Founder and CEO of Caveman Watches, Anthony Dzamefe, has urged young entrepreneurs to shift their focus from seeking funding to building real value, stating that a strong product will naturally attract the right opportunities.
Speaking on Springboard, Your Virtual University, with host Pastor Albert Ocran as part of the ongoing April series on The Entrepreneurial Mindset, Mr. Dzamefe stated that many aspiring business owners spend critical time pursuing investors instead of developing their craft.
Reflecting on his early journey, he revealed that he once spent entire days moving from one meeting to another in search of financial backing, only to realize that he was neglecting the very work that would make his business worth investing in.
“I realised that in a whole day of chasing investors, I had barely spent any time actually making watches. So, I flipped my thinking. I decided to focus on building the product and the brand. If help comes, it will speed things up, but even if it does not, I am still going where I am going. When you build something valuable, it markets itself halfway, and the right people will come,” he said.
Mr. Dzamefe added that his journey into watchmaking did not begin with a passion for the craft, but with curiosity and survival. After leaving his job and searching for opportunities, he bought a watch for resale and unexpectedly discovered a business opportunity. What started as a simple trade soon grew into a deeper pursuit of mastery, leading him to learn watch repairs from roadside artisans and later leatherwork from shoemakers.
He explained that this willingness to learn from unconventional sources shaped his foundation and reinforced the importance of craftsmanship and attention to detail, which he describes as non-negotiable in the watch industry.
“The industry worships detail. There is no room for error. Sometimes you spend extra days working on something the customer may never even notice, but you do it because you are committed to the standard. That is what defines the product and ultimately affects the price,” he noted.
Beyond technical skill, Mr. Dzamefe stressed that one of the biggest threats to entrepreneurs is not lack of capital but poor emotional control. He described entrepreneurship as mentally demanding, with constant pressure and unpredictable challenges that can easily derail those who are not prepared.
“It is very torturous at times. A single phone call can change your mood. If you do not learn how to manage your emotions and stress, you will struggle, regardless of how much money you have. That is what causes many people to give up,” he said, adding that emotional discipline has been a key factor in his ability to stay the course.
He also highlighted people management as a critical but often overlooked aspect of business growth, arguing that companies can only grow as much as their teams do. Drawing from his own experience as a former employee, he emphasised the need for business leaders to invest in their workers and create room for them to think and contribute.
“Your business will not go anywhere without people. When your workers stop growing, your business also stops growing. You have to give them a voice, trust their intelligence, and make sure they are growing alongside the company,” he said.
He further challenged young people to rethink how they approach opportunities, cautioning against the tendency to crowd already saturated industries while ignoring unique talents that can be developed into viable ventures.
“Sometimes you need to look where nobody else is looking. You may have a unique ability that you think cannot become a business, but with the right guidance, it can. If you are the best at what you do, no matter what it is, you will be fine,” he advised.
About Springboard, Your Virtual University
Springboard, Your Virtual University, is a weekly motivational and personal development broadcast produced by the Springboard Road Show Foundation and hosted by Pastor. Albert Ocran. The broadcast airs every Sunday at 7 PM on Joy 99.7 FM and on Springboard Channel & Albert Ocran (Facebook & YouTube) and at 9 PM on Joy News TV. The discussion formed part of the new April series dubbed “The Entrepreneurial Mindset.”
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