of entrepreneurship. Look when we talk about old money. This conversation is going to be about old money and you know what it is. Old money lasts the longest. If you are here and it's your first time, please click the subscribe button and become part of the family and stay with me as I speak with an entrepreneur who has got many years experience in building businesses across the continent, serving the entire world with major businesses.
Speaker 2:Today we're going to delve deep into how he did it. You know this podcast is about how You're welcome to our studio, dr Daniel McCoy. Mcdan, everybody calls you, but I can't call you McDan. I have to call you Doc. No, no, no, you can call me anything you want. Thank you so much. I'm your brother, thank you. Thank you, thank you. First question I've read a bit about you, watched a lot of interviews and you know you keep talking about starting off as a messenger. How did you even get that opportunity to start with from the beginning Well.
Speaker 1:thank you very much for having me here. You have an impressive studio. Thank you, I'm very happy to be here. Starting up as a messenger is the greatest opportunities I've ever had. You know, at times it's not the big things that make the difference.
Speaker 1:It's the small things and how you take the small things very seriously. What I am today, I owe it to the person who gave me the job as a messenger. So, a poor young guy from Labadee selling on the street of Labadee, I went, a Saito boy. What do I have? I need to move on, feed myself and clothe myself, and there's opportunity.
Speaker 2:But you were a driver's mate yeah. And then you were working on a construction site yeah. And then you get working on a construction site yeah. And then you get an opportunity to become a messenger yeah. How did you get that opportunity? How did that come by?
Speaker 1:That was the greatest opportunity I ever had, because I was introduced to somebody into logistics. So when I got there, the man just asked my name. I said, well, I'm coming from this man. He said, okay, just go and sit at the corner there. I sat there the whole day, not a word to me. The following day I went and his assistant asked me to clean the office. I started cleaning the office, buying food for them, up and down, doing photocopies, so that's how it revolved.
Speaker 1:So at the end of the week, I mean they gave me some small bonus for cleaning and running the errands for them. I never even get an opportunity to touch anything logistics or shipping, so it's just an opportunity. With that, they got to know my discipline, my dedication. So I don't joke with little things in my life. So the little things I mean, I was quite dedicated to the little job I was given and one day one of the managers asked me to pick a document and go to the warehouse to look for cargo.
Speaker 2:That's how it all started. How did it then become an opportunity for you? How did it then?
Speaker 1:become an opportunity for you. Well, I mean a little corner. I had a little opportunity. I had to start there as a messenger, change everything. If I didn't get one step in, how would I become what I am today in?
Speaker 2:logistics. You know, there are many people who are messengers, even today. Yeah, and there were many people in your time, yeah, what do?
Speaker 1:you think made you different. Well, I could say there is discipline. It's discipline and focus. You know I was hungry. You know when you are hungry you are disciplined. You know hunger on an empty stomach your brain works faster. So that was it all. I was very hungry to do something for myself, not for anybody, for myself, I'm sure, a lot of young people and even your peers can still tell that the hunger is still there. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm hungry. Why hasn't it left after all these years?
Speaker 1:Well, I've never reached half of my real potential.
Speaker 2:Where I am today, I have never reached half of what I want to be. Wow, yeah, you know, when you grew up in a big family like yourself I think you heard about my other siblings yes, and you come out of that family as a breadwinner. How does it feel like?
Speaker 1:You feel full, humbled. I mean, who are you? The favor of God. You see the God factor as you move in this journey, never let go the God factor Every step you take. How special are you. To be a breadwinner? It's a favor, it's the favor of God. Be a breadwinner it's a favor, it's the favor of God. So you have to be humbled for God to make you a breadwinner of a big family.
Speaker 2:I read a quote by I think it's Mikel Obi yesterday, and then he was saying that in Africa, when you make money, it is not just for you.
Speaker 1:That's very true. That that's very true. That's very true. You need to share. God brought us here. God knows why he brought us here.
Speaker 2:So making money is an opportunity you have to share the early stages, when you first made you know some money. Yeah, how was it like in the family? The position you have in the family, how did it influence your relationship with your siblings?
Speaker 1:Well, when I was growing up, you never noticed what I was doing. You can't tell my wife, so I did what I had to do for my family and extended family and my friends. You need to help. This is what God brought us To see other people around you smiling. It makes you fulfilled. How do you want to be the only one at the top? You have to pull people along with you. That's what makes a big difference.
Speaker 2:Did you show that you had enough to the family members or you made it look a bit low-key?
Speaker 1:You can't show off where we're coming from. Till today I use one car. I am who I am and it's dangerous. You don't want anybody to feel bad. And also, when you recognize that it's a favor, it's just a favor. Who are you? You have to keep the same humble steps. So you always ask God to give you the right tongue and keep your steps right, that you will not be a thorn in somebody's flesh. So your environment must be light. Wherever you find yourself, there must be light around you.
Speaker 1:That's how you have to move in our environment, why? Well, your light is also lighting other candles. Being light in your environment should let people draw some kind of hope. As I keep telling people, magdan brand is a brand of hope, so you have to keep that candle burning every day.
