Clara Matonhodze:
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Roots, Routes, and Voices that Shape America. I’m your host, Clara Matonhodze.
Bryan Wright:
And I’m Bryan Wright, executive director of Cincinnati Compass and cohost of Roots, Routes, and Voices. On this podcast, we delve into the heart of the American experience through the lens of its most vital asset, its people.
Clara Matonhodze:
And today’s guest, this is a good one, Bryan. We are talking about a journey that stretches from Ghana to Cincinnati, from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, and from an idea to a thriving business.
Bryan Wright:
That’s right. Our guest today is the powerhouse behind True Shea, a brand that’s bringing West Africa’s best kept beauty secret, 100% pure Shea butter, to homes across America. Meet Manny Ado, an immigrant entrepreneur who left behind the world of finance to follow his passion, building a company that bridges cultures and empowers communities.
Clara Matonhodze:
And if you think this is just about skin care, think again. This is a story of risk, resilience, and reinvention. What does it take to launch a business in a new country? How do you stay connected to your roots while scaling up? And why is Cincinnati such a powerhouse for immigrant entrepreneurs?
Bryan Wright:
Buck up buckle up y’all. This conversation is packed with wisdom, laughs, and insights you don’t wanna miss. Let’s get into it.
Clara Matonhodze:
Let’s get into it. Hi, Manny, and thank you so much for coming to Roots, Roots and Voices.
Manny Addo:
You’re welcome. Thanks for having me.
Clara Matonhodze:
So, Manny, let’s get right into it. You grew up in Ghana and now run a thriving business in Cincinnati. Can you take us back to your roots? What inspired you as a child, and did you always dream of becoming an entrepreneur?
Manny Addo:
Thank you again. So back home to Ghana, I pretty much had in mind that I would like to one way, shape, or form become a successful person. Now entrepreneurship at that time was nowhere near the radar. My idea and my hope and plan was to become a medical doctor.
Clara Matonhodze:
Oh, okay. Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
Now, unfortunately, for me, at the age of 15, I lost my mother.
Clara Matonhodze:
Oh, sorry about that. Sorry.
Manny Addo:
Very, very close to my mother at the time. And then my mother, just like most women in Africa and around the world, was the glue that held our family together. She took care of the eight children and my father. Although my father was a breadwinner, he barely knew what was going on in the house. So it was a mother who really held the family together. Her death threw a huge curve ball at us. We all did not know what to do, including my dad and my child and my siblings. Now I was the last out of eight children. I was the youngest, and it hit me the most. So we ran into financial problems really quickly. Things became really, really difficult for us. And so I had to begin to start gradually providing for myself.
Clara Matonhodze:
Oh.
Manny Addo:
I started to think about how to supplement the income or money that, you know, my father was, at the time, able to do his best to scrape for us.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
And back home in Ghana, there are not a whole lot of jobs. So it wasn’t like, at age 50, you can go to a McDonald’s and get a job. Even the elderly people who are you know, old people who are going to school and graduate, they don’t have jobs.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
So the easiest route was to create something for myself. What came to mind was salesmanship Mhmm. To sell products because as a salesman and as a 100% commission salesman Mhmm. You don’t need anybody to hire you. Now it was really tough for me because I was really, really quiet. I was shy. But there’s a saying that I’ve come to hear here in The United States. I heard that in the United States the first time it has always stuck to me. It says, closed mouths don’t get fed.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh. Right.
Manny Addo:
So that was when the entrepreneurship dream started through selling products. So I will go to my mother’s friends and my father’s friends and say, hey. I know you’re selling shoes. Can you give me some of your shoes so I can go and sell and bring you back the money? And because they liked my mother and knew my mother, my mother was very high up in the church. She was the president of the women’s Pentecostal women’s church in Ghana. She had a lot of respect, so I used that to begin to start selling products. Mhmm. So I became a deal maker in my community. So that is how the entrepreneurship dream
Clara Matonhodze:
Did you say you became a deal maker in your community?
Manny Addo:
At that level.
Clara Matonhodze:
At 15. Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
Exactly. So people would call me. They got to a point where people would say, hey, Manny. I got some shoes.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
Somebody says, hey, Manny. I need some shoes.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
I connect them together. I take a little cut. Uh-huh. And there, I went. So that’s how it all started. Mhmm.
Clara Matonhodze:
So shea butter has a deep cultural significance in West Africa. Right?
Manny Addo:
Exactly. Yeah. Exactly.
Clara Matonhodze:
So what did it do? Did you think it played any role in your life growing up? Like, what is it about Shea butter that was the product for you? So Besides shears, of course.
Manny Addo:
So as, you know, just a little bit about Shea butter. So Shea butter is a product that grows only in Sub Saharan Africa. Mhmm. Unique to the Sub Saharan African continent.
Clara Matonhodze:
Oh.
Manny Addo:
And, in Ghana, like most African countries, education is free. So when you graduate from high school, you have to go and serve your nation by taking you through school for free. It’s called national service.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yes.
Manny Addo:
So I hear a yes there. So at age, yeah, about 18 when I graduated from high school, I was posted as a teacher to go and teach in the most remote village in Ghana, if not the most remote village in the world.
Clara Matonhodze:
Really? Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
And when I got to the village, I’m like, what did I just do? Now I’m from Ghana, so I know about poverty. Poverty is I’m no stranger to poverty.
Clara Matonhodze:
Right. Yeah.
Manny Addo:
But this level of poverty was just too much for me. Mhmm. There were no roads to the village. Mhmm. Transportation, we came into the village in the form of a semi truck, and came twice a week. Wow. Tuesday Uh-huh. And Thursday. And so if you wanna fall sick in that village, you better fall sick on Tuesday or Thursday, or you don’t have medicine to go back to the city.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yes. Oh my gosh. Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
There was no water. I mean, drinking water, children Mhmm. At age six years old
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
Had to walk five miles in the morning
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah.
