[Interview] Falk Benke, CEO Beam
Falk Benke discusses with Africa Business Communities on how his company, Beam, has created opportunity for Ghanaians living abroad.
Can you tell us what Beam is about and what it does?
Beam is a concierge service that serves the needs of Ghanaians abroad. For example, we can help choose and deliver gifts to loved ones, collect and submit legal documents with Ghanaian Government Agencies, and check up on your construction project in Ghana.
What birthed this start-up?
My co-founders Kingston, Gerald and I were initially looking into ways to make remittances to Ghana cheaper. After talking to potential users, however, we realized that a big pain point is that a lot of money is sent back home for a specific purpose, yet it is not used in the intended way. Looking closer into this, we realized that there is no easy way to get things done in Ghana when you are not on the ground.
How much simpler is Beam from other similar services?
Ghanaians abroad usually ask friends and family for a favor whenever they need something done in Ghana. The problem is that relatives back home are often busy themselves and if things are not done the way you expect it, it can create tension among friends and family.
When you use Beam, you can expect a great customer experience. Unlike your relatives, you can hold us accountable in case anything goes wrong.
Using our service is super easy. You just have to start a conversation with us via WhatsApp and we figure out all the details. We then send you an invoice and if you’re good to go, we’ll fulfill your request and keep you posted about the process, e.g. we send pictures and receipts and frequent updates.
How would you rate your growth so far?
We started operating in July this year and so far the growth has been very promising. The best part is that we learn about all the different needs of the diaspora and are exploring new ways to help our customers every day.
Once we have the resources to go over to the U.S. and U.K. to interact with our customers directly, we will grow at an even faster rate.
Any success stories you would like to share?
We delivered a guy’s ice cream cake to his cherished girlfriend here in Accra. We helped an entrepreneur in the U.S. to find the Ghanaian fabrics she needed for her project and shipped them to the U.S. We helped a business professional in Europe to obtain an important legal document from the Ghanaian authorities so he could apply for a working visa. To us, every successful request feels like a huge victory.
How receptive do you believe the Ghanaian is to conducting business on social media platforms like WhatsApp?
Very receptive. Ghanaians are used to WhatsApp for communicating with friends around the globe. Our customers use WhatsApp to stay in touch with their loved ones back home. And it is a great tool for what we do. Texting is free, and you can easily send images, and share links and locations.
What advice would you give to an entrepreneur looking to do business in Ghana?
Focus on solving a real problem and find customers that are willing to pay for your solution. Think about how you can sustain your business from day one. Also, validate your assumptions and get feedback from customers as quickly as possible. Don’t spend months building something that no one wants or needs.
While we can learn a lot of valuable lessons from Silicon Valley, we have to be aware that things work differently here in Ghana. For example, many processes are more manual, the investment landscape is different, and smartphone penetration and internet connectivity are lower. If you try to simply replicate a company from San Francisco, you will most likely fail.
Where do you see Beam in the next five years?
Beam will be a well-known and trusted brand among Ghanaians in the diaspora and the one-stop solution for anyone abroad who needs something done back home in Ghana.
