Segment - When Preparation Meets Opportunity: A Developer's Journey - Moses B Arthur

Dreams take flight when preparation meets opportunity. That's the essence of my journey with AfriMat Atlantic—a real estate development company born from vision, nurtured through learning, and brought to life through meaningful connections.

The name AfriMat Atlantic carries our story: "Afri" representing myself and my co-founder Oscar, "mat" from his surname, and the "A" symbolizing God as our third partner. Atlantic signifies our ambition to "storm the world" with innovative developments. But having a compelling vision wasn't enough—we needed guidance to transform it into reality.

For years, we studied successful developers like Dr. Stephen Debrah, watching interviews repeatedly and absorbing knowledge. While we hadn't broken ground on our first development, our capacity-building never stopped. This preparation positioned us for a breakthrough when Dr. Stephen unexpectedly reached out after silently observing our consistent work for two years.

The path forward required what many aspiring entrepreneurs overlook: significant sacrifice. We liquidated personal assets, including our cars, to fund our first project. As I often tell young people who admire success without understanding its price: "You want the anointing of the older generation but refuse their sacrifice." Nobody believes in your dream more than you do, and your willingness to invest in it speaks volumes.

When financial resources were limited, we leveraged relationships. These connections eventually led us to land opportunities and critical partnerships. Throughout this journey, mentorship proved invaluable—Dr. Stephen became the lens through which we could see what we previously couldn't, helping us avoid costly mistakes and accelerate our growth.

What's your vision waiting for? Perhaps it's the consistency that attracts the right mentors, the relationships that open doors, or the sacrifice that demonstrates your commitment. Your breakthrough may be closer than you think.

Support the show

Watch the video episode of this on YouTube - https://linktr.ee/konnectedminds

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
never think of what they can contribute.
So I realized that, okay, thishas been the journey, this and
this and this and that, um, howdo you now start?
You're still moving to yourbecoming, you are still trying
to figure it out.
It doesn't look all rosy likewhen I want to reference real
estate.
If you look at my real estatejourney, um, or my

(00:20):
entrepreneurial journey at somepoint I did a little bit of
farming um, they are all on mysocials.
I, I document my journey a lot.
So, um, they are all there.
And then we had started thisreal estate in myself and my
co-founder, oscar.
We started afri mat atlantic,and afri mat is a, for alpha.
Frame is oscar, is frame pawn,so frame at is art.

(00:44):
So we got free mat.
We use this second, um, hissurname frame, I'm at a art.
So we got free mat and we'relike okay, great men, partner
with god to do business.
We're three partners in thisbusiness myself, him and god.
So we needed an a.
Then we brought alpha in greekyou say alpha and omega.
In hebrew you say I left half.
So we brought a to representgod.
So the three partners who got afree mat.
Then we added atlantic atlanticmeans we'll.
In Greek you say Alpha andOmega, in Hebrew you say
Aleph-Tav.
So we brought you to representGod.

(01:05):
So the three partners.
We got Afrimat.
Then we added Atlantic.
Atlantic means we'll storm theworld.
We'll be the underdogs thatwill storm the world with real
estate.
So we got our company's name.
Now we registered it with RGD.
Now we're pushing.
And hear me, we went to Kumasi.
We started off by building forpeople.
We're doing projects in Kumasi.

(01:25):
You'd come in here, you come toAkasha, look for properties to
sell.
At the time Sukasa had put up aproperty.
We tried to, you know, helpthem sell and all of that.
But you want to start adevelopment.
That is what is at your heart'sbeat.
So if you look at the AfriMataAtlantic logo, it looks like a

(01:46):
high-rise building, becausethat's always been our vision.
We've always wanted to be thatrealistic company that comes in
to do high-rise apartments.
So we're like how do we?
How do we transition?
Then I remember we have watcheda video of dr stephen deborah
and um wademaya interviewed him.
Tayo aina interviewed him,steven Debra and um what the

(02:09):
Maya interviewed him,interviewed him for us.
That's a Ghanaian who didn'thave to travel anywhere and he's
here and he's doing high rise.
In my mind, bro, it would takeme maybe 20 years to meet this
man, or 10 years.
He looked too far-fetched, soit was a season of confusion for
us.
How do we pick this thing?
We're learning again.
You notice that my principlesare at play.
I can tell you back to backstories of what dr deborah said