Manny Addo:
To go and fetch a bucket of water before going to school. Mhmm. In the classroom which I taught, there were no roofs. When the rain came, we had to go.
Clara Matonhodze:
Wow.
Manny Addo:
We sat on a cement block with planks, and we did our school work in our hands.
Clara Matonhodze:
That was some experience, Manny.
Manny Addo:
It was a shock. Even for me coming from Africa, I was at a different level of shock.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
But amongst all this was shea butter. The Northern part of Africa has a lot of shea butter. So that was the first time I came in contact with
Clara Matonhodze:
What’s shea butter?
Manny Addo:
Shea butter.
Clara Matonhodze:
What would they do with it?
Manny Addo:
So
Clara Matonhodze:
Is it used as a lotion like we do here, or does it have another use?
Manny Addo:
So it is a lotion for your hair, your skin. But for the first time, I realized that shea butter was edible. So we cooked with shea butter. So the name butter is connected to butter. It’s just like butter. Mhmm. We fry eggs with it, cook with it, and that’s all we did. So shea butter itself Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
It was really, really good for feeding yourself in addition to using it for your skin and your hair. Mhmm. So that was the first time, you know, I really came in contact with shea butter. Now at that time, I did not know that I was gonna go into business.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah. Yeah.
Manny Addo:
Of course. But I knew that leaving that village, I said to myself that when I ever get to The United States, which was always a childhood dream of mine, and just like most Africans.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah. I was going to ask, like, were you always having that dream?
Manny Addo:
Exactly. Most Africans. I said to myself that when I get to The United States
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
I will always look for a business opportunity to help the people in that place.
Clara Matonhodze:
Oh my gosh. Yes. Have you done that?
Manny Addo:
Now ten, fifteen years after that, I find myself in Columbus, Ohio Mhmm. Working for the company JPMorgan Chase Mhmm. As a consultant. Mhmm. So one night, one of my friends invited me to his other friend’s house. Mhmm. So we got there. Chris invites me to Greg’s house. Mhmm. We get there at about 10:00 in the night. So immediately I start speaking, the other friend asks me the million dollar question that all immigrants get once they start speaking. It’s like
Clara Matonhodze:
Where are you from?
Bryan Wright:
Right.
Manny Addo:
I’m not.
Bryan Wright:
Columbus. No. Where are you really from? Yeah.
Manny Addo:
Yeah. Exactly. So I said to him, I’m from Ghana. Uh-huh. Immediately, he rushes and goes to his room.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
I’m like, what did I do wrong? All I said was, I said, I’m from Ghana.
Clara Matonhodze:
He’s getting shea butter.
Manny Addo:
He runs into his room, comes back Uh-huh. 10:00 in the night with a big ball of yellow shea butter in his hands.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
So I say to myself, this picture doesn’t even look right. What is an African American
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
Does she have Shea butter in his house?
Clara Matonhodze:
Said to do with Shea butter.
Manny Addo:
Even at night. I’m like, dude. What’s all this?
Clara Matonhodze:
What are you doing? Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
He’s like, this is my business. I sell shea butter. Yeah. I said to myself, shea butter, who buys shea butter in The United States. Uh-huh. Because we have a lot of shea butter in Ghana. Like, a lot well, like, you know, when you have Yeah.
Clara Matonhodze:
It’s everywhere, and you just ignore it. It’s like, there’s almost no value because it’s so much. Yeah. Exactly. I get it. Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
Exactly Clara. So I’m like, oh, buy. So we went out that night. The next morning when we got home, I said to myself, let me put my MBA to the test.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
So I got up, went online, and Googled what is the market size of shea butter in The United States.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
You know, the entrepreneurial thing is kicking.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah. Yeah.
Manny Addo:
I’m like, oh my god. So that was when I bought the shea butter idea
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm. Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
Fast forward, when I sell today, to make a long story short, we donate a portion of our sales proceeds towards building water wells in Ghana. And last two years ago, we were able to build our first water well in collaboration with Bogart in the village. And this really, really helps the people in the village. Yeah. I went there
Clara Matonhodze:
So this was the village that you were teaching at?
Manny Addo:
This was no. So the village that I was teaching in, unfortunately, for me Mhmm. There’s a civil war in that village
Clara Matonhodze:
Right now?
Manny Addo:
Right now. Oh. So we can’t go there. So when I went there two years ago, I wanted to go and visit there. We can’t let you anywhere. So we found a village that is not too far away from there. Mhmm. That’s where, you know, we built Mhmm. Water well. So I went there to see the water well myself the first time
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
Like, two years ago. Mhmm. And, they were so appreciative. The people in the village Mhmm. We were so appreciative of what we did. I saw that they Mhmm. Named me they made me a chief. It’s called community development chief.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
So it’s called Maligun. That’s my name, but I’ll make it short. Going forward, you gotta call me chief Manny.
Clara Matonhodze:
That’s what I was going to say. Like, I’m so sorry. We have just been acting like you’re a common man here. Exactly. You know? Chief chief Manny. No. Chief what?
Manny Addo:
Chief Manny. But it’s Maliguna.
Clara Matonhodze:
Chief Maliguna.
Manny Addo:
Yeah. Maliguna.
Clara Matonhodze:
Alright, chief. No. But II love, II really, really love the story of you going back doing these water wells. As an immigrant myself, I’ve often thought that the answer to improve some of Africa’s societies really lies with those of us who are living in the diaspora. Right? Especially now, talking about how USAID is no longer available, but us who have that ability to be able to to go back to where we come from and improve village lives. You know? So I’m always really amazed and inspired when I see stories like, what what what what you’re doing.
Manny Addo:
First, my point or what I wanna do is to get others to go and build water wells in Africa. Mhmm. Yeah. But I wanted to do it myself. Uh-huh. So that when we’re asking Mhmm. It’s not like I’ve already demonstrated. So I’m working with Rotary International.