Speaker 2:I get asked this question a lot, mr Derek. I'm trying to do business, but there's a lot of family pressure, from both extended and nuclear. How do you manage that? How do you manage that? Because when you first come to money and you are from a big family and that pressure is on, don't you think there's a strategy you have to use to be able to keep building without losing what you have?
Speaker 1:Well, you have to help, but there's an extent of how you have to help whilst you are building yourself. So if the little you have you share, how do you begin to help more people? So you have to use a bit of wisdom. Build yourself first. Maybe in your little corner you can help two people, three people. Don't be too proud about that. Concentrate to build yourself. When you build yourself, you can help a million people. So that is how the philosophy should go. You can only get to that level when your principle is above your desire. Can you explain that? What I mean? We belong to a world where we are ahead of, we are personalized, it's ahead of the things we do. It's all had to do with desire, but as a young man, young woman coming up, your principle should have principle. Your principle should be above your desire.
Speaker 2:What would you say? Your principles has been Always above my desire.
Speaker 1:That makes you think and make you resilient, because every young man, you must have a price, and that is your principle, and your principle must be above your design it's.
Speaker 2:It's exciting to see that even at your level, I can still see so much resilience and hunger. Like speaking to you right now, I can still see and I can still feel it in your voice, that you're still really going hard, you know, for what you really want and how you want to impact people. Yeah. Because, and just today these young people were asking me how come there are people who make money.
Speaker 2:They wait at a later stage in their life maybe you know 70, 80, then they start, you know, philanthropy work, and there are people they start very young. What do you think the difference is?
Speaker 1:This is a very important question. You know giving must come free. I started doing charity 20 years ago. I didn't start yesterday. The little I had I shared. You can check some of the features, the videos in my past. Before I was doing it low-key. Okay, I 20 years ago, actually 23 years ago I was doing it very low-key. But you get to a point you can't control how you give anymore and it is very difficult to do philanthropic work here. If you do it for show, you can't continue. It had to come from within. We have been very consistent. We have the biggest foundations in Ghana. A lot of people don't know Is it self-funded? Self-funded or self-funded? I mean a percentage of what comes in. We use it for the foundation and it's all about impact.
Speaker 2:Why do you think it's important to give, even at a scale that you are giving?
Speaker 1:Why is it not important to give? It is important to give. Look at the environment that we live in. One day, if we don't give, it will all turn back on us. We are living in a very toxic, serious environment whereby we have to give. For me, giving back to the youth is not really the goodies, it's not really the things I do for them, it's all about mindset. That is why the connect, the Magdan Youth Connect, an entrepreneurial challenge Apart from that you can see we have different section, health, women especially.
Speaker 1:It's all about empowerment, but how to change the mindset of an ordinary youth on the streets?
Speaker 2:Do you think a change in mindset would help build people's lives financially? That is all that is about. How do you create that connection?
Speaker 1:Well, I'm not the kind of guy that gives fish. I teach or show the youth how to fish. It's all about mindset. You know we cannot go about giving fish. We have to take them out to fish. So it's all about a mindset. How do you understand, if you have 100 cities? How do you think you'll be disciplined to spend it At the end of the day, even making profit? You have to understand what is profit.
Speaker 2:You also have to understand your environment.
Speaker 1:So if we, those who are one step ahead of the rest, can sacrifice some time and bring these youth together to tell them that, look, you have to understand the streets, the book and God you should know these three come together in our ecosystem.
Speaker 2:The street- the book and God. Okay, let's take streets. Why streets? Because I know you're a street boy. Yeah, what values did the street teach you that has been valuable in your business dealings today.
Speaker 1:Well, you know hunger, you know. The street taught me how to fight. The street taught me how to win. The street taught me how to win. The street taught me how to respect and subject to authority. In those days I mean, you're rough but you should know you have seniors, you have to have principles. You have to go around your seniors, you have to fight. I had to go around your seniors, you have to fight, I had. May her soul rest in peace. I had an illiterate, well-cultured African woman who was my mother, who taught me the street. My mother taught me how to survive. You won't go out and cry home. When you cry home, she'll beat you and go back and come home smiling. That was my mother. So that is the street. And the street also teaches you that one plus one is not two, one plus one is actually three.
Speaker 2:On the street All right, you want to break it down for me? You know you got to win.
Speaker 1:Whatever you do, you got to win, but a lot of people don't know there's a lot of humility to learn on the street the street can humble you.
Speaker 2:So me, I'm not from the street. So if you're teaching me the mindset of the street, what would you teach me today?
Speaker 1:Go and get bruises and come back. Go and get bruises and come back. There's a lot of fellow you know our life. Bruises and come back. Okay, go and get bruises and come back. There's a lot of fellows. You know our life, the ecosystem that we live in today. Right, we have to understand our own environment.
Speaker 1:We have to understand how your street might not be my street, your street might be another street, your street might not be my street, your street might be another street, your street might be not giving up and whatever you touch, rather you are successful, you are mine.
Speaker 1:Maybe the next thing is to buy a private jet for yourself. You understand, but how do you want to for yourself? You understand, but how do you want to succeed? How do you want to try? Do you just quit, or do you just say no to what is difficult? How many times do you come back? Those are the days on the street.
Speaker 2:So now let's talk about the books. Yeah, why are the books important for success?
