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Failing sooner rather than later may be a blessing, says Dylan Suitor
There isn’t a single person, book, or algorithm in the world that can produce a surefire way to succeed in business. There are too many moving parts, too many things to consider, and too many ways everything could go wrong for anyone to suggest that there’s a business strategy that guarantees success.
There are, however, ways to approach the world of business that, even though they might seem counterintuitive, might help some people achieve success. Dylan Suitor, a realtor at the head of many real estate-related businesses, including Elevation Realty Network Inc. and Keller Williams Neighbourhood Realty, thinks that failing forward is the way to plow ahead.
Dylan learned this lesson early on. “I scaled my first real estate business, Dylan Suitor and Associates, through constantly failing forward,” he says. “The road was filled with one setback after another but overcoming them only served as fuel that kept me going forward.”
Why is this concept of growing through failure so important? For starters, it’s at the core of the idea of entrepreneurship. In the startup world, for example, it’s an accepted fact that the vast majority of startups won’t live past their first anniversary. Statistics agree, too. Does that stop people from becoming serial startup entrepreneurs? Of course not!
One of the reasons it’s possible to talk about failure and use the “forward” in conjunction with it is because every failure presents a teachable moment, or an opportunity to move in another direction. When failure is supposed to teach entrepreneurs something, it might almost be in their best interest to, as long as they are going to fail, do it as quickly as possible.
The ability to move quickly after failure was what brought Dylan some of his initial success and led to the companies he has today. But the most interesting thing about this mentality is that it’s easily found in the biggest setback and the biggest accomplishments. A story of acquisition and renovation that reads like an epic battle between Dylan’s company and a 32-unit building that Dylan Suitor was losing most of the time turned into one of his biggest successes.
That’s why failing forward is so valuable; it lets entrepreneurs, or anyone willing to try it out, reframe their losses and move on strengthened by the experience. Does it mean that people should haphazardly enter into situations where the possibility for dire consequences is real? Of course not. But in the world of business, everything that prevents a person from taking risks is preventing them from growing; it’s as simple as that.
A mentality that says how a fall might get people further ahead than they were when they were standing is extremely valuable, not in the least because everyone is going to experience that failure eventually. It could be said that people who manage to fail and live to say that they’ve failed forward are the lucky ones, rather than the people whose only failure was to try.
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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