Manny Addo:
We’re going to Ghana next month to go and start building water wells across the African continent. But World Regeneration, they already know that I’ve done one myself already. Mhmm. And so it’s easier for people to now contribute because you’ve already, you know, demonstrated, you know, that. So for me, that is a bigger point. Mhmm.
Bryan Wright:
How you’re talking about how you move, when you were there, you knew that you wanted to make an impact in that village. And it seemed you weren’t quite sure how, like you said, like, Shea butter wasn’t on or entrepreneurship wasn’t even there. And then you talked about Columbus with this guy who was so excited to hear you were from Ghana. They were like, let me show you this Shea butter I have and this company that I have. And then it’s like and then you drew that connection and, like but it seemed like it wasn’t just on the spot. You just kind of already had this idea of wanting to give back. And I feel like that is a common thing that we have about that we see with community members is this desire like
Clara Matonhodze:
Desire to give yes.
Bryan Wright:
Success is not just my own. Success is ours.
Clara Matonhodze:
The question is now formed in my head.
Bryan Wright:
And so yeah. You have the question now?
Manny Addo:
You have the question now?
Clara Matonhodze:
Yes. Okay. Alright. So now
Manny Addo:
It took a village.
Clara Matonhodze:
So, Manny, you know, that’s really amazing that you desire to go back and make a difference. And it just reminds me of the story about, you know, the immigrant journey where you go out on or sometimes not even the immigrant journey, but it’s just like a journey in life where you go out, you explore the world, you learn all you can, and then you go back. Right? And so now you’re not necessarily going back, but I think what is in yours is that you did go back to try and improve lives. Do you think that, as immigrants, there is an obligation there for not just you because you’re already doing it, but for more of us to be able to do that and give back from where we come from.
Manny Addo:
I mean, 100% though, because we can only be the only ones that can only make our homes a better place, and then others would follow.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
So if you are not setting a shining example
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
By doing it to yourself, it makes it a little difficult. First, I mean, I think it’s your obligation. Yeah. Contributing could be in so many ways. It could be building water wells.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
It could be supporting, you know, school children. Do you know it? But I feel like or even just going back to speak to people and share with them some
Clara Matonhodze:
Inspire them.
Manny Addo:
Exactly. Inspire them and share some of the things that you meant. So I think that is kind of. the obligation for us.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah. I think that role actually is going to be made big enough that USAID might not be in a lot of these villages anymore. You know? I almost feel like it’s up to some of us to see what we can do in our communities to create something. You know? But, anyway, moving on, you know, coming to America and building a business is really no small feat. What were some of the biggest roadblocks you faced along the way, and how did you navigate those?
Manny Addo:
As for roadblocks, if I could count, you might be in the whole name. So I’ll be I’ll narrate
Clara Matonhodze:
I know. But I yeah. Yeah. Do give a specific one, a real one because, you know, we always hear about people’s stories and, like, how did you make it? You know? I had some help. But I really want you to get into a really specific example of how you managed to overcome a challenge.
Manny Addo:
So one of the major challenges and, you know, being an immigrant or not is what we all face is funding.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yes. Mhmm. Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
So I got an idea. You know, jump through a few hoops, meet a few people, get it all connected, all that I know how to do within my power Mhmm. Because of who I am, building relationships, navigating the cultural challenges because some of the cultural backgrounds and ideas and perceptions that we have don’t always necessarily translate into what that cultural thing might be in here. So for example, very early in my life, I and this is what has helped me a lot in my business. One day, I, you know, graduated from Xavier University. Mhmm. And there was a Catholic priest, Father Boma, who made my stay possible. I always have to talk about father Boma because if he hadn’t been for him, this store would have gone sideways.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
He was the one who built me with money and allowed me to stay in The United States. So, I mean, yeah, I was sleeping on the floor and all that. Hey. Father Boma really, really, really made this. Mhmm. So one day, I graduated from school, and I met him at the church. And, he gave me a hunch, and I shook his hands. Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
And as I walked away, he called me back. And he’s like, listen. I had a boy who’s about 65 year old pastor, white male. Yeah. And he’s like, Manny, I have a word of advice for you. Okay. He’s like, now that you’re going into the work for and I told him this story fifty years later. He’s a user. Now that you’re going to the workforce, you have to give a firm handshake to people.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
Now coming from Africa, you you don’t give a firm handshake
Clara Matonhodze:
Right. Yeah.
Manny Addo:
To a superior Mhmm. Somebody’s older than you.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yes. Yep. That’s important.
Manny Addo:
So it is a sign of respect that you give a firm handshake to someone, telling them that you
Clara Matonhodze:
See you.
Manny Addo:
I’m weaker than you.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yes. Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
But that doesn’t translate into this. So it stuck with me. And so what that taught me was that in order to succeed in the corporate world, especially as an entrepreneur and as a salesperson, I need to clean up and sharpen my cultural skills because I’m going there to go and speak with people. So I did not know that. For example, giving eye contact meant one thing in The United States, and giving no eye contact. I tried swimming. Give me eye contact.
Clara Matonhodze:
I still struggle with eye contact to this day. It is not a natural thing.
Manny Addo:
So I was speaking at at Isaiah University, and I and I shared with them that
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
In Africa, giving eye contact is disrespectful. Mhmm. So when I give you eye contact, I disrespect you. But in the United States, you look suspicious. So I was teaching. I was working at the bank as a relationship manager. In my next cubicle Mhmm. There was a foreigner there. I think he was Hispanic. He came, and he was talking to the next personal assistant next to me. When he left, the lady with no disrespect, just knew she was a lady. She’s just saying what she says. She was talking to the manager that the guy who left there was acting suspicious. Uh-huh. So the manager asked her why. She said because the guy won’t give her eye contact.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah. She he was avoiding eye contact.
