Many family trades start with the hope that someday a member of the family, especially the children, will take over the running of the business.
And so, when Mr Abubakar first started his tailoring trade over 30 years ago, he surely knew who among his six children would inherit his trade, since the day he took little Usman to his shop. Usman sadiq abubakar, a young entrepreneur at 32, has transformed the skills his father bequeathed to him into a business that is fetching him money enough to live a comfortable life.
On the average, Usman makes over GH¢1,000 a week from a business he only fully ventured into a few years ago.
Passion for IT
But fashion isn’t his first love despite the fact that he was born with it and into it.
“When I first started, I didn’t take this business [fashion] seriously because it wasn’t my dream”, he told Ghana Talks Business, in a conversation.
The young entrepreneur’s truest passion, he told this reporter, is in Information Technology, a dream he is seriously pursuing alongside his tailoring trade.
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He is currently a sophomore at the Garden City University College in Kumasi, reading Hardware and Networking.
Sadiq Fashion Gh
However, due to positive feedbacks from his first few clients coupled with the edge to earn a living for himself, Usman, decided to establish “Sadiq fashion GH” in Ghana’s second largest city, Kumasi.
Over the years, the young entrepreneur has sewn and designed clothes for some of Ghana’s finest television and radio stars as well as some top Politicians.
Bill Asamoah, Lil Win, Salinko and popular Sports Journalist, Saddick Adams, are some of his popular clients.
Also, Usman, has also sewed for the Ghana Police Service, Customs and NABCO recruits.
Challenges
Like any other business, Usman’s Sadiq Fashion GH, has had its fair shade of challenges.
As a young entrepreneur, the usual lack of financial support to expand, from government and private institutions, is his biggest challenge.
Aside from this, the recent ban social gathering as a result of Covid-19, he said, has also impacted badly on his business.
“The Covid-19 has impacted negatively on my business and income due to lack of social activity and gatherings. Because if there is no wedding or any other event’s, it means no sewing and that has affected our income big time”, he said.
But with a never say die attitude, Usman says he will survive the storm.
The pandemic has also brought in its wake demand for face and nose masks, which other players in the industry are currently cashing in on, but this, for Usman, is rather an opportunity to give back to his society.
“I dont sew face mask for sale. I give it out freely to clients. Also, no significant income comes from sewing face mask. Because it cost less than 2 ghc here now”, he said.
Sadiq Fashion GH currently has 10 people on its payroll, but hopes to employ more in future.
Future aspirations
For Usman, success, in his business, will mean becoming an icon in the fashion Industry beyond Ghana, and impacting lives by creating jobs for the youth in Africa.
“I want to take fashion business globally. I want every house hold to embrace our own African wear.
“And i want to impact society positively in the best way i can through fashion by employing more workers and teaching them the business aspect of it. So they can also have a livelihood and reduce the unemployment rate in our community”, he said.
Anyone who wants to do business with Usman can contact him on +233 54 772 5512.
By Salifu B.B. Moro
