Turning GHC1 into GHC1.50 or even GHC2.00 repeatedly is an act that requires a lot of tact and maybe even some talent. The more complicated the country gets, the more people want to test if they have the tact and talent required to sell a product or service. When 1957AD spoke to Godwin, popularly known as Degree Barber, his larger than life persona and cheerful nature was not all we fell in love with. His power to easily wield both staffs of talent and tact was even more fascinating, and it is very evident in the growth and success of his business, Reflect Ghana. 

“Starting out was not easy,“ he tells us. “It was me basically trying to survive. I was faced with financial constraints, which triggered my decision to study barbering during my senior high school days.“ “I am the fourth child of five to a single parent, and it did not look like I was going to get my basic needs on a silver platter since I had to share my dad’s limited resources with my other siblings, so I needed to face my problems like a man.“ He continues, “I had a plan too; my school dad in high school was the go-to person for haircuts, and he was making good money, so I understudied him.“ “I envied my school dad a bit.“ He quickly interjects, “Not envy in the way that makes you want to bring others down, that’s wrong,  but in a way that propels an individual to also do more. Thus, I started thinking of taking over from him when he graduates. I wanted to be named after him. It was the only way to leapfrog all my financial problems.“ In times when social media has conditioned young people to believe in ‘pay me first before I move‘ and have lost the value of servitude, Degree Barber highlights how that singular act set him up with a life skill. “The plan was to secretly study him whilst I run errands pertaining to his barber supplies and also performing housekeeping activities for him.“ A smile creeps across his face as he continues, “Constant practise on my friends, and a serious dedication helped me realise my dream, and when he left, I became the top dog.“

With a whiff of success, Godwin makes good of his new reputation and leverages on it. “Not before long, I was cutting the hair of my seniors and teachers. I went from a poor boy who couldn’t afford provisions for a month to the guy who could easily take five friends to the cafeteria and bear all the costs. Now I could buy textbooks and  pay my fees for extra tuition.“ And of course, as a young man coming into money, he bought good sneakers and clothes. “I left senior high school with some good money, and that left my dad in awe.“ However, it was not all rosy after that; with one goal achieved, he had other plans, and he had to achieve them.

“A full year after finishing high school, I worked as a professional barber to save some money to further my education at the University of Professional Studies, Accra. With a clipper and admission letter, I started reading business administration.“  With the pursuit of a four-year undergraduate degree, he quickly captured the student market and just like in high school, he was the person to go-to for the perfect look. But haircut money was not cutting it for his next big idea. “One of the biggest problems when starting up a business in Ghana is finance, and I had a bigger dream, my own business. I invested the money I made from barbering into the retail of sneakers and mobile phones, and that paid off and gave me enough capital to start Reflect Ghana.“ 

The goal to start Reflect Ghana did not come up one day; Godwin speaks about growth in business passionately. “Growth is essential to the full realisation of every dream. Growth requires space, and allowing yourself to grow over time gives you the steady progress to keep you going. In my case, I realised that I needed to graduate from being a one-man-army to owning a system that works in my absence; that is the real key to financial freedom.“ As a young man with enough money, he cared for his basic needs, satisfied his wants, and extended financial support to others from his one-man-army. The thought crossed his mind of how much more he would be able to achieve if he owned a barrack with many soldiers, in this case, a salon with hair specialists. “As a business administration student, I learnt from class that entrepreneurship involves identifying and making use of every opportunity that comes your way, taking calculated risks and being innovative. Doing things that barely exist or even already exist, but uniquely.“ Armed with the knowledge from school that taught him to differentiate his services, he was moved by a famous quote. “They say dreams do not work unless you do.“ “Well, I wanted my dream to work, so I started doing. The first step was to create an online presence, then I scouted for a good space, paid the rent and started running a brick and mortar business a few months later.“

With the location set up, he had to recruit and that he did. “Like every corporate firm, my team and I advertised for vacant positions for Reflect Ghana and applicants were required to send their resumes to the company email.“ Highlighting a rigorous selection process, he finally got the best people. Staff who will produce the quality that his clients have become accustomed to.

This is the second part of a conversation between 1957AD & Degree Barber.

Link to the first part: Part 1

With business in Ghana not being the easiest to navigate,1957AD asked Degree Barber to delve more into his operations and how it has been smooth sailing for Reflect Ghana, starting with his employees.