Manny Addo:
At this point, I’m like, no. I’m not gonna do anything. So what I left my queue in was very nice. I like this culture. He doesn’t show you respect. Mhmm. Right? But, you know, so quickly, I said, okay. In order for me to survive in corporate, I’m especially a salesman Mhmm. As a deal maker, because I’m making deals and connecting.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
I need to clean up
Clara Matonhodze:
and strategize
Manny Addo:
So I started networking anywhere. Anywhere I go, I’m just networking. And I and I focus on networking Mhmm. In the non African community. Because as an African, I know what Africans have. Mhmm. In order for me to grow, I need to bring what I do not know.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
And that was one of the things that has really, really helped me because my success is based on relationship building. Yeah. Yeah. And that is how I’ve been able to do that as an engineer.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah. So you decided you’re not going to basically preach to the choir.
Manny Addo:
Exactly. Yeah.
Clara Matonhodze:
Exactly. That makes sense. Yeah. That makes sense. It’s like, there’s no point in trying to do business and you’re hanging around, and you’re trying to grow. You know? You grow because you charter new Avenues.
Manny Addo:
Exactly.
Clara Matonhodze:
That’s where you are, that’s where growth comes in. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
Bryan Wright:
But I hear you, like, you’re also talking about not only, you know, expanding a market and, you know, bringing a product to new markets and new communities. But If you’re, I feel like you’re hitting on something really important and valuable, by its absence. Right? So you’re talking about, you know, this is like, how do you navigate different cultures? That feels like it wasn’t taught in your finance classes. No. And it wasn’t taught or like, I feel like whether it’s within a finance or business class or an entrepreneurship class, the most important thing is not being taught, and it’s how to engage with another individual. Like, how do you have a handshake? How do you make eye contact or not? Those are the things that build trust. And if you’re not taught those things, it seems like those early stages of building your business could rise or fall based on those things. And you’re I mean, that’s just such a crucial point of it that you’re saying that so luckily, you had this mentor that shared with you this information.
Bryan Wright:
But, I mean, I feel like you’re touching on something crucial to any entrepreneur that is not from The US that is trying to navigate these very important engagements.
Manny Addo:
You said it well. And in my book, I wrote a whole chapter on cultural differences because it would make or break you. So I want a whole chapter, you know, looking at it differently, not even from one way is for immigrants to relate to people in The United States. Mhmm. But also for people in the United States to relate and understand. To understand immigrants. Because whether we like it or not, we’re all here.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah. Communication is two ways. Exactly.
Manny Addo:
Exactly. It’s a two way communication. So I you know, so I talk about that, you know, in that in my book.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah. So speaking about your book, Manny, which I have read, by the way, and one of the things I really liked about your book is that I was trying to allude to this earlier, is how honest you are. You know? We’re talking about culture. One of the things that you bring up is credit and why that’s important. Because I know a lot of immigrants when they first come here, especially if you’re from a country whose economy does not depend on credit. It is a very different relationship. Can you speak more about that? Because I think this is important.
Manny Addo:
And I had this conversation just this morning. Yeah. Just as you might know. So I was speaking to one of my clients, and I’m trying to get her to work with ECDI. Uh-huh. I introduced her to ECDI. You know, Bryan, you know ECDI. You know ECDI.
Manny Addo:
Right. And so she said that she’s from Africa. She’s from Africa. So she’s like, I’m asking, have you she said, I’ve checked everything, but I I I have a problem with my credit score. And that is something that really because we don’t know anything about that. Yeah. One of my friends gave me a big dog. Right? He’s like, he came from Africa. They sent him a credit card. He thought it was free. He’s swiping. He didn’t know that. He thought they would give him a free card. Because in Africa, nobody’s gonna send you a Yeah. What I tell you, but he could be. He’s free. He’s swiping. Uh-huh. What I have here is that he has a problem.
Clara Matonhodze:
I know. I remember in college, it was a Discover card, it was a Discover card for me, and it’s like, it’s $700. I’m like, $700 for, like, what do you mean? It’s like, you can get $700. And I’m like, really? $700? You know? And, yeah, they don’t. I don’t know if they do that now, but at the time, they literally were just giving, like, here’s $700. Here’s $700. Here’s $700, and I signed up for $700. If I had known it wasn’t for me, I’d have to give it back. It would have been another story. But, yeah, what about the idea of you have to it doesn’t really compute that you have to borrow money in order to attain
Manny Addo:
Exactly. Credits. And that’s also something else. And that’s what we struggle with is that. So, of course, you’re allowed to and it’s, you know, contact duty. You have to, like you say, spend the money to be able to build your credit. Mhmm. Now some other Africans come in. They’re like, okay. I don’t wanna get in trouble.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah.
Manny Addo:
So I’m not signing up for a credit card.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah.
Manny Addo:
No. I’m not buying anything on credit because in Africa, there’s a guy who came back. He said it’s the best way. He says, Americans got credit. Africans got cash. Mhmm. It’s a cash economy.
Clara Matonhodze:
It is. yeah.
Manny Addo:
In Ghana yeah.
Clara Matonhodze:
It’s called the cash economy.
Manny Addo:
Cash and carry. You don’t have cash? Uh-huh. You buy a $200,000 house? There’s cash.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah.
Manny Addo:
You buy a $50,000 car, there’s cash.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah.
Manny Addo:
Now if you do that here, now you’re not building your credit. So first, they’re the ones who think that a credit card is free. They have a problem because they are spending it then. The other ones are also not building their credit because, you know, so and some of these things really, really kinda hurt. And I was fortunate because of my background and my education and all that. I was able to use my credits and my credit card to build my and I say this, but sometimes people are like, don’t say that because I took a credit card, $15,000 credit card, 0% interest rate.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
For one year, I bought all my products. I sell it. When the year is over, pay all that 15,000 back. Pick another one. Sometimes I have two at the same time. So I’m using a $30,000 credit or a credit card, zero percentage risk. But I’m doing that because my credit is almost 800. Mhmm. You know? So if you know how I teach that to people who I know that are responsible. Because if you are not responsible and you go and do that, and then you have that, you can’t pay that $15,000. You’re not. So okay.