Speaker 1:You know the world is changing so fast and if you don't go by the book, you won't reach far. The world has become a global village. You have to go to school, pick a degree and pick another degree, and pick another degree. You know you need to move. I dropped. I was a dropout from school. I got to go to university. I I was dropped out for 15 years. I went back to school to pick my degree. I came back to work and went back to pick my master's.
Speaker 2:Which at that point I think one of your interviews you said you had over 30 million, 40. I had some good money, Good money in your account, Some good money. Why were you still able to maintain the composure to you know, go back to school and sit in the classroom for how were you able to do that?
Speaker 1:You know, as you move in life there's something called self-actualization. Okay, you need to get to that level that you will not get shortchanged. At least I did this also for my children. If daddy can go back to school after 40, what excuse do you have? I did it for the youth of today. If the youth of today can read my book and say my colleague went back to school after 40. I was one of the best students Made time.
Speaker 1:Still, you know it is difficult to have money and be disciplined. Talk to me, it's difficult to be sitting on good cash, to be disciplined. So how do you compose yourself? You know there's something called attitude. Attitude has been better than you Just imagine. You're waking up at 3 am, 4 am, sitting by a book, learn till 7 or 6, move to the office, work, check your time. 4, 5 o'clock you're on a motorbike to classroom for a quiz. After quiz you get back to the office. After school you get back to the office and from the office you get home around 10, 11. You need discipline. You need to be disciplined to do that.
Speaker 2:Meanwhile you have money. It's not an easy journey. I think a lot of the time we speak about have discipline, have composure, especially on the topic of discipline. We say this a lot, but what system do you have in place to make sure that you do what you said you want to do?
Speaker 1:everything has to start with you. It's you, it's nobody else. Discipline starts with you.
Speaker 1:And if you want to be successful, very successful, you have to be disciplined. I always talk about discipline because the next world is discipline. Look, you can be as successful as you want to be, but when you are not disciplined, that will be very difficult. I always say that a success without story is not a success. You can't just get up and say I'm a billionaire without a start. It's not a success. You can't just get up and say I'm a billionaire without a story. You should have a history. You cannot be rich without history. You can't do what you want to do without proper history. There must be history in your world. Let me stop you here for a minute.
Speaker 2:We are on the journey of changing the minds and the lives of people, so if you haven't subscribed and become part of the family, please hit the subscribe button and turn on the notification. Thank you. Now let's carry on with the conversation. Well, so we're going to go back to how you made your first million. This question they've asked me so many times. When you do sit in this chair, I have to ask you, because we know that you were a messenger then you worked in a construction site, you were a driver's mate as well, you were a people teacher at a point as well. But how did you make that first million?
Speaker 1:okay, let me, let me, let me, let me, let me tell you at that point, I was working between airport and Tamapot and I started selling maize. So Fridays I leave for Techie man to buy maize during bumper harvest. I bring it all the way to Insawong. I have some warehouses there. During bumper harvest I can store maize, call quality control to come and fumigate the whole place for me, Leave it there and go back to work.
Speaker 1:I was making some small money, also around the mpak-pak-pak movement. During lean season I could sell the same maize four times the same price Whenever it sold. I add a profit and I will increase my quantity. I will add a profit and increase my quantity. Add a profit, increase my quantity. Earn a profit, increase my quantity. I made so much money During those days in my journey of buying maize I noticed that Robusta coffee there's a lot of coffee in the interlands, so I started buying coffee, the raw coffee. I was buying coffee at May's, so I started exporting the coffee. I have a client in Europe called Euro Commodities, At the same time also my logistics business, so I had to buy instead of hiring trucks. I have to buy my first truck out of the profit to be able to make more profit.
Speaker 2:Okay, so at this level, what was your education level At that?
Speaker 1:level. I was struggling to go to university. I was a school dropout, so everything you knew was from the streets, from the streets.
Speaker 2:So you applied the principles on the streets.
Speaker 1:On the streets with a little bit of discipline.
Speaker 2:To make your first million, to make my first million. Did you see the money in cash? Oh yeah, I was collecting cash, man.
Speaker 1:And how did you feel? You know you go and lie down. You feel like God, but you step out of the room you feel humble and a boy coming this way. But you cannot notice what I was making. I was driving Fiat Ritmo. You can Google Fiat Ritmo. You bet your first million dollars. The car I was driving was Fiat Ritmo, a diesel engine.
Speaker 2:What was your plan that time? If we take you back to that first million, what was your plan to grow?
Speaker 1:that money. It wasn't enough for me. Honestly speaking, I knew I could do more, because it was like an opening. I said, look, just keep going, just keep going, just keep going and eventually I lost all. How did you lose it? I lost all. How did you lose it? I lost everything. I had to sell my car to pay my three four-week salary. You know greed. You know greed can, when you are too much hungry and the grid is set, it's okay, but it's not the path and the experience that you have to. I lost all. I bought the whole warehouse of coffee and the price of coffee went down and I decided to keep it for another season, for the price to rise again.
Speaker 2:Later did.
Speaker 1:I know that I have to insure the whole stuff, so I didn't insure it. I left for school. I was doing my diploma course in Le western region. That was the end of that.