(02:31):
on both interviews, because I'vewatched this several times.
So I watch videos of nigeriandevelopers, myself and my
co-founder.
That's what we're doing, thesame principles that are
teaching here.
We're just learning.
So, even before we touched areal estate development project,
the kind of things we knowabout real estate just by
watching and learning.
And that's the beauty.
When now, everything you arelearning meets together with

(02:52):
your seasons, which is why Itell people don't give up, your
time is coming.
The fact that your time has notcome in does not mean you
shouldn't prepare.
That's not me.
You shouldn't build capacity.
That's not me.
You shouldn't be competent.
So we started learning.
Then, on um one beautiful day, Iwoke up and inside my Instagram
DM, dr Stephen has sent me amessage.
I saw it.
I said ah.
He said I like what you'redoing.

(03:15):
I've been observing you for thepast two years.
I said it will two years, whichis for me.
I speak to young people a lotand I tell them listen, kings
are watching, kings are watching.
Whatever you are doing, kingsare watching.
They have not come to thebrightness of your rising and
your light because for kings,they have seen a lot of people

(03:37):
come and go.
Consistency to kings is proofof mastery, so make sure that
you are being consistent.
The man sends me a day.
I thought it was a scam, so Ishowed it to my co-founder.
I said, hey, there'd be a scam.
He said debut, hey, you're not.
We checked it was.
I said ah, so I sent him amessage.
I said sir, can I please haveyour number?
Then I didn't hear from him.

(03:57):
It was third april.
I said, ah, I said it, he hascome then, fifth april this man
shares his number which was mybirthday, was my best birthday
present.
I was subbed him and heresponded moses, which for me is
something that a lot of peoplefind intriguing when they reach
out to me and I respond to thembecause they don't understand.

(04:19):
In my journey, when I started,I had people I looked up to who
would ask you to come around.
You go, you spend the whole day.
They will not meet you.
You message them, they will notreply, and then I'll enter bars
again and go back to Kumasi.
You know.
So I just told myself as Godlifts me up it doesn't matter
who you are.
You message me on any of myplatforms, I'll respond to you.

(04:40):
As far as I'm available, I will.
And that was the kindness DrStephen showed me the moment I
sent him a message.
He replied A month after hewasn't in the country, so a
month after we met for the firsttime in his office.
So, fitby, and when we met wespent about two hours.
The man opened up his heart andso he showed us go and do this,

(05:00):
go and do that, go and do this.
So we started.
For one year we were going aboutin circles, acting on what he
said we would go, we would gohere, we would go here, we'll go
here, we'll go here, we'll gohere.
Then now it comes in on thescene.
I'm like, okay, there's that,that, that, that.
So my very good friend broughta friend to my place.
We're speaking and then theperson said, oh, I have this

(05:22):
land here, let's go and have alook at it.
We went and then my mentor hadgiven me a law.
He said every land you touch,make sure the documents are
there.
So that person didn't havedocumentations for their land,
so we didn't proceed and we'restill in circles.
So one Sunday after the callwith my co-founder, we're like

(05:43):
2024 is our year, that's right,it has to be this year.
After all, the two to threeyears of it has to be this year.
So one Sunday on a call, wesaid okay, this land just filled
.
What must we do?
Quickly?
We called another friend whowas into real estate, which is
the reason why I say that whenyour time has not come and you
don't have financial resources,build social resource, build
relationship resource, buildpeople who can take you to your

(06:06):
next realm of living.
And what will then happen?
Instantly we called the guy.
He said, oh, I'll speak tosomebody, it's okay.
The next day he called me, saidthe person says he knows so, so
and so of this place.
Are you people ready for us togo?
I said, ah, we're born ready.
Which will speak?
Which will make me speak aboutanother things physical,
universal currency, dress.

(06:27):
Well, I may not have the moneyin my pocket, but I'll never go
wrong in my looks so quickly.
When the person said we aregoing to see this person, this
person is this.
I said don't worry.
He said look good.
I said don't worry, I wore mykaftan.
I have this particular kaftan.
You think that's half hundredbillion dollars in my account.
So I wore it.
My co-founder dress.

(06:49):
Smell good.
I put on a very good perfume,not too expensive, that's the
thing.
The perfume must not beexpensive to smell good.
So showed up at the place andthe person said what do you
people want to do on the land?
Then I said this is our 3ddrawing.
Listen, faith is faith, but thebible says faith is a substance

(07:10):
of things hoped for.
So we had faith, but we had asubstance.
The man said ah, you people,you don't have land, you already
have your 3ds.
I say yes, sir, when we get theland size, we'll fit the
building to the land.
He said you are the only personwho has come here who has
showed a design of what you wantto do.
And then, quickly, we went.