Bryan Wright:
Manny, I have a question about and we’ll talk about this a little bit more in detail. But one of the things you were talking about is navigating business culture, right, or US culture more broadly than business culture. You also talked about wanting to bring the product to new markets and expanding it. So in between there, I hear this is how you move and work in authenticity, how you’re able to maintain your identity, but also the authenticity of Tru Shea as a brand, as a product that is authentically African, authentically Ghanaian, authentically Manny. Right? It’s you. Right? So how do you navigate those two things of, you know, wanting to because it feels like if you as you leave one community, there might be a perception of not abandonment, but of, what about us? But then you go into this new market where you’re not where you might have to adjust, like, there’s that cultural negotiation you talked about. So how do you and I feel like you’ve maintained the authenticity, but how do you do that? And what kind of advice do you have for other entrepreneurs in a similar situation?
Manny Addo:
Yeah. So that’s a very good question, and that’s something that I continue to balance. And sometimes, as I get so, sometimes there’s a feeling that I’m not truly representing, connecting all the African society, you know, at its fullest because I’m bringing the products from Africa, but my customers are not necessarily Africans. Mhmm. And so I gotta balance the balance so that in a way which I’m able to serve, you know, both people. So what and one of the things I have done and I’ve been which has really helped me is that because my product is 100% all natural, It allows me to go into a market that is fast growing. So today, most people are going all natural. So irrespective of your culture or your race or your gender or ethnicity, most people understand all nature.
Manny Addo:
So that is my fine. So I’m not selling to this race or that. It’s all natural. You know? So that’s one form that has helped me. I also make sure that I am keeping the Africaness because I keep on saying that this is the only time and the only job which I feel that my Africaness is a plus. Because when I was working in a financial institution so when I was working at the bank Mhmm. I remember clearly one day, three of us were there. I’m the assistant manager. I’m the personal banker, assistant manager, and the manager. Mhmm. So and and we we’re we’re we’re broken down into three segments. So I’m African. Mhmm. I said that the manager is African American. Mhmm. The manager is white.
Manny Addo:
Mhmm. Now when people walk in, typically, on a Monday morning and they have overdraft fees, and they want the money to be returned to them, they come to me or they go to an African American guy. These very same people Uh-huh. In February, when they get their tax returns, $3,000 Uh-huh. And they will want to come and invest. When I go to them, they’re like, no. Can I talk to one? Can I talk to the white guy? I’m like, wait.
Clara Matonhodze:
What do you think is happening there?
Manny Addo:
So it’s just a perception thing that the white person can manage. Now these are this is black on white. Not black on white. This is not like white. No. This is black on white. I’m not a white guy.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
So now, you know,
Bryan Wright:
That’s the aspect
Manny Addo:
When I’m selling shea butter
Clara Matonhodze:
The white the white person can manage their money, and the black person can understand the struggle of an overdraft.
Manny Addo:
Exactly. So white guys wear this overdraft. Exactly. You put it you put it better than I put it. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. We relate to you. So now in this new job, when I’m selling shea butter, my accent is a plus because I’m selling an all natural product. And so because I’m African and they know shea butter is coming from Africa Okay. It helps me sell it better. That’s why I’m the lead salesman because if I get a white person who sells, it probably won’t go very well because if you are looking for an authentic shave butter, you you know, so this is not so these are some of the ways in which one has to be careful about navigating it. And so I’m like, okay. At the end of the day Mhmm. Where I can help the people back home in Ghana and make my Africans also feel good is Mhmm. Let’s build a water well. They need it.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
I haven’t abandoned them. It took me a while, but I’ve come back for a second.
Clara Matonhodze:
So yeah. Okay. So, Manny, that is really interesting to me. You touched on a lot of points, but the one that I wanna, the one that I want to dwell on is you mentioning that, so you were working in a bank, right, where you might you you you didn’t feel maybe accepted, and then this feels more authentic to you, being African, selling an African product. Right? And, I wonder what you think about the idea that sometimes it’s it’s do you think it’s a stereotype? You know? Or that it pigeonholes a lot of other immigrants who might want the you know, like, what does that say about that whole idea? I’m thinking here specifically because I once had a conversation Mhmm. With someone, back in the day when I was trying to work with an organization that does investing in Africa, and they were like, I don’t think we don’t. I don’t think you’re gonna find success there. And I’m like, why? It’s like, because no one wants to listen to Africans telling them about investing. But if you come up with an idea that’s cultural, right, you will do great because people tend to think Africans have a lot of culture.
Manny Addo:
Right? It’s the perception. Yeah. Yeah. You don’t think that you know, you can’t manage your money. Are you can’t manage your money? Maybe you bring some 100% rush here, but, okay. You might get a pass. But
Clara Matonhodze:
But you seem to be managing your money very well. Now you’ve got a business that is in what? 800 plus Kroger store, Walmart, So isn’t that interesting?
Manny Addo:
Which is a great one because now people ask me and you asked me last time that Uh-huh. Is the DEI backlash affecting me?
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
And I’m like, at this point, I’m a proven business. Three years ago but right away, almost 3,500 stores with, you know, the new phrase that we are using right now in the wake of all this DEI is that we are good businesses, we’re happy to be black. And not black business. Because once you say that in this new era, you box yourself in there. But we are good businesses, we’re just happy to be black. Mhmm.
Bryan Wright:
Many of these conversations have been great. And so, but we need to take a break. And when we come back, I would like to, go back in time a little bit to when you arrived in Cincinnati, and learn about your experiences there as we heard when you mentioned Columbus, but how did you end up in Cincinnati and, kinda go back in time and take it from there. So we’ll see everyone after the break. Alright. Welcome back, everybody. So, Manny, you were talking about arriving, and you mentioned Columbus. So how is it that you ended up in Cincinnati? You did mention you attended Xavier University, but how did you end up, yeah, how did you end up here in Cincinnati?