 “When it comes to employee compensation, most people immediately dive into the monetary aspect, but the subject goes beyond money, especially in the service industry. In the service industry, employees run the show. To be successful, you require the total concentration of employees when they are in the building. Managing people can be very dicey. I believe that to get the best out of your employees, it requires a couple of things;  reasonable salary, career development, good leadership and realistic & attainable organizational goals.“ Í will break it down;

• Salary 

When it comes to employees’ salaries in the service industry, managers need to consider employee expectations and measure against business performance. They must devise a salary structure that will bring a win-win situation, where both the business and employees are happy. The problem is,  the win-win situation is tough to come by. There are times where one has to sacrifice for the other looking at the bigger picture. In most cases, the managers are vision drivers, and their burning desire to achieve the organizational objective requires some calculated risks to be taken. From experience, I recommend a commission-based salary system as the best compensation method to grow the business. A commission-based system brings about strong teamwork towards the achievement of an organizational goal. Where business growth is at a slow pace, both parties suffer. Employees, at a point, will search for greener pastures. This thereby increases the rate of employee turnover. After these projections are made, the next option is to go for what I describe as a ‘salary floor.’ An arrangement where employee salary is not allowed to fall below a certain level even though they are on a commission-based payment system.

• Career Development 

I also think the development of employees’ careers plays a significant role in compensation. Employees should not feel static in their careers, and they must also grow with the business. There must be a considerable change in their skills. This can be achieved by continuously training employees on new trends and techniques. 

• Good Leadership

Where there is no proper leadership, there isn’t followership either. When employees believe in the driver of the vision, they are motivated to work towards achieving this vision.

 “I will tell you something; every organization has operational standards that help employees carry out routine operations. In my case, I set these standards before the first day of work so my workers can familiarize themselves with them early. Nonetheless, it is one thing to establish operational standards and a completely different thing to ensure it runs. Maintaining operational standards is a continuous process that starts from the vision driver, me. Employees grow to fit in these standards, and constant practice makes these standards a part of them.“ Godwin pauses to reflect a bit and then continues, “From the early stages, I had to be around to maintain these standards, translating into actions all the words that were written on a sheet of paper. It does not happen like magic; someone has to be there to make these rules work. There is always the tendency of people not complying, but it becomes a success when someone is consistently available to ensure it works. “

On whether he thinks people are drawn to him more as a person or to the services of the business, he was swift to say,  “Different people have different reasons for patronizing a business. Managers are expected to keep a tally of these various reasons to evaluate business performance. For example, suppose most people patronize a business because of individual admiration. In that case, managers are to probe into the pros and cons of resting the business’s survival on the shoulders of an individual. This informs an effective strategy to secure the business’s survival if the individual is no longer available. “ 

 “So yes, people were drawn more to me as an individual than to the business from the genesis with the reason that the business started with me as an individual. Fortunately, I am the vision driver of Reflect Ghana. This gives me the sole advantage of having direct contact with most of my clients so that I can address them appropriately in case of any grievances. Like I explained earlier, resting the whole business on the shoulders of one individual is dangerous even though it has some advantages. As the business keeps growing, my clients have come to expect specific standards. Hence, there is a need to tighten the system to work even when a particular individual is not around, and that is what I have been working towards over the past couple of months.“

We asked Degree Barber a hypothetical question based on a  business situation. Almost immediately, his face lights up with an answer, further displaying his knack for business and management. Supposing you have an extremely talented barber who has brought in about 50 customers. They are undoubtedly an asset. Now, he starts to feel big and struggles to take orders from you. What do you do?

“You know familiarity always breeds contempt. Given the unclear distinction between subordinate and boss in my organization, I believe it will be best to talk to the said employee in a very informal manner. I would take the person out for breakfast or lunch and let them know they are of great value to the organization. However, the organization has a hierarchy; no matter how blurred it may seem, that hierarchy needs to be respected, especially from the one calling the shots. They should do their best to respect their superiors and take orders from them. Make them understand that no one is bigger than the organization, and the organization will always come first on the scale of preference.“

“Further to that, organizations have a 3-tier approach to insubordination. These include; query, warning and dismissal. The lunch or breakfast date will be an example of an informal query in an organization like mine. The actions in the next tier will have to be undertaken should the breakfast date not yield desired results.“

When asked if he would use a time machine to correct any actions from the past, Degree Barber was rather emotional and said, “If I had a time machine, I would bring my brother back to life. I lost my elder brother on 29th October 2018. It was the saddest day on this planet. My brother was my motivation. He was the fuel that drove me to do more because he set a perfect example of hard work and perseverance. Until we meet again or have a time machine, I will always have him in my memory.“

On the ultimate goal of Reflect Ghana, Degree Barber, so full of positivity, said, “The ultimate goal is to become one of the best hair and grooming brands in Africa and own a cosmetology school that trains and preserves talents. As the saying goes “to conquer the world, you must first be known in your community”, we have become a household name in the community we operate in and are extending to neighbouring communities. We have also started training people in other areas to lay the blueprint for the fruition of our cosmetology school.“