Speaker 2:But it wasn't the end of me. When the phone call came, how did you sound after they?
Speaker 1:told you I was calm. I've never reacted to problems. Why I don't react to problems?
Speaker 2:Why do I react?
Speaker 1:Don't use feelings. When God wants something to happen, it happens, so at times you need to leave the space for God To let it play out.
Speaker 2:Don't use feelings. Don't use feelings, Please. You have to get deep into this one. I really want to learn.
Speaker 1:At times we react. We use feelings to deal with issues. Don't use feelings, you see what you accept will never upset you. Hmm. What you accept in your life will never frustrate you. What you accept will never depress you. So you need to be a master of your own feelings. The world is a wonderful place. If you want to be a very good leader, be in charge of yourself first.
Speaker 2:a very good leader, be in charge of yourself. First you made your first million. At what age 28,? Yes, 28. And then you lost it at what age 22. These times you had family, your own family, yes, yes, and they were in good schools. I guess, from the million, you probably put them in good schools. I guess, from the million, you probably put them in good schools.
Speaker 1:I'm just trying to think how you carry on. Normally my children are like modest schools. As I'm talking to one of my sons. He's in Saito.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my last, but one sign says I do Okay, please. Why? I want him to be tough a little. I want a school that use the road. I want a school that can walk in and out and understand that, look, you can't take a lunchbox to school, take money and go and buy some, watch it by the street and sit in the classroom and learn. That is my life. So I want to give him that kind of training to see, and I have not regretted doing that.
Speaker 2:Is this coming from a father who has worked so hard for what he has, so he's trying to install certain values in the kids. So now what is happening is do you think you can really really?
Speaker 1:see yourself in any of your children. Oh, yes, okay, I I. You know I cannot be more successful than my children. Immediately, I become more successful than my children. I'm a failure as a father. How do you become more successful than your children? Your children have to be more successful than you.
Speaker 2:Even though your time was different. The type of struggle you have seen to break out to this level, you know in our quest nowadays, in our quest try to give the best to our children.
Speaker 1:We'd rather destroy them. That is what is going on right now in the world. In our quest to give the best to our children, we give back to them. Go to America, go and have your education, do this and all that We'd rather to them. Go to America, go and have your education, do this and all that. We rather destroy them. We feel we are giving them the best of life, but we rather destroy them. Let them keep their simple life, let them be normal.
Speaker 1:And to you what is normal, my son started working in my company as a security guard messenger. Also, he went through the mail.
Speaker 2:So you see, let's say that's Noma, right, yeah, must we always come from poverty?
Speaker 1:No, no, no no, no, poverty is really a curse. It mustn't be, do you understand? That's why you have to fight out of it, the mindset, mindset. You see, I look at my son's face and I say, do you understand the value for money? You understand, be normal. Do you understand the value of money? You have to work for something. You have to understand the environment.
Speaker 2:Wow. I think that session was for me.
Speaker 1:Not exactly for the audience.
Speaker 2:It was for me, yeah yeah, yeah, thank you, thank you. So there is a stage in our lives where we make money, then we learn to keep money, then we learn to keep money, then we learn to grow money. How do we keep money?
Speaker 1:You see, there are three stages of life. When you are young, you work hard, very hard. Relatively, somebody will ask you what is hard, but I don't want to miss words. When you are young, you work hard. The number of hours you work.
Speaker 1:I remember one time I was selling books. I was a canvasser going from office to office to sell books by two o'clock. I'm done. One day I sat down and said coming home at two o'clock, what do I use the rest of the time for? Though? I was teaching the children around my area and I was making some pakapa something small from the parents At that time the parents in the area. I teach their children. They give me food, Some give me money. So I use from after school hours, I gather the children and I teach them. One day I said no, I can do more hours. So I changed the concept. I started selling the books in the Mokola market. So I was going from. That was when I was going from one shop to another shop. That's where I got to know that women are so passionate about their children they bought every book for their child, though they can't read and write. So when you're young, you work very hard. When you reach middle age, you work smart.
Speaker 2:Okay, what does working smart mean?
Speaker 1:Working smart is you have to evaluate yourself well. You have to analyze things well. You have to work with a different level of mindset. While you are using your network, the network becomes your net worth. At that level, you take a gentle, giant steps. That is you're working smart. How to turn the little you have around? You're working smart. Your investments how you choose your investments. You have to work smart.
Speaker 2:And then the last level. You have to let your money work for you. Your money must work for you. At which level? Let's say you start off at 17,. Hustle At which level if everything works out? Which age do you think it's good to start letting money work for us? It varies.
Speaker 1:You know, in our continent we don't become rich very early. You know we don't become rich very early why it's hard and we don't have access to so many things. You know it's hard, we don't have access to so many things. There's no real defined way of having steps to Christ like having those steps up. You go, you fall, you rise, you clean yourself, you move in there. The odds are always against you. So we don't become rich that early. So you're looking at your late 50s, from 48 into your 50s, 60s. That is where your money can start or will start working for you If you are lucky and it hits you at your doorsteps Because you see you have to be embedded in user level of risk, okay Right, if you have that risk element in you, it could be good, it could be bad.