Manny Addo:
Yeah. So I told the story backwards. So I got to Cincinnati before I went to Columbus. So let me
Bryan Wright:
Okay.
Manny Addo:
Let me set the record straight. So, I arrived in Cincinnati by bus one morning from New York at 3AM with the plan of attending a school called Xavier University. They know a soul. You know where Xavier was.
Clara Matonhodze:
What year was this?
Manny Addo:
This was in 2001, I believe. Mhmm. 2001, I believe, in August 2001. Mhmm. Gone here with $600 to my name. I needed $50,000 to graduate from my MBA. So if you can do the math, you see that I’m a little short.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh. And then how did you make it happen?
Manny Addo:
Let’s sleep on the floor, not the couch, but the floor. Like, not my, like, bare floor with a small blanket that my sister gave me, wore two pairs of pants for two years, did my homework in my palm, didn’t have a I mean, like, empty, like, from scratch.
Clara Matonhodze:
Manny, that is amazing. I mean
Manny Addo:
So my roommates, I live in four, you know, undergrad, good, great guys, and, white guys. So anytime they go home, I think they went and told their parents that, hey. There’s an African. There’s an African in the house. He didn’t do it himself. So while they’re coming, my mother said to bring you this mattress. Right. My mother said to bring you this jacket. My mother said to bring you this table, man. And for some reason, I was always their mother, not their father. I was always my mother.
Clara Matonhodze:
Oh, yes. It’s its mothers who can relate. You know? Like, oh, if that was my child. You know?
Manny Addo:
So I paid my rent, I think, $175 or something. The second month rent, I already am. I don’t have any money to pay rent. So my landlord is coming to look for me. You know, in the second month, he needs his money. So I figured he comes around 08:00 every morning. So at 07:30, I leave the house. I go to the Ziga University Library. I’m in the library from 08:00 in the morning to 1AM.
Manny Addo:
One, I need to make sure that this guy is visibly gone before I come home. University now wants their money. I pay the first six hundred dollars. They need their money. So when I go to the classroom, Xavier, I want their money. Uh-huh. When I come home, I’m like, where am I gonna go now? Uh-huh. So I mentioned father Bowman last the like, when I started speaking in Catholic Yeah.
Manny Addo:
I mean, without father Bowman, this would never happen. So he was a Catholic priest, and so I went to him, and I went on my knees and started crying. Oh. Like, this is my story. I’m from Africa. I’m an MBA student. I just don’t have the money. So he got me up, and he asked me to follow him.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
Sleep old man. I don’t know what he was doing, and he marched me straight to the administration block. Mhmm. And he asked for my grades. Now the good thing is I’m in the library from 8am to 1am
Clara Matonhodze:
So you got all As.
Manny Addo:
Like, I mean, all As. A good thing came out of that.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
So he gave me $5,000. Mhmm. And another thousand 5,000 of my fees and another thousand dollars of my rent. So he turned it around for me. Yeah. And so you so that’s how I came to Cincinnati, and that’s how I was able, you know, to turn it around. So if you’re adding me for father Bowman this story would have gone.
Clara Matonhodze:
Mhmm.
Manny Addo:
Now I thought I was gonna be in Cincinnati for two years, but it’s almost twenty years.
Clara Matonhodze:
It’s almost twenty years now. Well
Bryan Wright:
It happens.
Clara Matonhodze:
We are very thankful for father Bowman and the mothers that we’re sending in stuff.
Manny Addo:
Exactly.
Clara Matonhodze:
But that must have been I know you did get the help from father Boma, but that must have been somewhat of a lonely time, you know, to push you to a point where you went to him crying. Were there at the time or maybe later any voices that you think helped you, you know, or mentors, family, any other voices?
Manny Addo:
So that was one of the loneliest times. And I said to myself, what do you do because before I came to Ghana, I was working at a company called Mex Line.
Clara Matonhodze:
I came to America. Before you came to America
Manny Addo:
Before I came to America. I was working at Mex Line, just got a job, had a car to myself. I was living in my sister’s house, a 10 bedroom house. You know, like, when I went to the office, there’s when people send me coffee, I mean, like, out of the house, boy, and everything. Now I’m coming. Yeah. I’m like, I’m like, what did I just do? And so I used to know, my sister would support me. She will call me.
Manny Addo:
She was checking on me, man. And my sister, she knows I’m tough. I’m really, really ill because I grew up struggling. Mhmm. But even my sister is like, yeah, this one is this is a lot. This is a lot. So one day, one of my in-laws called me and he put it in perspective. He’s like, Manny, how long is your MBA? I’m like, one and a half years. He’s like, okay. Just assume that you are in prison for one and a half years.
Clara Matonhodze:
Good perspective.
Manny Addo:
After that, it’ll all be over.
Clara Matonhodze:
And yes.
Manny Addo:
And that was how I put it. I feel like, look. Just stay here. So Billy, like, he put it in perspective. I went to jail for one and a half years. He gave it to me. Never forget this advice Billy gave me. Uh-huh. But it’s only Africans who give this kind of advice.
Clara Matonhodze:
No. So, yes, this is why I’m laughing. I’m not laughing because you were having you, you were struggling, but I identified the struggle in the meantime.
Bryan Wright:
Right. Mhmm.
Clara Matonhodze:
You know, like, it makes sense. Yeah. You’re out of prison for one and a half years. So, alright. So your image so you’re out of prison now after one and a half years. What do you do? What do you do next?
Manny Addo:
So now you’ve got a job.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
So and, again, I shared this to say that if there’s anybody who’s listening, it is that before I Ziga University had a program where they teach you how to interview. Uh-huh. And so one of the things that the one of the interviewers taught me, and I tried to do today is that, like most Africans have for myself, I speak very fast. So it’s like, look, Manny, you got to slow down because your accent is heavy, and you and that’s when I realized because when I’m in Africa, we all speak the same. So nobody’s really having a problem listening, but it’s like, no. You gotta slow it down. You got to. So as I’m speaking right now, I’ve dialed it down by 10 times because I speak really fast.
