NorvanReports@5 – Reflections of the First Employee
Parvus sed potens – this popular saying, translated as “small but mighty”, is true in the context of the operations of NorvanReports, as it was in the biblical battle between the little Shepherd boy, David, and the skilled and experienced Philistine soldier, Goliath.
I often relish in the surprised and extremely astonished faces of colleagues who get to know of the small workforce of NorvanReports, given our capability to operate as though there are tens of reporters at the company’s disposal.
We are young – just five years old – but oh boy, have we made an impact in Ghana’s business journalism landscape. Our stories are almost a daily feature in the Bank of Ghana’s daily news briefs to its stakeholders, and we hold X Space discussions that attract tens of thousands of listeners. We’ve come far, but there is ahead of us, thousands of miles still to go.
Journey so far as the first employee
My journey with NorvanReports began following my move from the Multimedia Group Limited’s Adomonline after completing my National Service on October 1, 2020. The goal, as clearly outlined to me by the Founder and Managing Editor, Norvan Acquah-Hayford, before I joined the team, was to build NorvanReports into a business news outlet comparable to the internationally acclaimed Bloomberg – a vision the team continues to pursue aggressively and tirelessly.
In the beginning, it was just Mr. Hayford and I. Over time, a few others who believed in the dream came on board, helping to expand and strengthen the team. The pressure to excel and become the best has been overwhelming from the very start, and remains so today. There were moments when I considered abandoning the ship, but Mr. Hayford, being the captain, would always urge me to carry on, constantly reminding me of the company’s vision and the greater purpose behind our work.
Chasing this vision and striving to make it a reality over the past five years has not been easy. We have encountered and surmounted numerous challenges, each one shaping my growth personally and professionally. Working at NorvanReports has instilled in me razor-sharp discipline, particularly with regard to time management, a trait reflected in the company’s distinctive hallmark of distributing daily top business stories to readers at dawn, between 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., ahead of all media outlets in the country.
More importantly, integrity has become my personal mantra, forged through five years of steadfast commitment to the NorvanReports ethos. Integrity is the cornerstone of journalism, and as part of the NorvanReports newsroom, my allegiance lies solely in reporting facts and truth without fear or favour.
At NorvanReports, professional development is not optional; it is a necessity. The company invests heavily in its employees, providing funding for professional programmes to ensure continuous growth. I, for instance, now hold a Master’s Degree in Strategic Public Relations Management, fully sponsored by the company.
Working at NorvanReports has also offered me invaluable exposure to distinguished and successful individuals across industries – individuals who have profoundly shaped my understanding of business, success, determination, and life in general.
The Next Five Years
The future looks extremely promising for NorvanReports. Over the last five years in existence, NorvanReports has become a trusted source of accurate, impartial, and data-driven business news portal in Ghana, highly recognised and respected by business analysts, chief executives, policy makers, economists, finance experts, and the general public.
The next five years will see NorvanReports further entrench its spot in Ghana’s business journalism landscape as the trusted and go-to place for accurate and excellent reportage of national economic issues, helping to shape public policies.
In the long term, I am confident that NorvanReports will achieve international status, attaining its vision of becoming like Bloomberg.
Not to sound prophetic, but without the slightest of doubt, I foresee this happening in the next 20 years.
