Ghana Rotary Project - Day Four

Has it really only been four days? I feels like I have been working for months, maybe years! Mostly because things are moving so fast. I can honestly say I have never had a new business concept move this fast in my life - ever!

The pace of meetings continued just a tad slower today. I had two meetings in the first part of the day and then a dinner meeting. BUT each of these was with business owner/entrepreneurs AND each has led to a significant either project or project opportunity. The first two were women - one the wife of a Rotarian, the other a Rotarian herself - that were involved with start-up ventures. In both cases, they were very conflicted about direction to go. By showing them the logic path I use to quickly evaluate start-up viability and establish clear market differentiation and messaging, you could see there eyes starting lighten up with a realization that there was a logical way to figure out how they might create success.

Both of these women have agreed to become part of my proof of concept test, meaning I am taking them on as projects. It was very curious at the end of each meeting each of the women got this hard look in their eyes, drilling through mine, asking, "And your are really going to do this? You are really going to follow through?" I explained I was not doing this for strictly altruistic reasons. I said how I wanted to have the experience of having meaningful relationships and doing productive work in another country and not have to pay for my travel! So yes I do have something I am looking to get out of this by way of funding via Rotary. But first I have to produce results.

The last meeting was even crazier. It was a second meeting with a person introduced to me by a client in Chicago. His in-laws who own a fairly substantial business in Ghana with now three siblings in the business. They are going through all the classic family transition issues. Without going through the details, I have a meeting with the whole family for about five hours on Monday. Who would believe?

Tomorrow I am taking the day off. It is Saturday and my driver is going to flit me around Accra for some good ole fashion travel blogger action. Looking forward to that. Look for some traditional traveler posts.