Manny Addo:
You know? So that was one of the things. So I went in and I interviewed. Fortunately, I said I was gonna be here for one and a half to two years. I got a job at the bank, and then I got a job at Price Waterhouse School Bus, and I got a job at General Electric, and I got a job at JPMorgan. I’m like, okay. So, fortunately, I did a lot of corporate work. I was very, very fortunate to have done about five or six Fortune 500, you know, companies. I need a few of them.
Manny Addo:
But it helped me to shape me to build my business because Yeah. I have a supply chain background from Maersk. I have a supply chain from General Electric. I’m a banker. I’m a financial analyst. You know? So, I mean, up to today Mhmm. I run my own numbers. I do my own banking. I do my own financial analysis just because you know? So sometimes the education and the experience, it comes in. So although it looked like I just got into 3,000 Kroger stores, there were things that I did fifteen years Yeah. Prior to that.
Clara Matonhodze:
That was preparing you.
Manny Addo:
Preparing me for this day. Exactly.
Clara Matonhodze:
That’s wonderful, Manny. So what has been the most rewarding moment? Just like you, you would say you have experienced launching TrueShea.
Manny Addo:
So what
Clara Matonhodze:
The most the most rewarding. Buying the Lamborghini.
Bryan Wright:
It’s a Ferrari
Manny Addo:
It’s a, there is the potential is the potential was rewarding to come through. But so the first one, the one was, eventually, I realized that I was gonna get my product’s gonna be in Kroger because there’s so many people who said that when I was trying, they’re like, you will never get into Kroger. Just forget about it. So you come from Africa. You go to Kroger when you know all kinds of things. But the kind of person I am, the more you say no, the more you piss me off. I’m just getting ready to do it.
Manny Addo:
Mhmm. So one day, I knew the product’s gonna be in Kroger. So every day, I’ll go to the Kroger for, like, a week. I go in the morning. It doesn’t come. I go in the afternoon. It doesn’t come. Give me something. So one Friday evening, I’m from work. I went through, and then I saw for the first time, my product on the shelf.
Clara Matonhodze:
On the shelf.
Bryan Wright:
Oh, that’s awesome. That’s great.
Manny Addo:
I, like, screamed at the store, and then I was like, what’s happening?
Clara Matonhodze:
Yes. I had this exact same reaction. Well, probably not on your level. Mhmm. But the first time I saw TrueShea after I’ve known you, I was like, oh my god. That you know, like, I’m looking around trying to, like, tell someone, like, I know this
Manny Addo:
I see.
Clara Matonhodze:
Like, that’s my first product. It is exciting.
Bryan Wright:
And that’s how, you know, you got a lot of people supporting you too. Like, you don’t see it, but, you know, my, I mean, my mother buys Tru Shea. Yeah. And, you know, you see it in the store, and it’s, like, knowing you and your success, it’s just it that brings pride to the community. Like, it makes you proud to know you, makes you proud of the community to know that here’s a product from someone here in Cincinnati bringing this, and you’re bringing it to the world. And that’s awesome. Mhmm.
Bryan Wright:
You know? And with that, you know, you have, you know, you’re you’re you’re not just selling the product. Right? And just what we’ve heard throughout, you’re you’re you’re telling a story. You’re not introducing Shea butter to the world, to the communities, but there’s a story along with it. And so what kind of message do you hope that people will take away when they’re using your product or they see it or just even outside the product, like, what kind of message do you wanna have for other entrepreneurs and people in general?
Manny Addo:
So a couple of things. So from the product standpoint, I just want people to know that, obviously, they’re buying it and they are using it. A portion of that, you know, money that they are spending on that shelf is going to provide clean drinking water that would, you know, prevent people, six year olds from walking five miles into instead of one mile. So when we’re building water wells so it is really what I went to Ghana the last time, I like, you know what? I wanna carry a bucket of water on my head. I just wanna see what it feels like. But, it took me, like, six trials. I mean, what did I think about? Because there’s a technique that you have to go down in a way Mhmm. And get up in a way or else I mean, I spill water on myself.
Manny Addo:
Now I’m 50 years old. The seven year old girl was before I even started, she was gone. But so that’s what I wanna say that this is what it does really, really help me. The other thing is, in the bigger picture or the bigger message is that I wanna say to people that it is possible. I mean, if I can come from the most remote village in the world and place a product in the largest grocery store in The United States.
Clara Matonhodze:
Wow.
Manny Addo:
There were its challenges without doubt. But it is possible. It doesn’t have to be business, your personal life, your marriage, school, whatever it is. People ask me, what is that one thing that made me successful? And for me, perseverance, perseverance, perseverance. So I just want to tell you that it is possible, but you gotta go after it unstoppable.
Clara Matonhodze:
That’s awesome, Manny. Perseverance. Perseverance. Perseverance. I absolutely agree. Now we are gonna go into what we call a lightning round. Quick and fun questions. What was in your suitcase when you came to America?
Manny Addo:
Now I will put a spin on this one. So this is not the first time I came to America. But along the time I was building my business, I didn’t have enough money to ship products. So what so one time when I was coming, believe me or not, I packed shea butter. It is like a stick suitcase. Now it’s not an African who travels with eight suitcases. Right? Clara knows exactly what I’m talking about. So I’m traveling through Amsterdam, Four AM In The Morning, and then the customer says he called me out. He’s like, He’s like, I see you have eight suitcases. And he’s like, yeah. She’s like, what? Do you have any suitcases? He’s like, she butter. I’m like, he’s like, what the heck are you gonna do with eight suitcases for shea butter? I’m gonna give it as a gift to my church people. He looked at me. He started crying. I just got out of here. So that was the mistake.
