Entrepreneurship is not just about having an idea or a product that you want to sell. If you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you need more than that. Mawuli Kofi Bedjrah is proof of that. He turned his passion for fine wear into something tangible that brings him money; that’s BMK Apparel. BMK Apparel has dressed so many big names like Harrison Afful, Jonathan Mensah, D. Cryme, Majeed Warris, Kai Kamara and some others. However, the business didn’t succeed just because Mawuli realized that he could sell tailored clothes to people. The business grew because Mawuli Kofi Bedjrah capitalized on his unique advantages.
The National Service Period
During his national service, Mawuli worked at a bank where he was assigned to the Business Promotion Department. This is the department that markets a bank’s products. You just have to be good with people. And although Mawuli was reluctant at first, he had a mentor who encouraged him to rise to the challenge of the role; Chris Tamakloe. So that’s the first piece of the puzzle. BMK Apparel was born because of what happened next. When Mawuli would go out on business calls and interact with clients, he realized something; he always got a compliment or two about the way that he was dressed. And that was the spark that ignited his idea.
The Gap After National Service
After national service, Mawuli faced a problem that is all too common— unemployment. He spent a whole year in the house before he found his current job. During that time, Mawuli knew that he couldn’t just be idle. No, money had to be coming in. So, he reached out to some tailors that he knew in Nigeria and Togo, and he found a partner. He found someone that would make the clothes while he did what he had become so good at doing— market it. Mawuli was able to kick off his idea because he had something that no entrepreneur can do without, and that’s money. During his service, even on the low wages that the government pays, he saved.
Champion BMK