Dear Woman-Woman, 

Being financially independent as a Ghanaian woman can be like an irony and a mere mirage. Not only does the system perpetuate absolute patriarchy but it effortlessly makes it almost impossible for a woman to achieve this dream. Being financially independent is undoubtedly an impaired ambition for the Ghanaian woman. 

In the darkness of this misguided perception, I am here to dismantle that paradigm. Indeed it is possible to become what you have always dreamt of becoming. To my fellow progress minded women, SO MUCH IS POSSIBLE!!

Take a deep breath and relax as I take you through 5 ways  to be financially independent.

1. HAVE AN OPTIMISTIC MINDSET

It all begins with the mind. Your mind is the most powerful gift to utilize for your success. It is the hot arena for the thoughts. The battle to either be a loser or winner begins from the mind. If you believe you are beautiful, no matter the amount of comments you receive about  your beauty flaws, you are never shaken and you appear as the Queen you are. That is CONFIDENCE.

Confidence is the secret ingredient of every successful woman. And your journey to becoming a financially independent woman must first begin with the confidence you have in yourself. Never see yourself as a weaker vessel because of your mood swings and silent tears. The Akan proverb to fuel patriarchy which says that ''Obarima Nsu'' meaning a man doesn't cry is a big lie. All men cry too. In fact, Ghanaian men do cry too but wipe away their tears in secret and hide under this proverb in order to appear powerful. You are equally strong enough!

As your mind conquers your fears, you become an unstoppable entity. This what you need first.

2. IDENTIFY YOUR PASSION, THAT'S THE SECRET SUSU BOX!

What you have within you as your internal ability will be admired by all if you give it a chance to manifest. Take a deep search within yourself and find out what is likely to interest you, what you can do effortlessly and what is likely to grab people's attention. In this digital age, we are in the attention economy. That means that the more eyes you have on you , the more money you make. No wonder you see some Chinese folks on the internet sometimes eating creepy creatures, sometimes even alive. And amazingly you see thousands and millions of views. I am not here to advise you to do same. NO!

Attention economy doesn't mean you should go about losing your mind just for money. Do beautiful ''unthinkables'' . Your mandate is to inform, inspire, educate and entertain. Therefore if you have no capital to start a business, you can use your talent as one by creating  exceptionally good contents on social media. However, don't just wake up and create contents. Do an audience based research to find out what trends the most that aligns to your passion. Search for contents in that regard and make comparison to find the gap.

For instance, if you can effortlessly make jokes at home and you get everyone burning with laughter, think about how you can creatively make funny contents that is exceptionally good enough to entertain people. Ghana is not getting interesting anymore due to the price hike almost every second. So why not blow others stress away and at least give them something to laugh about. So far as it is creative enough, they will have a reason to watch.   

3. MAKE YOURSELF CONPETENT ENOUGH FOR OPPORTUNITIES 

If you are not prepared enough for opportunities and they come, you will completely embarrass yourself. And that bad image about yourself will create an imprint in people's mind. That is your dignity you just left in the trench. Is that what you want? NO!

Read, Read and Read! Learn, Learn and Learn!!. Never stop learning because knowledge is power. Your charming beauty is powerful enough to grab an opportunity but it would take knowledge to either sustain you or kick you off that seat. Knowledge makes you non-disposable. You are not a disposable tissue paper so learn to prove yourself worthy.

After learning, consistently practice. That's skill. People will pay for your skill just as Oprah Winfrey. So position yourself at places you can learn a skill. You may be in school but if you are talented at singing, you can start attending some  events to sing. It may be free from the beginning but with time, you develop an unstoppable skill. That skill brings great wealth if you don't give up.

4. BUILD A STRONG NETWORK 

You don't have to be an island. You must connect with like-minded people in your field. Attend events and cease the opportunity to announce  your skill wherever you go. No matter how small it is, don't be shy. Even if it is sobolo drinks you do, you can get an order for an event with over 500 participants and that order can change your life. That network building can position you at places to meet an investor or business partner. So go out there to connect. Network can take you places money can't. There are places you don't need a ticket to go. Share your contacts, take people's cards, talk to people, join online communities to market yourself. Your network is your net worth.

Go Woman!

5. DON'T GIVE FREE SERVICES 

They say the good branding brings you money. Yes that undeniably true. But most Ghanaians take delight in taking advantage of creatives and even women. No matter how good you  are, they would want to get a free service from you. That is why you need to be strong enough and know when to say NO unapologetically!

Avoid  ''family and friends business syndrome''. It will collapse your brand and they would be the same people to call you a failure. Make sure you charge for your services. Be strategic to know how to price in order not to draw customers away. Price to make profits and not losses because of family and friends. Believe in your brand and price accordingly. However do not take advantage of customers. They will go and never return. Be fair to all because the world is a small place. If you sell one single product at different prices for people, you will someday be exposed. 

Do these and the sky will just be a playing ground and not your limit.