Clara Matonhodze:
Unless he believed
Bryan Wright:
be moisturized.
Clara Matonhodze:
If they would have gone through that shea butter, like, eight suitcases, it would never have made it. So, your favorite Ghanaian dish that you still crave in Cincinnati.
Bryan Wright:
And bonus, if you know one locally, add that in there too. Where’d it go?
Manny Addo:
Now it’s Banku and fried tilapia. Mhmm. Tilapia still
Clara Matonhodze:
fried tilapia.
Manny Addo:
And tilapia still has to have his head on it or his eyes looking at you. I don’t know I don’t think people don’t like that, but that that that’s that’s the delicacy. The eyes gotta be staring at you real good. That’s
Clara Matonhodze:
Do you eat the eye?
Manny Addo:
Oh, that’s the best part. You rip the hair, but you eat it real good. Yeah. So
Clara Matonhodze:
Okay. Let’s hope we don’t have any kids listening.
Manny Addo:
I know exactly. Right? Alright.
Bryan Wright:
What’s the name and what’s I’m sorry, Maddie. What’s the name of the dish again?
Manny Addo:
Banku and tilapia.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah. What is it made out of?
Manny Addo:
So banku is made out of corn. It’s like it’s a ball. You know, it’s a corn ball, so you can use it in your hand.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
But tilapia is a fish that you have. Yeah.
Bryan Wright:
Yes. Yes.
Clara Matonhodze:
So it’s kinda like or pep.
Manny Addo:
Oh, okay. Okay.
Clara Matonhodze:
Okay. Okay. Alright. If you could have dinner with any entrepreneur, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Manny Addo:
Aliko Dangote.
Clara Matonhodze:
Oh my god. Yes. Uh-huh.
Manny Addo:
For those of you who don’t know
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah.
Manny Addo:
Yeah. The richest black man on earth. Mhmm. Done extremely well and contributed a lot to the African economy, especially the Nigerian economy. Built the first oil distillery Mhmm. On the African continent in Nigeria. Nigeria has a lot of oil. All these years, they send oil outside the country.
Manny Addo:
He’s the first, but he dropped $19,000,000,000, which has really, really changed the game in Nigeria. I was fortunate to meet him last year at, at Bahamas at a conference. Oh, wow. A picture with him. We haven’t had dinner yet. That’s the next day.
Clara Matonhodze:
That’s what. Let’s hope that happens. Yeah. That was just very inspiring. Alright. What’s the one business idea you wish someone else would create?
Manny Addo:
One business idea that I want somebody else to create is to create an app to help immigrants integrate into The United States. Now cultural integration Uh-huh. Continues to be one of my key selling points. I speak at African churches. I speak in communities. It always continues to come. There’s a part of my book that talks about how Africans who really grew up and African parents struggle to deal with their kids that are born in The United States because now there’s a culture there’s a clash of two cultures. Mhmm. And that itself continues. That’s a topic for another day. So if it’s Yeah.
Clara Matonhodze:
That that
Manny Addo:
would be very, very
Clara Matonhodze:
We need to talk. That has been on my wish list too. Yeah. You call it that. So it’s expanding.
Manny Addo:
Yes. Yeah. Africa to 1500 Kroger stores, My American Journey.
Clara Matonhodze:
So now you need to update the title.
Manny Addo:
Exactly. So
Clara Matonhodze:
Right. 3,500.
Manny Addo:
I spoke to my book officer just yesterday. I have to update the title just yesterday.
Clara Matonhodze:
You need to update
Manny Addo:
it. Yeah.
Bryan Wright:
But, Manny, whose immigrant story would you like to listen to and why?
Manny Addo:
Great point. The immigrant story that I like to listen to is one of our mentors called, that you might know, Christopher Che.
Bryan Wright:
Oh, yeah.
Clara Matonhodze:
Uh-huh. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Manny Addo:
So one day, I told my story about having $600. He said he had $50. I’m like, you beat me to it.
Clara Matonhodze:
He certainly did. So Chris has told me there’s a story that I had Chris tell that I always remember Mhmm. When he was talking to the African Professionals Network. Mhmm. This is, like, maybe ten years ago at the symposium. He was a keynote speaker, and he spoke for a long. It and this kinda, touches something you said earlier about when we’re talking about preaching to the choir. And you said to the people in the African Professionals Network Symposium, like, as long as you have all of you coming and showing up, you haven’t done well yet.
Clara Matonhodze:
Because it is when you have managed to cross over and I come back and your symposium has a lot of others that’s not Africans, then you know you’ve integrated and you’ve done well and you’re doing what you’re supposed to do.
Manny Addo:
Amen. I say Yeah. All the time. And I really like that when I went to the last campus, your event last year, I saw that it was really, really, really diverse. I was really I don’t know if you went to that one or not, but Yes. When did it last? It was really, really good. Yeah. Good integration.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah. Campus has great integration, but it is you know, they’re also not specific. They are just immigrants in general.
Manny Addo:
Okay.
Clara Matonhodze:
So, you know, they’ve made it easy for all of us. Well, Manny, that was such an outstanding conversation with you. We can talk some more, and I think at some point, we need to have you back again. You know?
Manny Addo:
Thank you. Pleasure was mine.
Clara Matonhodze:
Yeah. Thank you so much for joining the port today and for sharing your unique story. To everyone at home, we appreciate you for joining us today. If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to roots, routes, and voices that shape America wherever you stream your podcasts. Visit www.Cincinnaticampus.org to sign up for our newsletter and stay connected about upcoming community events. Our producers are Asiya Mishu and Jane Muindi. Sound engineering and mixing provided by Heartcast Media. On-site engineers, Peter and Audrey.
Clara Matonhodze:
A very special thank you to the Forest Park branch of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Library for hosting, and also a very special thanks to the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Hale Junior Foundation. I’m your host, Clara Matonhodze, and thank you for listening.