Founder Series: Isaac Aidoo

Showcasing the incredible people driving the direction of Boost. Meet Isaac Aidoo, the co-founder and Chief Customer Officer of Boost Ghana.

Isaac Aidoo is the Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer of Boost Ghana. Read on to learn more!

How would you describe Isaac Aidoo to someone you recently met?

I would say that I am passionate about helping people. Anything that I can do to help people is what I live for. 

I’m also very data-driven and love analysing data to develop innovative products that ease the way of doing business for our customers who operate in the informal sector. When I’m not in the field, you will often find me writing SQL queries with customer data and testing product features. 

Looking back at your childhood in Ghana, what is one fond memory that stands out to you about interaction with informal retailers?

As a government worker, my mom had a side business to support my elder sister and me in school. At times, we would help her sell to make more money. I always watched her count her cash and calculate her margins, which were always very thin. This has always been a reference point for me whenever I interact with retailers, knowing that they are also working around the clock to support their children and dependents.

What aspect of the Boost proposition drew you to join as a co-founder of Boost Ghana?

Before Boost, I started a business called ConvyPlus that was collecting inventory data of small informal “supermarkets” in Accra. I built relationships with the owners and really got to understand their businesses and challenges, especially with procuring stock and managing working capital. It seemed these owners were spending most of their time at the open market trying to find products at good prices, and they almost always had empty shelves in their stores because they never had enough capital to buy what they needed.

I had known Joseph for many years and always wanted to work more closely with him, and both of us had previously worked with Mike. When we had our first call together, I realised we all shared the same desire to help small, convenience retail businesses and that working together would enable us to do this at scale. 

Tell us more about a great customer moment that speaks to the impact you’ve had?

I will give you two. First, I remember meeting a retail entrepreneur who could not read or write [Ghana’s literacy rate is 80%], and had never used a digital product before. She would use her mobile to make and receive calls, and managed her shop entirely in her head. We developed a very simple WhatsApp ordering product that uses only buttons and images, and now she places regular orders by herself. This inspires me and means that every retailer could use and benefit from our product. 

Second, another retailer recently told me that since using Boost, she almost feels lazy because she rarely has to go to the market to buy stock for her business. She used to go three times per week from 6 to 8am, so we have saved her all of that time, money and hassle. 

What’s your vision for Boost Ghana over the next 10 years? 

We want to scale up our platform to digitise and grow 1 million retail and distribution businesses in Ghana. This would make a major impact on Ghana’s economy and would improve the lives of many entrepreneurs. I believe we can do it!