(07:32):
Now, the long story is that, ifyou are listening to all of this
, how did we start?
We started off with therelationships pushing on the
vision.
Then it comes to a place wherewe have to start.
That is where sacrifice comesin.
So we live in a generationwhere a lot of young people want
their anointings on the oldergeneration, but they are
refusing their sacrifice.
So you are seeing mba, you likewhat mba is doing, but have you

(07:56):
ever sat down to question thedepth of sacrifice I put in to
make the things that you seework?
So now we have the land, now wehave everything, we've gone to
our documentation, everything issolid.
Now we want to start a project.
Now where's the money?
That's where the sacrificecomes in.
So what assets can youliquidate?
If you have a car, sell it ifyou, because, see, it is your

(08:18):
dream.
Nobody believes in your dreammore than you.
Nobody believed in thisconnected mind things.
So you came down, set it up andhad people to come in and push
your resources in to make itwork.
That's the thing.
So we put in the work, westarted sacrificing, selling the
cars here and again.
Relationships are important Me.
I tell the generation thatsocial media is a tool.

(08:38):
Use it, don't let it use you.
If you come on my social media,I teach.
If you come on my social media,it has to be value.
That's right From my YouTube toeverywhere.
You'll barely see me post mysocial life on social media.
If I post it, then I want youto see it.
But everything is well curatedand engineered and those were
the things that Dr Stephen hadseen and he reached out.

(08:58):
But, moving forward, I had nowbuilt a community of people who
were following my body of work.
Right before real estate, bro,I tried a lounge.
It failed.
It didn't work.
I'd gone in on the whole realestate in trial with, and that
is because I didn't have amentor to teach.
So, as you who are mentors,mentors are the lens in which

(09:19):
we're able to see the thingsthat we're not supposed to see,
and they will guide you youthink mentorship is important in
extremely important, extremelyimportant.
See, whenever god wants to helpa man and whenever god wants to
make a man wealthy on time, heintroduces another man into his

(09:39):
life.
David hadkins so exactly.
David had King Saul, abrahamhad Abimelech, ruth had the king
.
I'm sorry, esther had the king,ruth had Boaz Me.
I have Dr Stephen.
My life has been transitions ofmen and I have Ernest.
Exactly so, if you look at itvery, very, very well,

(10:01):
mentorship is extremelyimportant.
You think about it this wayMoses is blessed.
He has had encounters with God,he has seen God, but he doesn't
understand leadership andadministration.
So his father-in-law, jethro,is the one that teaches him how
to set up a good administrativesystem for the people he was

(10:22):
leading, else he would havefailed today you have yourself
an awesome project that I'mpretty sure within the next six
months to a year it should becomplete we pray.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
We'll put it in the work I've seen some of the
videos you posted.
I myself have heard it and Iwas like, wow, what does the
future hold for this man?
But a true question is you fillup the entire UPSA, but then
the young people are stillwaiting for item 30 you know

(11:01):
this features was speaking aboutthis as well some other time
where he says he's gone around16 University mm-hmm.
And the only thing the youngpeople were concerned about is
what they are going to eat yeah,I was on that tour with him it
makes it difficult to carry onwith this.
Yeah, whole thing aboutchanging the minds of people

(11:24):
because, as I see, sit here, Ihaven't eaten, I haven't either.
But we are giving out freeinformation.

Speaker 1 (11:31):
Absolutely, absolutely.
That's easy.
That's a very interesting one.
And I laugh because at the UPSauditorium when we finished the
event, I had my team come to me.
Like there's some people fromLegon, they are angry.
They said item 13, so um, can'tget sea pizza, man.

(11:52):
We provided food for those whotraveled outside of Akka, but
those who were in Akka we didn'tprovide food.
Now, that event was free.
So I'm hearing some of thecomments.
And do you know that?
Somebody sent me a WhatsAppaudio.
I have the audio here, I couldplay it.
He's a student at University ofGhana, so he sent a message and
he said he regrets coming forthe event.

(12:13):
Wow, yeah, he added regret.
He didn't know he was chattingwith me, so he said my name is
Susu Enso I came from Universityof Ghana.
The program was really blessed,but I was hungry.