Meet young entrepreneur Mark Lamptey, the CEO of Haunts Shoes, a startup company ran by three purpose driven gentlemen.

About a year ago and counting, Mark and Albert Amanor established Haunts Shoes on the 5th day of November 2016.

Here’s their story.

Mark and Albert had delivered a set of shoes to a customer. After keenly observing the product he had purchased, the customer immediately confessed the shoes were such stunners and of very good quality. Here’s what the customer did next – he decided to invest into Haunts Shoes making him the missing piece of the puzzle. Three hardworking gentlemen pushing hard the agenda of Ghanaian shoe-making excellence.

With as little as Ghc 500, Mark had struck a good deal with a Kumasi based shoemaker. Leaving Accra to Kumasi was very challenging for Mark as he had never traveled that distance on a bus. A five-hour journey that had started at noon prompt, had the young aspiring entrepreneur arrive in Kumasi a tad bit later than expected. Feeling stressed and angry, Mark hopped on a bus taking him to the destination where he finally met his shoemaker.

“Make me shoes worth Ghs500,” Mark requested, feeling proud of the potential money making deal he had successfully closed that fateful day. ‘A dream and a dollar’ – that phrase hit him in so many ways he could not hide his excitement.   

Back on a bus bound for Accra, Mark thought to himself he needed the perfect name synonymous to the ‘Accra to Kumasi to Shoemaker hassle’. Guess what, Haunts Shoes kept ringing in his mind until he had finally accepted it had to be just the right name for his newly found business. After making a good case for his reasons to go with the name Haunts Shoes, Albert Amanor his partner concurred and that is how the name for their business came into existence.

Fast forward to a year later, Mark Lamptey admits business is profitable. Mark projects that with the steady growth Haunts Shoes is currently enjoying, the shoe business would be doing exponential figures in the nearest future.

Following the strategic partnership with Mr. Eric Nasel SELBY, a customer turned partner, the company was officially registered as MEA Haunts Limited which is clearly an upgrade of the Accra to Kumasi to Shoemaker inspired Haunts Shoes name. Mark has also in effect, equipped himself with the requisite technical skills to start producing the company’s shoes. Hence, he calls himself the shoemaker of MEA Haunts Limited.

As partners Mark, Albert and Eric together practice due diligence before producing shoes from MEA Haunts Limited. It spans from the creation of patterns of the shoes through to the availability of leather and equipment for the actual production stage. Once the checklist is done and signed off, the shoes go into full production. The work ethics of these three gentlemen is unmatched and it’s evidential in the final products that go out into the market. And let nobody tell you different, every shoe is produced right here in Ghana.

Two young men set out on a mission to create something iconic. After what seems like both men having achieved that iconic milestone, Mark reiterates that it is indeed not the height of their mission and that the bigger picture for MEA Haunts Limited is now to take the company global. “Before going global,” Mark smiles with cheeky confidence as he boldly declares, “we are looking to make our shoes a leading shoe-making brand and household name in the West Africa.”

With hindsight, Mark has no regrets for his past difficulties as he believes it helped build or prepare him for this line of work. He is focused on the bigger picture for his company and would go the extra mile to make it all happen.

Mark’s profound message for young people looking to chase their dreams is that it is never worth a damn thing if you would opt to give up. Whether or not you can afford Ghc500 and convince a shoemaker in the very outskirts of town to believe in you, Mark’s message for you is to start with whatever amount within your arm’s reach.

As cliche as this may sound, great success indeed does not come on a silver platter. You need to work hard for it. That’s the bitter truth Mark hasn’t enough sugar to coat. Check out images of some of their shoes below:

Find Haunts Shoes on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook today.

Otherwise, contact +233 276 344 492 to send a quick message on WhatsApp now.

Till the next time, be the change you want to see. Hey, write your own story!!!

 

AUTHOR: MAURICE BOYE