Lady-Omega Hammond built a software development company that builds disruptive software products globally
Photo Credit: Matthew Mindlin for The Detox Market
I’m Lady-Omega Hammond, CEO of Ampersand Technologies Ltd, a software development company that builds disruptive software products to solve real life and business problems across all industries. For the past 4 years, we have served 34 corporate customers, ranging from individual startups, SMEs and multinational organizations across 16 different industries, with our clients spanning Ghana, the United Kingdom and the United States. We are a team of 10 developers with over 10 years experience in software development in web and mobile applications. Our skills include: business development, backend and front-end development and design. Our goal involves managing the end to end process of turning ideas into software applications.
Do you seek to build a software development solution that solves a real-world problem on time, budget and at an agreed level of service quality? If “Yes,'' then you need us. This is the market problem we are solving and this is why we exist. Contact us today: team@ampersandllc.co
I stay motivated by… meeting my goals and looking back at my journey. The effect my efforts has on people, giving back, making people smile, keeps me going to push harder for the best.
Three adjectives that describe me are… realistic, fun and remarkable..
If I could have dinner with one person it would be… Oprah because she inspires me to constantly believe in myself, using my skills and growing my resources into the empire I desire, to be a positive influence on my family and my community.
The most exciting innovation to me is… the mobile phone, it opens us up to a world of opportunities right at the comfort of our fingertips. The technology around it keeps evolving and becomes one of the most important resources in keeping us productive.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur? Is having your own business something you always wanted?
My journey to becoming an entrepreneur has been a journey of discovering who I am although growing up I had family around me who owned their businesses. I’ve come to knowledge that I like to solve problems and I mostly found myself in positions that made me creative, using my abilities to achieve a goal. Just to mention a few, from learning how to create birthday cards using Microsoft Paint to cooking delicious meals to raise funds at church and selling snacks to my colleagues in class. I’ve always had a strong desire to create wealth (money, knowledge, experience) so I can influence the environment around me. No better way to achieve this than becoming an entrepreneur.
How did you come up with your business idea? What inspired you?
Ampersand was started out of identifying the need for businesses looking for qualified software developers who filled the gap of providing innovative business insights in building robust products that enhance their ideas, making them efficient and productive at an affordable cost. Everyone can write code and build products but we wanted to create an end to end experience of building a software business and not just building a software product.
What were you doing before this? How did it prepare you for the entrepreneurial life?
Before this I was in school, studying Geomatic Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, hoping to become an engineer, but interacting with computers was a hobby. I had failed a number of times in Engineering Math in school but I noticed I naturally excelled with subjects that had to do with computers. My failures brought me to the self realization of choosing for myself a future career that helps me explore my capabilities without fear. I got introduced to Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), a Pan-African entrepreneurial training program, seed fund, tech incubator and hub designed to create jobs and wealth in Africa by training, supporting and investing in the continent's most promising software entrepreneurs. They brought out what I already had in me, yes I might fail but I’d keep trying till I get it right, the battle of fighting for what I believe ends if I give up, so I’m determined to give my best always.
Do you have a fixed work routine? Is it important to have one? Any tips for our readers?
Yes I have a routine that helps me to be productive and have a good work-life balance. The most common thing we have with everyone all over the world is 24 hours in a day. How you make good use of your time, tells how far you go and how much you grow. Have selected times dedicated to work/school, time for family and activities that help you socialize and improve yourself. Be measured appreciating your time in the day, live in the moment and don’t just rush through your tasks because you have to do it.
What do you think is the biggest obstacle for female founders? How can we overcome it?
For me, it’s our mindset towards failure, we are constantly overthinking because of our fear of failure. We see ourselves as the lesser beings as compared to males and I think it translates into how we think about our capabilities too. In my opinion, this is due to a lack of knowledge of knowing who you are as a person. You will not need to compare yourself to another because genuinely there is only one version of you unique in itself. Male or female, i believe you are capable of much more once you have your mind set on growing and not getting comfortable. There are countless opportunities out there, and especially opportunities for women increases by the day. It’s just about being the best at what you do, working hard and improving on yourself. You only go as far as you envision, but this all starts in the mind.
How do you generate new ideas to stay relevant on the market? Is it important to innovate in your space?
It is crucial to innovate in my industry but what makes us stay relevant is backed by the quality of our work and constant research. Good work speaks for itself, the way we communicate with clients builds long lasting relationships that foster an environment to be referred and keeps us on our toes. We don’t limit ourselves with the products we build, we tell ourselves it’s possible to build , we just have to learn and be productive. I encourage environments that foster your mind to be free, have conversations with people not just in your industry but outside as well. Data is available around us, take a walk on the streets, grab lunch with a friend, read a newspaper, don’t be stuck in your ways. Ideas always come in the most unpredictable way.
What are your short/long term goals?
In starting Ampersand, my co-founders and I vowed to work hard at this for 5 years and make it work, if not we go our separate ways. It’s been 4 years and it gets exciting each year. As we approach our 5th year, my goal is to raise funding of $500,000 to expand our current operations, train more software developers, who think outside the box, to build disruptive products and connect people to technology. Raising this will give us the capacity and resources to keep growing the worth of the company and focus on building technologies that are relevant for African businesses and the world at large. United States of America has Google; Ghana has Ampersand. We are in the business of building businesses.
What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
I could mention so many but the biggest for me is sacrificing time to invest in initiatives I believe in, I’ve had to be selective of the friends and family in my circles, they influence the voices in my mind. I’m very much invested into helping the next generation become better than I am. Some weekdays and most weekends, go to volunteering at STEMbees , YWCA GHANA and church mainly.This means I’m constantly learning, reading, listening to podcasts, observing and exploring how others before me have done it and what I can do differently. I can’t give what I don’t have, so I go through these experiences to build that discipline.
If you were a book, which one would it be and why?
My book! It will be titled “You are what you envision”, this will be a book I will be writing next year about my 5 year journey of starting a software development company right from the heart of Accra, Ghana. It’s going to be a memoir for the next generation to believe in themselves to build their dreams irrespective of challenges. As your life unfolds, you become what you picture yourself to be; and when you look back, you’d be surprised how far you’ve come.
Who is the one super successful person you look up to? Why them? Can you share their quote/ideology that inspires you the most?
Bozoma Saint John, she is a real model of female power and disrupting the status quo. In as much as her background might not be the same as mine, she is able to communicate her beliefs, stick to her word and work hard at it. She knows who she is and her capabilities, irrespective of where she is, the challenges and pressures, she shines and breaks the status quo. My favourite quote from her recently is “I didn’t get to a place of influence because I was quiet. None of us will have any impact or influence if we are quiet. So don’t be quiet, be LOUD AS HELL”.
What is your biggest dream?
A bank of software solutions:
Just as money is traded to grow wealth, I want to build a software industry running on the same model but not limited by location. I’d build a world class software research and consultancy company, where innovations are churned to disrupt industries and young African talent can be harnessed. The ultimate goal is to grow the business into a billion dollar multinational company located in different countries with its headquarters in Accra, Ghana.