Speaker 1:If you are satisfied with the little that you have, fine, your money can work for you. But if you get to that level where your appetite for risk like I woke up one day and said I want to do salt that's a huge appetite for risk. So it depends on how you appetite Then at the level you know look, I have a couple of million dollars that it worked for me. You're a very fearless man. Because even that salt project.
Speaker 2:I was just looking at it and I watched a video from Maya and watched several interviews of you. I'm just doing this. Man says nobody had tried and succeeded but he did it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he started with challenges, but yeah.
Speaker 2:If a gun was put to your face right now on that land, how would you feel inside?
Speaker 1:Well, I have done something. I mean, you see, whatever you're going to do in life, 99% of the people will say don't do it, it's risky, it's dangerous. Right, listen to them, it's okay. Right, If you are able to do it or if you are not able to do it, it's either you are making the greatest mistakes of your life or you are making history, a history that changes people's life, and whatever step you take is not your steps, it's not for you alone. Certain businesses you do in a country like Ghana, it's going to be just you. So you get to a level you become a national asset, a national asset like you're changing your country, ali.
Speaker 2:Kodango has done it, Mahika Dinuga has done it and two other people, Femi Otidola, and I have had conversations and I've said that a small country like Ghana for us to have a lot of Beleners like the way Nigerians have. We need government support.
Speaker 1:Do you agree?
Speaker 2:Well, I agree.
Speaker 1:I mean, government is the biggest stakeholder in whatever business we do. It is very, very important. And you see, businessmen, all we need is regulations and the policies, the right policies framework. Government can give you money. You know, we know how to raise our money, no matter how difficult it is. We know how to raise our money. But we need a right business environment to succeed. We come from a country where we don't own anything. If you go to the telecom sector, it's owned by British and South Africans. If you go to the mining sector, it's owned by South Africans and Australians. You go to the construction sector, it's owned by Chinese and Italians, not the Turkish. If you go to manufacturing, even retail, it's owned by the Malcolm, the Indians, the Palisades, the Lebanese. It's okay, but why do we stand?
Speaker 2:as an indigenous business man, and for me, I think, if there's a deliberate action from government to support certain entrepreneurs to get on the Forbes list as billionaires from Ghana, it also makes the country look attractive to foreign investors. Well, we have to understand that as a country and we have to be that as a country and we have to be intentional about that.
Speaker 2:But then the problem is that when I get a contract, people will be sitting there saying that I was favored to get a contract, because they don't understand that at a level, those contracts are needed to be able to claim the position of entrepreneurship in the country and allow foreign investors to also able to claim the position of entrepreneurship in the country and allow foreign investors to also bring money into the country.
Speaker 1:Well, that is the country we live in, but that shouldn't discourage anybody. Don't forget that Oceania was signed for Jesus Christ. The same people who signed the Oceania less than 24 hours, they said, crucified him.
Speaker 2:But how do you navigate that, you yourself? How do you navigate? You just don't.
Speaker 1:You see, you have to be a bit resilient. You have to be what you call favored. Ghana is our country. We have nowhere to go. You have to be focused as a businessman. The most important thing you do as a businessman is your integrity. Work with a high level of integrity. Be very purposeful about that. Be honest to your dealings. We rise and fall. We can rise and fall, we can give and take, but you have to be focused. You have to fight on. Yeah.
Speaker 2:You are 20 years old again, yeah, and you're about to start life. What decisions would you make?
Speaker 1:Well, I have to check my time very carefully. I have to check my time very carefully. I have to check my circles of friends. I have to be able to be, more disciplined for what I have said, and I have to be able to see right from wrong. It's okay to make mistakes, but at this level, 20 year old, I wouldn't want to repeat some of them.
Speaker 2:Hmm, yeah, what's one mistake you can remember in your years of doing business that we can learn from?
Speaker 1:One of them is what I told you. I mean not insuring my whole. Yeah, they said that it's wiped off. We have to be able to have that level of security. I've been in millions because of, let's say, 10,000. I've been in millions because of let's say 10,000.
Speaker 2:This path that you've chosen to become who you are. Would you have chosen the same path?
Speaker 1:I would never change for any other path. I would never change.
Speaker 2:You understand Ghana very much more than a lot of young Ghanaians and especially people with you from the diaspora. Yeah, If I asked you today to give me five businesses, much more than a lot of young Ghanians and especially people from the diaspora. If I asked you today to give me five businesses that you think I can do today, or anybody else watching this can do today, what would it be?
Speaker 1:I would divide the business into two. Okay, right, the service industry from the early 90s picked up the service industry. I would want young people to also look into the service industry. What sort of services are we talking about? If you look at logistics, for instance, it's service, it's totally service. Some of my business you look at it, they're totally service.
Speaker 2:What's the lowest scale of logistics that a young person can do, which say 20,000 CDs Packaging, okay.
Speaker 1:You can do packaging you and also help the bigger wholesalers or the shops for deliveries. Don't forget that the richest company in the world, one of the richest companies, is into logistics. It's a logistic company. Amazon Amazon is basically a logistic company. Amazon Amazon is basically a logistic company.
Speaker 2:What other service can you think of? I on top of my head.
