Patrick Mensah is an investor, realtor, motivational speaker, and CEO.
He has a unique ability to connect with and motivate employees. He creates a positive and inclusive culture that encourages creativity and fosters collaboration. He always leads by example and inspires his team to achieve more than they thought possible. This ability to lead and inspire his team is the X-factor that sets him apart from other CEOs and makes him a successful leader.
As a teenager, he had the opportunity to grow up in a tight-knit fishing community in Ghana. He was lucky enough to secure a job washing cars for some of the older members of the community. Through this job, he quickly learned the importance of hard work and responsibility by waking up early each day to wash cars before and after school. He used the money he earned to support not only himself but also my family.
He developed discipline from a young age by observing the more successful elders in his community. Through this, he learned the value of consistency as well as the importance of presentation in terms of style and fashion.
Wall Street Investments is his 14th company. Before this, he has been part of many partnerships, which have given him great experience in his home country of Ghana. He is currently the CEO of three multinational companies in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa in the areas of financial services, real estate, gold trading, perfumery, and brokerage services.
Wallstreet Investment offers a comprehensive range of business setup services with over a decade of industry experience, catering to a wide range of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as multinational companies to help them establish and manage their businesses in the UAE.
With a notable consulting background and a versatile set of skills that includes leadership in banking, operations, strategy, and management, he is held in high esteem by partners, clients, and executive teams as a trusted advisor, effective problem solver, and accomplished leader. He is known for his ability to deliver cost-effective, high-performing technology and business solutions while managing them effectively.
He has a successful track record of acting as a catalyst for positive change, resulting in improved revenue and operational performance. He is an expert in negotiations and building relationships, able to expertly lead executive teams through challenging negotiations to secure beneficial agreements, establish strategic partnerships, and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
As a leader, his focus is always on growth and development. He strongly encourages his team members to set both professional and personal goals so that they can see the potential for advancement within the company over a period of 2–3 years. While he values the contributions of his team, he also understands that as they grow, they may outgrow their current positions and may need to pursue opportunities outside the company.
When working with his team, he actively promotes personal and professional development by encouraging them to take on new learning opportunities and training. He does not fear that they may leave the company, but instead fears that they will not continue to grow and evolve both in the company and in their personal lives. As his team members continue to grow and develop, it ensures that they remain engaged and motivated. This, in turn, allows his clients to benefit from the fresh perspectives and new ideas brought about by a team that is eager to learn and improve.
The shift towards digital technology is a permanent change, and the pace of these changes will only accelerate in the coming years. While it took over 30 years to reach the current level of technological advancement, the rapid advancements in areas such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality are already having a significant impact on various industries and society as a whole. I am fortunate to be involved in the cryptocurrency industry and firmly believe in its potential. This technology has been beneficial for my businesses by enabling me to easily transfer funds across borders and in various currencies.
Innovation is essential for any business to maintain and attract customers through social media and marketing. It allows for unique and fresh ways to engage current and potential customers.
As a beginner, it's important to have a willingness to learn, ask questions, and pay attention to your surroundings. Don't be afraid of making mistakes; they are a natural part of the learning process. To succeed in your career and business, it is important to take action and not stay stagnant. The more you do, the more you will learn and grow.
Patrick, it is a great honour to interview you. I am very much touched with all the work you have done and continue to do for Africa. You are an International business magnate, Investor, Motivational Speaker, Philanthropist, Extraordinaire and author. I would love to know who is Patrick in your own words. How would you describe yourself?
I would say I am a caring gentleman who is passionate about people and business from a young age. I'm a very driven, proud African family man who is ambitious with lots of ideas and a big vision. If I can see something in my mind, I set out to do it. I learnt the value of money when I had my first job washing cars for elders in my community before school and ever since then, I’ve been working and supporting others. From family members to the youth and people in my community, I have always been seeking ways to grow my business ventures along with supporting people around me to also grow. In recent years, I spend a lot of time alone with time to think, plan and problem-solve. It’s made me into a deep thinker but when I’m not working on my business, I like to read books from other great leaders in history or current times and expand my mind. I always push myself into different areas to have a diverse portfolio because that is how you thrive. You were born and raised in Africa. Can you share a little more about your life as a child? How did your career in entrepreneurship start? When you were younger, did you ever envision yourself as an entrepreneur? Was there someone in your life or something that inspired you?
When I was a child, I’m not sure if I thought of myself as an entrepreneur. I’m from a small community in Ghana and I was raised by an elder in the community away from my parents. This is where I took the job as a teenager of car washing. I would wake up early in the morning before school, wash the cars and after school, I would sell bread and other snacks to the local people. So with the money I earned from this every day, I was very quickly able to build cash flow and that contributed to my family at the time. it must have instilled the desire in me to learn more about money and help others. From so young, it allowed me to have freedom and even opportunities to others.
You have been involved in the Areas of Financial Services, Real Estate, Gold Trading, Perfumery and Brokerage Services. What are some of the projects that you are working on at the moment and why are these important for Africa and African people?
I like to diversify my portfolio over the years. I have started many different businesses and some of them are still going, but others are no longer. Right now, I am based in Dubai running Wallstreet Investments, a company formations, accounting and concierge service in the UAE. I also have a luxury fragrance brand called Perfumes 360 which operates both in Dubai and Ghana, along with my gold trading business. I like a range of business industries and see opportunities everywhere, so I have teams in place for these.
By diversifying and building a team, I’m able to create a level of stability because markets will always go up and down. When you create multiple streams of income, you give yourself room so if one market goes down, you have other sources that are still flowing. The pandemic taught many of us that lesson the hard way. For anyone who has one stream of income, especially one that is beyond their control, I hope to show the possibility of creating multiple streams to give them freedom for their lifestyle and legacy. It’s challenging to live day to day and build a legacy from one stream of income. This is key for African people as we want to own our own legacy and own our stories.
Nelson Mandela once said: “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.” How much do you relate to this quote? What has Nelson Mandala meant in your life?
This is very true and I can relate because many people don’t know that WallStreet Investments is my 14th company. If I gave up on ideas 1, 2, 3 or even business number 10, I wouldn’t be here today. All of them taught me something and that will never change. Life is short but it is the longest thing you will ever do in life so you have to play the cards you have been dealt and use the gifts you have been given for your journey. Nelson Mandela showed what that looked like with so much strength, belief, determination and grace. You can make a huge difference when you decide to keep going with love and trust in the almighty.
What advice would you give to many aspiring young leaders out there who dare to dream big regardless of the circumstances they may face?
It’s free to dream big, so why wouldn’t you do it? If it doesn’t cost you anything, do it and don’t let anybody ever tell you you can’t have what you want. If it’s in your mind, enjoy it, feel it, believe it, protect it and then go after it. Remember, it’s your vision, no one else can touch it unless you let it out. So keep it close to your heart and prayers when you need to savour it & take action when the time is right to see the power of the mind and the almighty unfold.
Can you tell me a leadership quote that has influenced you in your life?
“To Take a Risk & Fail is not failure. The real failure is the fear to take risk.” Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rasheed Al Maktoum
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