Business News of Tuesday, 9 August 2016

Source: sarpong, g. k.

Building Success- Lessons from Ghana’s Dynamic Entrepreneur-Bola Ray

Known in real life as Nathan Kwabena Adisi, Bola as he is popularly referred to; is a young and dynamic Ghanaian entrepreneur who has really created a niche in the media and entertainment industry in Africa. Bola who is currently the CEO of EIB Network is developing into one of Africa’s foremost authorities with regard to event production and business expansion. Here are four key lessons we can all learn from the success story of the popular Bola Ray.

Developing People;
The philosophy that you can have everything in life you want if you help enough other people get what they want seems to define what Bola truly stands for. Bola who has helped developed so many young artistes in Ghana. In an interview recently, Bola revealed that he believes in giving fresh young people a chance to unearth their talents especially in the media industry. An investment in developing people is never a wasted investment and you do not need to run a million dollar organisation before you can invest in people. There are many ways to invest in people including; sponsoring their education, complimenting people on their work, or even smiling at them. Albert Einstein the most influential man of the 20th century once said that, “all valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.” Bola should be glad this secret came to him perhaps naturally. You can also learn from him.

Hard work
“The extra mile you go each day plays a significant role in climbing the mountain of success. Working hard requires love for whatever you are doing,” the business tycoon Dr. Agyekum wrote in his book. Bola who began his career with Top FM in Accra and subsequently joined Joy FM also in Accra admitted that the journey to the top has not been an easy route at all. He disclosed that many years ago, he was literally feeding from hand to mouth but with hard work and blessings from God, he is now the CEO of EIB which owns more than 10 radio stations all over Ghana. Bola maintained that hard work comes with discipline and determination to give off a hundred and one percent whenever you are called on to perform a task. He was also quick to add that one man cannot build an empire, it takes team work and he’s grateful for all the support he has received from his team members.
Deeply Religious Man
Bola Ray who described himself to us as a very ‘fun loving,’ ‘easy going,’ and ‘energetic guy’ may easily be misconstrued as secular or ‘worldly’ person but that is not the case. Bola who nearly sounded like a clergy man stated that being successful comes with a lot of prayers and trust in the Almighty God. He also indicated that he strives to always remain humble and respect everyone that comes his way because everybody has a role to play in life. According to Bola, without the help of God, he wouldn’t have achieved this feat of success in his life. These are the three defining lessons we can all learn from the young man who was once the entertainment prefect in Accra Academy High School but is today the Entertainment mogul of our time.
Writer:
G. K. Sarpong
Twitter: @gideonsarpong
Email: Gideon.sarpong@gmail.com