Speaker 1:You can start from buying and selling. I'm going to base. I was there before and our business would never collapse. It would never. That says that young people are not taking it seriously. What is the bag of maize on the markets today? I have no idea these are 600 okay's over 600.
Speaker 2:Okay, is it 600 or?
Speaker 1:700? I'm not so sure, I'm not sure. And in the interlands where you get to Accra the price is double, and the other businesses too. You can start without money.
Speaker 2:Okay, talk to me. What business can I do without money?
Speaker 1:This is such a big question. I'm sure you've been asked before it's such a big question. You can start without money, see, but you have to be honest. All right, see, my only problem in this day many of the young guys now they don't want to serve. So there's a lot of honor in service. Look around you. There's a lot of buildings going on around you. Where do you think they buy their produce from? There are contractors all around the place. Can?
Speaker 1:you tell me that a hungry boy or a hungry girl can't sell a square meter of towels to a contractor, a good salesperson without money.
Speaker 2:You can, you can I think you heard it without money you can you can I think you heard it essentially build value in sales, sales and marketing. Find the products you want to sell and then look for a supplier in the market. You just go. There's no company in the market that will reject a sale and then just put yours on it. That's it, that's it. If that's it, if you repeat that so many times, that's cash flow. It will fly.
Speaker 1:Serious cash flow.
Speaker 2:Because this question keeps coming how do I start a business without money?
Speaker 1:Maybe now I'm beginning to get it that the people that ask the question are not willing to develop themselves as well. Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Develop themselves as well. Yes, yes, yes, yeah, yeah, any more business that I can do I'm moving to Ghana as well. Any more business I can give you a lot.
Speaker 1:I can give you a lot. We can talk. I can give you a lot of business. So many businesses around here. I've not even talked about that great. 20,000 is a lot of money. 20,000 cities, it's a lot of money. It's a lot of money. I give interest-free loan to women. That's my foundation. So far I've supported over 3,000-4,000 women on interest-free loan. I gave a woman with two kids $6,000 for a chopper. Less than one year she's made $80,000. A chopper Okay, $6,000 to run a chopper.
Speaker 2:Why are you so interested in entrepreneurship?
Speaker 1:You know, entrepreneurship it's anything that gives impact. Yes, just impact. Look, I build astroturf around this city. Somebody asks why astroTherps? Anywhere I build AstroTherps. I build four AstroTherps around the city and I'm building more by next year. By this time I should be able to build about 10.
Speaker 1:It creates a lot of economic activities. You have one in Lombardi. One time they were playing soccer. I got down during halftime. I could count as much as 90 vendors. What are they selling? Yam Chofi Tokbay? You know, those are the things Coconuts I mean. So you realize that it brings a lot of economic activity. Those are the things, coconut. So you realize that it brings a lot of economic activity in the area. You support the women. I help women a lot. That is why I have two programs, even three, for women. I have the health care for widows, I have the widows program and I have the interest-free loan for women. I have the health care for widows, I have the widows program and I have the interest-free loan for women, and I'm still moving. I want to help as many women as I can, you know. So it's very impactful for somebody who just gave six thousand to come out with such a success story. Yeah, it's very impactful With two kids, and what I do also is with widows and less privileged women. I pick their kids on my scholarship models.
Speaker 2:Wow, you have this challenge. You know the Magdan Youth Connect that you do, and then also your entrepreneurship challenge as well. I know Prophet Prakash has been on one of your panels recently. He's a wonderful person. Yeah, yeah, lovely man. He's actually one of the reasons why, this conversation is also happening.
Speaker 2:So kudos, wonderful person, yeah, yeah, lovely man. He's actually the reason, one of the reasons, why this conversation is also happening. So kudos to you, prof. When you see these entrepreneurs come to you with these business plans, can you tell the ones that can truly do well aside their business plans? Can you tell, do you have an egg about who can actually do well?
Speaker 1:Definitely you see, the business itself is number one. The person behind the business is the most important. You can have a very good business plan, but it might be the wrong person for execution. In this world we have three people. We have people who can sit and think about a business plan. They know everything when it comes to business, but when you give them execution, zero. We have the second type of people, who don't have ideas but they execute. And we have the third type of people who are only 2% in the world.
Speaker 1:They can sit and nurture a business idea. Put plans together and move and it will be successful. So the entrepreneurial challenge with me. I look at the person behind the business. What?
Speaker 2:do you see? What do you look for?
Speaker 1:Well, it's the attitude. Okay, you see, making money or becoming wealthy, 70% is your attitude, 25% is the skill, 5% is the skill, 5% is the knowledge. So, if you want to be very successful, 70% should be your attitude. Attitude is everything.
Speaker 2:Let me stop you here for a minute.
Speaker 2:We are on a journey of changing the minds and the lives of people. So if you haven't subscribed and become part of the family, please hit the subscribe button and turn on the notification. Thank you. Now let's carry on with the conversation. Well, at this point in the conversation, we're going to take questions from our connected champions. So these are the champions that usually get one of these, and these champions are in our connected academy platform, and the first question is from Kelvin. Some of these questions I may have already asked you, so I'll just take their names quickly. Kelvin says that if everything crashed today, what skill or mindset would help you rebuild?
