Veteran Celebrates 1 Year Success of 1st African Market in Military Community #Entrepreneurship is our future covid19 job




Mr. Adolph Agbeko Yao Dagan and his wife Kafui

Mr. Adolph Agbeko Yao Dagan and his wife Kafui wanted to open up an international market after his military career in 2009. Dagan, as he is called by his fellow veterans, hails from Daganhoé in Togo, West Africa, a name that means Dagantown. Dagan African Market celebrates its first year in operation on July 20, 2020, the day of his birth. Looking back over the year long journey, the family celebrate and acknowledge their long hard journey to offer their 1000 square foot facility to customers who have traveled more than 500 miles from as far as Alabama, Kentucky, and all parts Missouri and Illinois to frequent their establishment offering authentic foods, clothing, beauty products, artwork, and other great finds from the people of the Caribbean, Africa, and other international favorites.

Trained as a high school French teacher, the family saved thousands of dollars from 2009 to 2019 to start a business in the heart of a thriving community populated with active duty military and their families as well as retired Veterans. Dagan and his family worked hard in order to prepare to take ownership of a premier African market that fulfilled the needs and expectations for the community of more than 250,000 resident in the Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Clarksville, Tennessee community. And all of the struggle turned out to be worth it as his company, Dagan African Market, became the first African market in the city. One of the challenges in a military town is that many can open businesses, not many can maintain a revenue generating establishment.

Located on Fort Campbell Boulevard in Clarksville, Tennessee, Dagan Market offers online delivery.

Truthfully, as Dagan continues to climb up the ladder of success, he and his family fully expect to become millionaires within 10 years. As they plan to open up a restaurant and increase their inventory. He and his wife and their children are also looking to incorporate an online store and even a direct custom order service for drums, wood pieces, and other original organic African artifacts.

With the families good reputation and dedication to customer service, Dagan and his family  caught the attention of people who said, “These are a good family“. The family hopes to become the largest African and International Store in the Tennessee and Kentucky area. They are passionate about serving patrons and veterans from the islands, Africa, the Caribbean, Spanish and European nations. Dagan says if you want to succeed, you have to work very hard.

As a poor citizen of Togo, West Africa, Kafui and Adolph treasure their homeland and support a church and school in their village of Dagan and Togo. They also collect school supplies, medical supplies, and clothes to send back to Africa and plan to establish a hospital and additional schools once their business hits the one-million-dollar revenue mark.

To get the best African artifacts around connect with Dagan African Market at www.dagaafricanmarket.com.

Let’s Go, Let’s Support, Let’s Help Others Win!

They say that if you want to be successful, help someone else to reach their goals. Well, here are 2 ways to do just that!

#1- Semi-Professional Ladies Basketball Team arrives in Nashville, TN http://www.musiccityicons.com

#2 – Youth Organization Supports Healthy Lifestyle and Development in Clarksville, TN http://www.leaporg.net

Renee Bobb is taking on a new venture as owner of the Music City Icons Women’s Basketball Team. Can you imagine the strength and power of supporting 14 dynamic women who are skills as athletics, bright, and passionate about entering this new venture in professional athletics. Starting today, let’s support the Music City Icons Women’s Basketball Team… # iFundWomen Crowdfunding Campaign. …

Thank you for your support !

LEAP stands to help youth from ages 11 to 18 balance their lives in a productive, helpful, hopeful manner. They work to build good, healthy character, motivating associations and share career and skills with young people with work place tours, travels around the United States and encouragement to seek training beyond high school.

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LEAP seeks benefactors to invest in our future and to help make LEAP Plaza a permanent home and sustainable source of revenue for our youth development programs. Our goal is to raise $2,000,000 over the next five years to retire two mortgages and to stabilize our operations through 2021. LEAP has a business plan to operate primarily through earned revenue from rent and service fees yielded through business incubation partnerships. The direct impact of these investments is greater/increased service to youth who are at-risk in our communities. The implementation of this plan is already underway and will be fully operational by the end of this campaign. Earned income from the business incubator will sustain LEAP’s youth development programs. We currently serve 200 youth per year. By 2021, we project serving 425.

  • Let’s help LEAP with donations in any amount to secure a permanent place for youth and young adults to thrive!!
  • The Success Rate includes helping over 1,000 students since it’s inception in 2007. Of 532 tested for controlled substances 433 (81%) have ben discontinued using. Of 290 students with criminal/delinquent backgrounds, 204 (70%) refrained from committing additional offences.
  • I’m inviting you to support my fundraising for the LEAP Organization. Please find out more and donate here: http://igfn.us/vf/360/DebraAnnMatthews.

We hope that you enjoy supporting great ventures in the community. Know that we contribute  monthly and we continue to offer support to all good things to help youth and to encourage business dynamics. You are invited to tour LEAP Plaza, attend our 1st season Music City  basketball.

Let me know if you need more information about either organization.

Danke, Merci Beaucoup, Gracias.

