For the many youth who may be using the financial background of their parents, lack of inheritance, lack of family handouts, and safety nets as an excuse for their stagnation and lack of progress in professional life and business, Dr. Daniel McKorley, the Ghanaian entrepreneur and business mogul, says that excuse must end now.
McDan acknowledges that many young people in the country quietly carry the weight of a disadvantaged background; however, he believes there is still hope for them.
The founder and CEO of the McDan group says starting from nothing does not mean ending with nothing.
The entrepreneur who is very passionate about mentoring the youth in a post that resonates with a large number of the youth indicated that, indeed, there are those who know there is no inheritance waiting, no powerful uncle to make a call, no wealthy friend to open doors, and no safety net if things fall apart.
“For many of you reading this… the life you are living has to work out because there is no inheritance or connections to fall back on. You come from zero. No rich parents. No family handouts. No assistance from rich friends. No favours waiting in the background. No safety net. No one to lean on. You’re all on your own,” he remarked.
For this group, he argues, life simply has to work. Failure is expensive, not just emotionally, but materially. He argues that for this group without a cushion, starting from ground zero, choices matter more.
He emphasizes that every decision counts. Where you spend your time, who you listen to, the rooms you enter, and the habits you build quietly shape the future long before results become visible.
McDan urges young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to be deliberate about their environment. Instead of waiting for help that may never come, he challenges them to place themselves among people who are already living the kind of life they aspire to.
In such spaces, big dreams stop feeling unrealistic because they become normal. What once felt impossible becomes routine.
To emphasize the practicality of this advice, he notes that sitting with people who are building businesses, learning skills, and solving problems makes taking similar actions normal.
He says priority should be given to attending events, workshops, and meetings where ambition is common, not mocked. Read what successful people read. Ask questions. Observe how they think, speak, and decide. Over time, mindset shifts before money does.
McDan says this set of youth must take personal responsibility for their lives and choices. He reminds the youth that today’s life is largely the result of yesterday’s choices, and tomorrow’s life is already being shaped by what they do now.
This is not meant to blame, but to empower. If choices created the present, then better choices can create a better future.
“So be deliberate. Put yourself in rooms where the life you dream of is simply the average life of the people in it. Sit with ambitious people. Get into places where your dreams are other people’s realities. And understand this clearly: the life you are living today is the result of the choices you made yesterday, and the life you will live tomorrow is being shaped right now by the choices you make today,” he admonished.
The crust of the business mogul’s admonition is that you may not control where you started, but you control how prepared you become. Skills can be learned. Discipline can be built. Networks can be grown slowly and honestly.
Consistency, patience, and integrity still matter, especially when no one is watching, which are what are needed climb out of the hole one was born into.