Speaker 1:My strength, my braveness and discipline, that's all. That is why, if I mean as a businessman, everything can crash, but you can't lie down there. You've got other pieces get up and move. You can't break. You shouldn't break.
Speaker 2:Things happen. You know when things go down. Sometimes it can affect your ability to make decisions as well.
Speaker 1:Definitely, but how?
Speaker 2:do you deal with?
Speaker 1:that you have to accept it's acceptance.
Speaker 2:It's the same acceptance.
Speaker 1:You understand there is a God right. When Job was tried by the devil, the only thing God asked the devil not to touch is his life. So you must have life. You can't break. You shouldn't break. If you are I mean how you manage to get you should. Surely you always come back? That is why, as a businessman, keep your integrity very high.
Speaker 2:I want to test your knowledge and I've asked this question in our previous big episode how many businesses and industries do you have?
Speaker 1:Well, I'm scaling down to only three or four, okay.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, within the.
Speaker 1:Magdan group. Yeah, I have the salt, the mining, yep, I have the aviation, I have the logistics and I have construction, construction, hydro work together.
Speaker 2:So this is, let's say, five or six industries. Why is it important to diversify into different industries?
Speaker 1:Well, we are living in Africa.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Opportunities are always there, right.
Speaker 2:Salt.
Speaker 1:What do I want in salt? You know, the next billionaires on the continent or in the world will come from Africa, and those billionaires will be owning our own resources. So why do we live in the space of mining? Salt is a big shit, I mean, it's a big thing.
Speaker 2:Do you think you'll be the first Ghanaian to go on the Forbes?
Speaker 1:Oh, I mean there are other Ghanaians also moving, but I'm almost there. Forbes for once. Forbes for once.
Speaker 2:To list you as a billionaire.
Speaker 1:I've passed the billionaire. I've passed that level. My net worth has passed a billion.
Speaker 2:I really admire your energy. I must say Feels like mentorship session for me. It's crazy. Wow, we have a question from.
Speaker 1:I see I'm saying this to encourage people. Wow, we have a question from. But you see I'm saying this to encourage people. Yes, not to show as a show, absolutely as a sign of show off. You know, we, we have to do what we have to do. At the same time, keep our humble steps. There's no need to go flag who you are anywhere. No need, absolutely no need. I am saying this to let the youth know that if Magdan from the streets can reach here, if Magdan from the street can reach here, who am I? I am 100 steps ahead of Magdan when Magdan was 20 or 30. So no need to brag. I'm just telling you to encourage people.
Speaker 1:I keep telling people that my brand is a brand of hope. It's a brand. It's the only brand in Ghana I call a brand of hope. I can testify to that. Yes, because I want any young man who look at a brand to say, wow, I want to be like that brand, I want to build that brand, I want to be bigger like that brand, I want to build that brand, I want to be bigger than that brand. That is all that I'm doing with this youth thing and mindset stuff. If the boy from Labadi. The street boy can build a brand.
Speaker 2:I can also do it. Yup, and you know, he's probably one of the first people I have personally met who writes a book, a book, 288 pages, book. And this is not. It's not a fake print or anything, it's a colored book and gives it out for free. I was just when I got a copy. I was like this has everything your principles, everything. You've written it here and given it out for free.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's for the youth. I mean, One girl came to me she needed help. She needed help in business and all that. I was busy. I gave her 10 minutes of my time and I said, look, take this book, go and read it and come back and let me see how best I can help you. She came back to me and told me that, Mr Makole, I really don't need your help anymore. I got all the help in the book. What I needed, I got it in the book.
Speaker 1:So, this is why I'm giving out for free. The youth should read it. What do you think the youth are really missing when it comes to making money? What they are missing is focus and discipline. They are not disciplined. They attach the wrong attitude towards almost everything they do. But when I check the numbers that meet me at the challenge, ghanaian youth are Smart One of the most smartest been on this continent, ghanaian youth but the attitude. That is why I'm advocating to the Ministry of Education that the curriculum for the university, technical University, should be two years in the classroom, one year industry. Come back the fourth year. Come and graduate, yes, so that the student will get closer to industry Immediately. You go through technical university, you're already an entrepreneur.
Speaker 2:Do you think entrepreneurship is what can save Africa from our economic challenges?
Speaker 1:Leadership. It's entrepreneurship and leadership. Okay, you understand, the right leaders getting into polities, governance and all that. The right leadership and also entrepreneurship, because we have too much on the continent. So it's entrepreneurship and governance.
Speaker 2:And leadership. I agree. How many people does McDonnell Group employ in total?
Speaker 1:Well, so far, about 7,000 direct. At the same time, whilst you go, you are cleaning up A section which is not disciplined. Disciplined has to be cleaned up. Reset going home. You clean up, you sit, you reset. Discipline is really killing our environment At this level.
Speaker 2:how much of that day-to-day are you involved in?
Speaker 1:You know, you build a system, you want to be a very big entrepreneur. We have three stages of business lifecycle the infant stage, the organic stage and the corporate stage. The infant stage, where the young man was running around taking coffee, maize and into a warehouse moving up and down. That's the infant stage, where you, you, you have a uh, you have to move to certain places yourself and all that. You see money. That's, that's good way to start your business. Well, you are the accountant, you are the cleaner.