Debra Ann Matthews

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4 Good Reasons to Show Up and Grow in Your Business

You may have an idea to offer people who use old school calendars and planners in a customized fashion, like a wonderful business teacher that I met, you may be a press release specialist, or a goat herder. Whatever you do, let me encourage you to attend business development events, like the one that I attended yesterday in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, fondly called, Hoptown! For the second year, I attended the Regional Entrepreneur Conference and I was not disappointed! I came, I showed up, and I thrived! So let me show you 4 Good Reasons to Show UP to Grow Your Business….

Number 1 – When you show up, you are saying to your business colleagues, your potential customers, and the world ( or at least to the city), that you are ready to win. You are available to meet the needs of your ideal customer, you are equipped to share your expert knowledge, and inform other business people referrals for their business as well as share the ways that you can help, so that other business can tell others about you!

Hop Entrepreneur Conference1.jpgGuest Keynote Speaker, Marques Ogden, showed up and shared! He was one of the most authentic personalities and many were encouraged, learned, and were able to share many of his ventures that are his company offers to Veterans, other speakers, and to other athletes. He was also open to not only show up but to share others visions and business niches in his circle. Number 1 – Show up and Share.

Number 2 – When you show up, you are saying to your business colleagues, “Nice to meet ya!” I met and collected business cards, signs, and advertisements of my business colleagues. Please support them when you can!

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See all of the people, who also attended the conference? They are your networking partners….. Such as Sherria of http://www.fitbodyparty.com, Shenika Drake, Flair Expressions Make-up Aritst 270-498-8353, Rita Lewis, 931-302-7268, Elam Fisher, 5 Star Flooring 866-259-7085, Ron Dvorsky Jr, Christian Co Chamber 270-885-9096, Patrick Dawson FNB, 270-522-6021, Sara Shepherd Burdoc Farms Weddings and Events 270-348-1483, Stefanie Hasert, ImprintBlue 270-305-6111, Kitty Calhoun, Senor Lopez Grill and Cantina 270-881-6065, Marques Ogden Keynote Speaker 919-995-2266 http://www.marquesogden.com. Number 2 – Show up and Share and Help Others Shine.

Number 3 – When you show up, you are saying, I can also have a little fun! I learned so many new and refreshing tidbits to help me in my business (linkedin best practices, overview of basic business numbers, reminders to always give back to charitable events, and possibly consider joining the Chamber of Commerce). I also reaffirmed my personal goals to lose weight and stay on the journey. Your life is not a cocoon of experiences but one smooth flow of opportunities that will touch you in professional and personal ways.

Number 3 – Show up and Share and glean in all areas of your life.

 

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Number 4 – When you show up, you are saying, I am ready to make a move. Take the tidbits that you learned, and put in practice as soon as you can! I started yesterady, posting a few pics from yesterdays session on my linkedin and facebook page. This morning, I am writing a blog and now I am looking to see if I can share some of these business practices with my business hopefuls in Liberia.

One of the key takeaways that I learned from yesterdays events is to fine tune my personal story to make a greater business impact by helping who I am to resonate with my ideal audience. Drew Hudgins, presenter above was simply marvelous. He plans to offer 1000 small town business folks, strategic business services.  He really encouraged us to think about how we avoid pain and approach pleasure in the way that we network and connect with colleagues, clients, and others. He also helped us to know that we are seeking to persuade and not to manipulate. #finedistinction

Number 4- Show up and Share and take something with ya. I took this quote, “Love or Hate me, there’s no money in the middle. www.smalltalkbusiness.com Rise, fall, rise again! Don’t drop your guard! Business is Business. Vet. Vet. Vet. Adversity if a part of the process. Tell your truth. Work.Work.Work.Work.Work.

More community events for business owners: Jump in… Entrepreneur Mastermind Group Either March 18th or May 6 – Free group sponsored by SCORE, Clarksville Entrepreneur Center, APSU. Sign up at http://www.leaporg.net/cec. Leaders Learning Luncheon March 17th June 14th and Sept 15th Medi @ verxleben@medisuccess.org 270-885-8885. Marketing Bootcamp March 29th Murray State Hoptown campus. Register at https://mktbootcamp.eventbrite.com

I do hope that if you are a business hopeful, start-up, or a seasoned business member, that you are encouraged to always participate in business conferences. As you show up, you will learn a ton! And if you need support, a listening ear for your business, or need to have some items written, LET US WRITE IT FOR YOU!

Let Me Write It For You helps individuals and groups with Resumes, Capability Statements, Cover Letters, Letter of Intent, Press Releases, Contracts, Proposals, Grants, Ads, Letters, Tag Lines, Proofreading, Networking, and other Training. Read more about her work in What Do You Do & 4 Grants to Help You Do It http://bit.ly/4Grants2HelpYou.

Feel free to share with us on this blog how you have benefitted from participating in business events.

Cheers!

Debra Ann

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