Founder of North American University Application Center, Mr Samuel Owusu Asante affectionately known as Mr. Duke has urged students to embark on entrepreneurial ventures while still in university.
In an exclusive interview with Sarah Atiemo on Talking Business, Mr. Owusu Asante emphasized that college is the ideal time to explore the business landscape. This he explained would allow students to have an ample time to figure out the business world and make all the necessary mistakes before going fully into it.
He also highlighted the importance of mentorship, encouraging students to seek guidance from those who are already making strides in their respective fields.
One of the biggest obstacles for students is pride—most of them because of their ego, tend not to go to the people already thriving in the business field for advice. On the other hand, most of these big business tycoons are more than willing to give out the solutions to the challenges they had encountered in the past. Sometimes, just a word from them is all you need to make headway in your business journey.
Mr. Owusu Asante also clarified that mentorship doesn’t have to come from seasoned veterans; it can be anyone who has taken the initiative to engage in business.
“Even individuals with less experience can offer valuable insights,” he stated.
Reflecting on his own journey, Mr. Owusu Asante shared his challenges in balancing academia and entrepreneurship while pursuing his undergraduate degree in Economics at St. Mary’s University in Canada. He recounted how meeting a mentor and friend transformed his ambitions and set him on a path to success.
“In 2020, during the Covid period, times were very tough for me as a young person having to invest my time, energy and resources in studying despite being unemployed. I then decided to take some steps- try the business world. And that was how I was connected to one businesss man in the person of Kwame Frimpong. This partnership really helped me learn and discover more about business.“
Concluding; he indicated that believers should not shun away from the business world but rather embrace it as faith without action is void.
“Christians have to take the initiative to push more into business because we have the grace; we have that extra power to do more than we can think of. There are a lot of Christians who have been misled not to engage in business at all but primarily I think one of the best ways that you can express your values as a Christian is when you do business so I would urge Christians to push into business.”
The North American University Application Center is an institution for aiding senior high students and tertiary students to further their studies abroad particularly in Canada and the U.S.A., empowering them to realize their academic and professional dreams.
Story by: FauziaSalim|univers.ug.edu.gh
