John Bossman Aggrey article:
Visionary entrepreneur, John Bossman Aggrey (born January 29th, 1984, originating from Ghana, Cape Coast), is in the final stages of creating the first ever crypto-commerce as the founder and CEO of iCX101. His e-commerce is built on blockchain technology, making everything more sufficient, with tracking sales and refunds easier and more efficient than ever before. Under his guidance, iCX has achieved international business and clients within its first year of running – and the success has only just begun.
Early Life
Growing up, Aggrey’s schedule was not too different to his current life – he was always busy. In fact, his life growing up could be described as rather adventurous. Whilst young, he moved to many different countries due to his father’s profession; coincidently, his father is also an active entrepreneur and civil engineer by background, much like Aggrey himself.
As a child, Aggrey attended Ranney boarding school in New Jersey, an experience he found rather memorable. Following his move to the US, as a teenager Aggrey travelled to Germany and attended Schuldorf Bergstraße, a college located near a central city, Frankfurt. Once completing college, Aggrey attended higher education in Martin Behaim Schule to study business in Frankfurt, an education fitting for the successful entrepreneur he is today. During an interview, he admitted his enjoyment living in Germany, explaining that learning the language and about the culture and people made him feel ahead of everyone, and that was a pleasant feeling. During his school-life, Aggrey had the realisation that he was good at practically everything he did – especially in regards to sports. Although he liked playing multiple team sports, his favourite was [probably] American football – he truly felt as though he was a positive asset to his school.
When asked whether or not his family has influenced his work, John Aggrey responded with a simple “no”. According to him, being able to travel shaped his way of thinking, but he has never felt influenced by anyone – despite he and his father sharing similar work interests, his father served as more of a benchmark as opposed to an influence [to his work] as he felt capable of more than following in someone else’s shadow.
As of now, John Aggrey is situated in England, London. Once completing his studies in Germany, Aggrey questioned what his next steps in his life were going to be. This was the moment an opportunity struck him; his father was setting up a business in London, so once again he decided to travel with him in order to help him set up. Whilst in England he studied Civil Engineering – and in England is where one of the main headquarters of iCX is currently situated. Despite the fact that he loves working in London, Aggrey prefers living in Germany because according to his experiences, the people are very settled.
Early Achievements
John Aggrey could be described as easily fascinated when referring to business – he was very intrigued with many different aspects of business, one in particular that stood out to him was how procurement was done in the industry. In order to make this discovery, he went into project management, but not exactly to be a worker for them. Instead, he felt he could LEARN from his experiences there, about procurement and funds – once he felt as though he had learnt enough he decided to take a different route and explore the world of network marketing, where he came to the realisation that for something to work you have to know it in and out, otherwise it wouldn’t work. Aggrey comments “I tasted success in marketing and wanted more”, so with his knowledge gained in network marketing he moved onto banking. Once applying for a few jobs, Aggrey impressively was employed by one of London’s top banking firms. From there he moved onto private banking which his relentless work ethic still allows him to do in involvement to running iCX – evidently Mr Aggrey prefers to keep himself busy.
When asked which of his previous jobs had prepared him the most for where he stands with his current business in iCX, John Aggrey responds claiming marketing and banking had been the most beneficial. However, he believes the main factor contributing to his success is his way with people; marketing absolutely allowed him to connect with many people where it got to the point where he knew a lot of people and a lot of people knew him. He had secured the trust of the people, adding that it is due to the fact he has achieved in every area he was involved in which made people want to listen to him.
In contrast to the industries Aggrey has been a part of in the past, he has dreams and aspirations – “I became the guy that nobody liked because I thought different. I didn’t care, I liked being different”. Aggrey vocalises his opinion that society has been programmed to not believe in their abilities, to not even see their own capabilities as a person. This mindset was constructed when he observed society’s structure, rendering the education system divided particularly when speaking about government schools in comparison to private schools. Aggrey feels as though the education system has set a mental gap, where children who attend government schools have been taught how to be an employee rather than an employer; he reiterates, expressing his thoughts of society being constructed in such a way where humans subconsciously follow the majority, taking the path of an employee – on the contrary, Aggrey always saw himself taking a different path, working for himself and being his own boss, wandering away from the majority.
Current Business
When discussing his crypto-commerce company, iCX, the inevitable question of ‘when and what inspired you to start the business’ was mentioned. According to Aggrey, the idea had always been there, the main question was just when and how it is going to happen. The process of building the business didn’t just happen overnight. He understood that for the start of the business to be executed properly, he had to put his idea to paper and actually plan the essentials of a company. “It isn’t just me; there is a whole team behind it who makes iCX what it is today”. From here, the idea didn’t just unfold itself – it required an immense amount of hard work, determination and especially resilience when faced with hindrances. Our interviewer inquired what the biggest challenge at the start was, and Aggrey confesses that getting others to see his vision and dream was the hardest part, because nobody would believe in your dream as much as you do. Nevertheless, if Aggrey didn’t believe in iCX as much as he did, the company would not be as successful as it is today; “it is your belief in something that affects how much others believe in it – if you don’t believe in your vision, then neither will anyone around you”.
We then moved on to the topic of his work life, specifically what was the most enjoyable part of his work. Aggrey says he feels joy in seeing others succeed – seeing how people go from grass to grace is the best part according to him. Being able to witness people and their families succeed definitely feels very rewarding, and makes him feel like he is truly bringing something good into the world. Referring more directly to his office, Aggrey spoke about how he loves his team and the people he works with; without the team, the business wouldn’t work, making him appreciate the time and effort that goes in behind the scenes.
Upon entering iCX’s headquarters, our interviewer commented on the positive and welcoming work environment that had been laid out. When questioned on this, Aggrey proceeds to explain “we don’t chase money here; if you’re here to chase money you’re at the wrong place. We build characters – we build people. Success is attracted and not chased”. The positive work environment is intended to help characters grow, and become the best versions of themselves. You’re only valued at the marketplace for what you bring to the marketplace, inspiring him to make the decision to go through the process patiently, as it’s mainly character building.
Future Plans
One thing everyone knows when discussing the future is that it doesn’t just go one way. The same goes for business. There are so many possibilities and outcomes that could occur, and so many difficulties that will undoubtedly unravel themselves. Aggrey articulates that there is absolutely a roadmap – there is an idea – however, challenges will 100% be faced. This knowledge is what gives him confidence in allowing the rest of iCX’s future lie in the hands of the universe. However, Aggrey assures that within 5 years, iCX will be a billion dollar company!
The interview concludes with one final philosophical question – is John Aggrey happy? He chuckles at the question, replying “yes, I am very happy”. Every morning when he arrives at the office observing others achieving, he feels joy, as he finds happiness in others’ happiness. Aggrey takes joy in seeing other people succeed, insisting “when [he] sees others happy I don’t care what I am going through in that moment – in that moment, everything is good”. In terms of business, Aggrey is quite content in that field too, explaining that when challenges surface, he enjoys it. He prefers to laugh in the face of difficulty rather than let it build stress – instead of seeing it as an obstacle, Aggrey decides to view it as an opportunity to grow, thus maintaining his positive outlook on life.
The Bottom Line
Aggrey’s early interest in the business industry and knowledge of people (shaped by his experiences travelling) have ultimately moulded him into the successful entrepreneur his is today, where he utilises all of his skills to defy critics and pursue his ambition of achieving a billion dollar company. ICX is just the start of something great, and is definitely heading for a bright future under the guidance of its CEO John Bossman Aggrey.
Interviewer/writer: Ayna Ahmed
Interviewee/CEO: John Bossman Aggrey
Website: www.icx101.com
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