Aspire to be job creators, not job seekers - CEO inspires young graduates
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a Ghanaian-owned watch repair brand Hourhand Watch Co., Patrick Amofah, has urged young graduates to consider being job creators rather than job seekers.
Mr Amofah said the new Africa provided enormous opportunities for everyone to succeed in their respective fields of interest, provided they were innovative.
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He stressed that it was important for the younger generation to aim higher by looking out for opportunities to start their businesses and not limit themselves to working for larger corporations.
Sharing his experience with the Daily Graphic, he said the idea to start a watch company came after a watchmaker ruined one of his father’s favourite watches.
“My father was a lover of watches and left a significant number of them behind. There was one in particular, that I wanted to wear but it was broken, and I had a hard time finding a good watchmaker to restore it in Ghana.
“When I finally got someone, he ruined the dial by trying to fix the fallen markers on it with glue. I was disappointed because it was one of my father’s favourite watches,” he said.
Experience
Mr Amofah said it was that experience that aroused his interest in watches so he took time to understand the business of making watches.
The businessman said he committed time to study how the local watchmakers restored timepieces, especially in Accra.
"I'm currently undertaking an online certification course in horology," he added.
He said the quality of work he did endeared him to many people who contacted him for services, “therefore, I decided to explore the business opportunity and the market demand”.
The watchmaker also emphasised the importance of skill training and skill learning in order to maximise the economic opportunities provided by new-age technologies and digitisation.
HourHand
Mr Amofah said he started Hourhand Watch Company in 2020 as a full-time business, but because of COVID-19 and subsequent restrictions, he was operating it as an e-commerce site, restoring watches and selling well-known branded watches.
He said "HourHand" was chosen to convey the concepts of timekeeping and craftsmanship. In a literal sense, "our hand" emphasises our handcrafts.