SEASONED MAGAZINE _ THE JOURNEY SO FAR

   

We make it a point of duty to bring to you,sizzling interviews  with rising stars. Interviews that are sure to inspire and motivate you. 

This week, Team Pathway goes all the way to Ghana for another exciting interview with young people who have decided against all odds to make their mark in the country, irrespective of the challenges. 

We get close up with Yaw Biney, who takes us through their journey so far. Sit back, and be motivated. 

YAW BINEY. 

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF. 

I am a 21 year old student of Ghana Technology University College studying Information Technology and who likes to write and talk about issues on my mind. I am a technology and social media savvy person who believes the internet is here to stay.

 WHAT IS SEASONED  MAGAZINE  ALL ABOUT?

Well, Seasoned magazine is an online lifestyle magazine that basically seems to educate, entertain and inform its readers. Seasoned magazine also seeks to celebrate young minds and talents doing great things to benefit themselves and society. We have launched three issues since 2014; the first one featuring Ben Bond of OAB photography, the second was London based Ghanaian chef Adwoa Hagan Mensah and our recently released issue features the musician Pappy Kojo, his life story as well as his musical journey.

WHEN DID THIS PROJECT BEGIN?

Seasoned Magazine started in 2012 as a blog. Back then, it was Vanessa Marbell and I who wrote stories on the blog. We wrote about our experiences as students, social experiences as well as experiences of our colleagues out there. We ran the blog for close to a year and decided to start publishing an actual magazine so in the latter part of 2013 we began the process. By April 2014, we released the first issue of Seasoned and by November, we had released the second issue. Just recently, the third issue was launched.

VANESSA MARBELL.  

WHO IS THE BRAIN BEHIND IT? 

I birthed the idea of Seasoned Magazine. Seasoned was a God-sent name I received in a dream one afternoon so when I decided to start a magazine, I named it Seasoned Magazine.

 WHAT INSPIRED IT? 

Inspiration for Seasoned really came from the writing we ie Vanessa and I used to do back in high school. We were General Arts students basically loved to read and write. We may not essentially have been the best then but we had to start from somewhere.

YOU HAVE A TEAM RIGHT?

Yes I do 

SO TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR TEAM 

Right now the team is made up of 3 man core team who are myself, Faisal Mohammed and Vanessa Marbell. We also have a small network of contributors around us who help us write and publish stories. Our doors are open to anyone out there who may want to join the team as well.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED? 

It hasn’t been all rosy for Seasoned. Just like every other business out there, we have also faced our share of challenges. When we began, there was definitely the burden of finance. We were just young people with a dream and little cash, but we still had to work. We pooled resources from anywhere we could to be able to get the magazine published. We’ve also had challenges with getting stories as well. When we began, we weren’t known so much so it was slightly difficult to penetrate and get creatives especially to open up to us with their works but we’ve been able to overcome that now. Then we’ve had issues with time as well. 2014 was more like our pilot year and we learnt a lot about our strengths and weaknesses. Time was really not one of our strengths because of our limited human resources so we ended up getting behind schedule a couple of times but we are working on it more than anything else. 

FAISAL MOHAMMED 

YOU ARE STILL A STUDENT RIGHT?

Yes I am. I am studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology.

 HOW DO YOU COMBINE SCHOOL WITH WORK?

It’s hectic. Actually very hectic because aside being a student and running the magazine, I have another job at an institution that I work for. Luckily, there’s not much pressure from that job all the time but combine all three and then it gets tough. But I think I am able to sail through because of the motivation people around me give and probably also due to the determination and sleepless nights that go into all of this.

WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP?

Entrepreneurship is a good thing. It’s always good to start something you can call your own. The feeling is satisfying and so are the rewards. Young people should see themselves ultimately starting a business or two in their lifetime. It makes you independent and allows you to follow your dreams.

HOW DOES SOMEBODY BECOME A SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR? 

From my experience, success comes to an entrepreneur who first of all believes in what they are doing. You must believe in whatever it is you are doing and do it like it’s going to earn you a million dollars when it hasn’t even paid you a dime yet. A successful entrepreneur will need to be very determined because failure will definitely visit you at least once in your endeavor and if you are not grounded in your own vision, you will most likely give up. Lastly, an entrepreneur will need to be creative all the time. There are multiple ways of doing things and as an entrepreneur, you will have to find the best and probably most cost effective way of doing it. Therefore, you will need to be creative in your way of doing things. It will make you unique and successful.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROSPECTS YOU HAVE FOR SEASONED MAGAZINE? 

Seasoned has a lot in store for the future. We are bringing improved content to our followers and readers all around the world. We just launched our third issue and we are going to publish more interviews and stories that would excite you.

SO WE HEAR YOU HAVE A WEBSITE. 

Yes we do have a website: www.seasonedmagazine.org where we post stories and content on a regular basis.

ENLIGHTEN US ABOUT IT.

The website was launched last week alongside the magazine. It has all our three issues and information about us there. On a regular basis, it will be updated with contributions from us and other guest contributors who are experienced in various other topics and subjects that interests our readers.

Irrespective of the fact that Seasoned magazine is based in Ghana, it encapsulates other countries as well. So feel free to visit their website and follow their outstanding work.

www.seasonedmagazine.org. 

Have an awesome week

Keep being motivated 

#TeamPATHWAY.