Vincent AgyeiYeboahis a 27-year-old Software developer and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of an Internet Startup Company; O.R. Systems. O.R Systems are experts in web and mobile applications. Although it started out as a freelance organization, the company is now a registered company that employs young Ghanaians, and has the potential to employ much more.

With a poor WASSCE performance and a little chance at a University Degree, Vincent and his startup, O.R. Systems have come a long way through its fair portion of challenges.

The young achiever’s life was characterized by failure in most aspects. “I have failed a lot so I am no longer afraid of failure.” the critical failure that imparted his career was debt and a broken heart. “Before I started my business, I went into some ventures and I ended up incurring a lot of debt. It was frightening at first. The debt was very huge. But what it did for me was that it made me lose the fear of failure.”

Vincent

The debt he explained motivated him to be creative, find creative means to raise money, and come out of the debt. “When you are in debt, there is no one to foot the bill for you so you have to find a way to come out of that debt. I know a few people who have been in the same situation as I was and some struggled to get themselves out of this debt. But some also decided that there was no harm in asking for a helping hand and reached out to a professional company insolvency practitioner who helped them and their company get back on track. Everyone is different when it comes to resolving situations like this but its about how you come out on top that is important. The debt failure pushed me into a different businesses. It made me know that look, I could succeed or I could fail but there is no point in being afraid to fail because if you should fail you would definitely bounce back.

Coupled with a terrible first relationship he vowed, like all vengeful partners, to become so successful. “It actually pushed me to force harder and say, look, I am not going to allow anybody to intimidate me again or tell me that I am not good enough. Those are the two main reasons that really pushed me into business and say if I could overcome broken heartedness or if I could overcome debt, then what next?”

Vincent completed his basic and Junior High School at Datus Complex in Dansoman, Accra. He enrolled at the Tema Secondary School where he hoped to offer Science. However he was offered General Arts instead. “I didn’t think I was cut out to do General Arts. So in SHS One, I stopped going for classes. I was virtually a dropout.” He would rather spend his time in the Computer lab. That was where he was introduced to computing.

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Eventually he had an opportunity to study Management Information System at IMIS in London, the only tertiary education he has gotten involved in. “I got in there and I was told no one has actually passed all subject in the first attempt, by the grace of God, I passed with the first sitting”

Through it all, his draws source of inspiration are in God and the strong conviction to prove his Grandmother right. Through all his challenges both with debt and troubled youth his grandmother has been his greatest support. “I can’t afford to fail her”

Currently, O.R. Systems attracts local and international clients: “We are getting bigger contracts each and every week from the US and UK, and some from Liberia.” This development, the CEO believes, would make the company its first million dollar by the close of the year, and a million dollar company by the following year. “By next year I dream we would become a million dollar company not because we are making a lot of money but because we are reaching a lot of people and solving a lot of problems.”

This startup is unique, particularly in the sense that it has strategic partnership with other IT startups in providing services, making it a potential franchise in the near future possibly if things go right for the young CEO.

Through his experience, he had learn the basic human character of Confidence, Courage, Respect and the devotion to the thing of God. “I am not a perfect Christian but I know who God is in my life.”
To the youth, he advised that they start small. In his account, everything he has done, he had ‘started from scratch’. Start small, do what you can with what you have and grow with it. “The mistake I did was that I didn’t start saving from the start” So it took quite a bit for me to build a company.

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