Speaker 1:You are the marketing person, you are everything, you are the HR. Yeah, you get to a level where it's the organic level. Organic level, you can see the expression of your business, where you have many clients, and that is the most dangerous stage in your business, as you can easily collapse Once you move from the organic to the corporate stage. System and structures must work Immediately. Your system and structures begin to work. You have succeeded. So building a big business is all about corporate governance, systems and structures to work. You don't need to be involved in the day-to-day. We have so many competent people.
Speaker 2:If you stopped working today, would your business still run. It will run.
Speaker 1:It will run. It might even run better. Wow there.
Speaker 2:Hey Francis from our Connected Academy group. He says that if you were starting from nothing today in Ghana, with just a thousand to five thousand cities, what business or investment would you do?
Speaker 1:Francis, I would prefer I don't start with money at all. Don't mention money at all. I can start with nothing. It was what I told you.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow, okay, francis, you don't need money. And then Owusu said yeah, how do you deal with negative thoughts that come in your mind, in your head space when they are coming in through that door? How do you deal with it?
Speaker 1:That's a poco right. This is Owusu. Owusu is too idle. Owusu is too idle. Owusu should should get up and be doing something for himself. He's thinking too negative. I wish I could meet him to say check his time, how he uses his time. Negative thought will always come, but what kind of negative thought.
Speaker 2:So, uso, I think you are too idle, wow and then Abed said that how do you decide which industries to expand the Magdan Group into?
Speaker 1:I don't have a board. Okay, now I have a board and you know, when you talk about expansion and with a big business, with a big business, the richest companies in the world, they don't have 10, 20 companies, one, two things then that's what takes you across the globe, that's all. Now we have vessels. We have Magdane Shipping has its own vessels. We are moving cargo across the continent. We've gone far the salt. We're building a refinery, we're building a refinery and we're building a refinery and, as well, expanding the same salt industry and building a port to move the salt. So this is a big, it's a big, it's a big industry.
Speaker 2:I have a feeling you're very excited about the salt project.
Speaker 1:Well, look, salt touches everything, everything, Everything. So why? And also when you look at our, our ESG, it touches almost everything the environment social life touches almost everything the environment, social life governance and we've not even touched half of it.
Speaker 1:Salt is used for almost everything pharmaceutical industry. Everything on this table is salt. You have this. This is aluminium. Right, it's salt. You need salt, caustic soda to extract the alumina To have your this, this ceramic. The salt you need to separate it. The clothes you are wearing it's salt To produce plastics. It's salt. Why wouldn't I be excited about something that touches everyone? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I think this one you already have an answer, jonathan. I'm not going to ask this question because you've already got the answer already. So is there anything we can discuss on your projects that you're doing on the topic of entrepreneurship that we haven't?
Speaker 1:I mean, you've asked me almost everything. It's all about impact. We are getting somewhere where the youth have to start telling their own story, somewhere where the youth have to start telling their own story when it comes to the entrepreneurial and the youth connect. It's their show, it's their environment, not my environment. It's what they need and the little I have, I add, to make that difference. So it's actually for them and it's about time they started telling their benefit, their success story that they have acquired through just their contact with Magda. I wouldn't be excited for anything not that much money, I spend, not that much time but my excitement should come from the story, the success story they would tell.
Speaker 2:I'm inspired by this conversation, so I'll take you on to our question, which I know the answer motivation or discipline it's discipline. Yes, I knew it. I knew it, and what's the best advice you've ever received?
Speaker 1:the best advice I've ever received. It sounds funny, but the best advice I've ever received. It's so funny, but when I was a messenger, a man came to my office and told me that I like your motivation. I like your style. I was a little boy. I like your motivation. I like your style. I was a little boy. But be careful about women the women that are calling you and watching you. They are older than you. Get focused and make whatever you have to make first. As a young man the environment I was coming from I taught them to the best advice that man gave me. 30 years later, I met a man in Texas and he called me and said do you remember what I told you? And he shook my hand and I embraced him and said do you remember what I told you? And he shook my hand and I embraced him and said thank you. It sounds awkward but it did a lot to me.
Speaker 2:I'm sure we've all taken the advice. We've all taken the advice and, again, I'm not going to ask you to recommend the book, because this is the book. Guys, if you're looking for that book to read, this is the book. I'm going to put the details of how you can get a copy. It's free. So I'm going to put the details of how you can get a copy and for the people in our Connected Academy group, I'll drop the details there as well and I'll probably get some copies and I'll share it with you.
Speaker 2:Guys, I'd like to say thank you so much for your time. I am blessed to have you as my first guest in this studio and when you came today as well, you wore white to compliment what we do here. So thank you very much. And today what happened was when Dr Macaulay came, he met some of our students from my academy and they asked him some questions. They didn't know that he was coming and I thank you so much for that as well that I pulled a surprise on you and you were happy to give your advice, thank you. So my name is Derek Abayite, and if you enjoyed this episode, share it with somebody a friend, a colleague and leave a comment below if you make it to the end, so that I know you are one of our champions and you deserve one of these. Stay connected.