By: Bernard Bempong, CA
The Dos and Don’ts of Corporate Self-Destruction
Starting a business in Ghana is hard.
Staying in business is harder.
But going out of business?
Some companies have turned that into an art form.
Every year businesses collapse not because Ghana lacks opportunity, but because many organizations quietly destroy themselves through:
- poor leadership,
- weak systems,
- emotional decision-making,
- operational indiscipline,
- and impressive levels of organized confusion.
So in the interest of public education, here is a practical guide on:
How to fail successfully in Ghana.
DO: Treat Accounting Like Witchcraft
The fastest way to destroy a business is to treat finance like mystery instead of management.
Never reconcile accounts.
Never review cash flow.
Never separate business money from personal spending.
And absolutely never ask where the money went.
Instead:
- buy another SUV,
- blame the economy,
- and continue praying over the bank account.
Eventually the business will enter what accountants call:
“unexpected spiritual hardship.”
DON’T: Build Systems
Systems create:
- accountability,
- efficiency,
- controls,
- and transparency.
Avoid all of that.
Instead:
- keep everything in WhatsApp chats,
- approve payments verbally,
- and store critical business information inside one employee’s memory.
Bonus points if the company depends entirely on:
“Kwame knows how it works.”
Because once Kwame resigns, the entire organization can experience cultural collapse immediately.
DO: Promote Based on Loyalty Instead of Competence
This strategy has destroyed many organizations beautifully.
Ignore:
- performance,
- technical skills,
- leadership ability,
- and operational discipline.
Instead reward:
- gossip,
- emotional loyalty,
- friendship,
- and people who clap loudly during meetings.
Soon the competent employees will quietly leave.
The remaining team will then hold motivational meetings while the business burns financially.
DON’T: Respect Customers After Payment
Before payment:
- smile aggressively,
- answer calls immediately,
- and say “You are most welcome.”
After payment:
- disappear completely,
- ignore complaints,
- and respond three business days later with:
“We are working on it.”
This is an excellent strategy for destroying customer trust permanently.
Remember:
one angry customer with internet access now has more marketing power than some radio stations.
DO: Buy Expensive Software Nobody Uses
This is one of the greatest business traditions of modern corporate Ghana.
Spend heavily on:
- ERP systems,
- digital transformation,
- dashboards,
- and cloud infrastructure.
Hold a launch ceremony.
Take photos.
Conduct one training session.
Then quietly return to:
- Excel,
- paper files,
- and WhatsApp approvals.
That way the company can suffer both:
- operational inefficiency,
- and software subscription fees simultaneously.
DON’T: Maintain Equipment
Preventive maintenance is dangerous because it prevents disaster.
Avoid it completely.
Wait until:
- the generator dies,
- the server overheats,
- the delivery truck breaks down,
- or the office AC starts making sounds from another dimension.
Then call emergency technicians while everybody sweats through important meetings.
Some businesses in Ghana do not maintain equipment.
They simply wait for miracles.
DO: Hold Meetings About Problems Instead of Solving Them
This is extremely effective.
Create:
- committees,
- subcommittees,
- review teams,
- steering groups,
- and stakeholder consultations.
Discuss the same issue repeatedly for six months.
Use phrases like:
- “moving forward,”
- “strategic alignment,”
- and “further engagement.”
Meanwhile absolutely nothing changes operationally.
This creates the illusion of progress without the inconvenience of execution.
DON’T: Pay Vendors on Time
A powerful technique.
Delay payments consistently.
Ignore invoices.
Stop answering supplier calls.
Then become shocked when:
- vendors increase prices,
- deliveries slow down,
- or nobody wants to work with the company anymore.
Some businesses believe cash flow management means:
“Let us avoid the supplier emotionally.”
The market remembers bad payers very well.
DO: Run the Company Emotionally
Data is dangerous.
Structure is dangerous.
Accountability is dangerous.
Instead make decisions based on:
- ego,
- moods,
- favoritism,
- and who annoyed management recently.
This creates maximum instability and ensures employees spend most of their energy trying to predict emotional weather instead of doing productive work.
Operational chaos becomes guaranteed.
DON’T: Ignore Internal Controls
Internal controls prevent:
- fraud,
- waste,
- theft,
- duplicate payments,
- and operational leakage.
So naturally, many struggling businesses avoid them completely.
Allow:
- one person to control everything,
- approvals without documentation,
- fuel usage without monitoring,
- and procurement without oversight.
Then later say:
“We don’t know where the money went.”
Classic strategy.
The Ghanaian Business Environment Still Has Massive Opportunity
Now, despite the satire, Ghana remains one of the most promising business environments in West Africa.
The country has:
- entrepreneurial energy,
- digital growth,
- resilient consumers,
- expanding fintech ecosystems,
- and highly adaptable businesses.
Many companies are thriving.
But the businesses that survive long-term usually understand something important:
Good businesses are not built on:
- vibes,
- panic,
- and motivational speeches.
They are built on:
- systems,
- discipline,
- operational efficiency,
- accountability,
- customer trust,
- and financial control.
Final Thought
Most businesses do not collapse suddenly.
They decline slowly through:
- ignored warnings,
- weak decisions,
- poor controls,
- operational laziness,
- and leadership denial.
Failure usually leaves clues early.
The problem is many organizations treat those clues like background decoration.
So if your goal is to go out of business in Ghana quickly…
ignore:
- systems,
- people,
- controls,
- customers,
- data,
- and accountability.
The market will handle the rest professionally.
Author: Bernard Bempong is a Chartered Accountant and business advisory leader with over 14 years of experience in audit, taxation, financial management, operational strategy, and business advisory services. As Managing Director of JS Morlu Ghana, he advises organizations on operational efficiency, governance, risk management, and sustainable business growth across multiple industries.