Winning Against all odds in the Real Estate Industry – Amorina Raad

by with No Comment BusinessFeatured Moms

Today our Spotlight lands on an amazing Mama in the real estate industry. She started her own Real Estate company amidst all the discouragement when she decided to invest in there. She has been running her own business for the past nine years now.
Enjoy the read as she shares her story with us on how she transitioned from an employee to run her own real estate company.

I am Amorina Raad , mother of an amazing young boy and the Principal CEO of Home Style Realty Ghana. I started my first job with a Real Estate company, with no clue in that industry, I took on the job and decided to learn on the job. As I worked in the industry, I found myself falling in love with it, and started to get curious on the other aspects of real estate. Having worked there for a year, I decided to start my own real estate company and to explore the options.

I started my company with practically nothing. All I had was complimentary cards, a taxi driver and the zeal to succeed.
It wasn’t easy initially, as I was discouraged that real estate agency was not that lucrative.
Being a young lady like myself they didn’t see how I would survive in such an industry mainly dominated by men who were also trying to gain their feet in there . It was devastating to hear my dreams being crushed, I mean, they made valid points but that was not going to deter me. I set out to make a difference against all odds.

I moved from one development to the other trying to gain their trust in order to sell their property.
I had to work twice as hard to gain a potential clients .Overtime I built my portfolio and earned the trust of my clients.

Being a mom has been one of the most challenging things I have ever had to do, especially juggling the time I spend with my son and the business as it feels like I have two babies that need attention.
With the help of God and family, I have been able to schedule my time close early from work or have family take care of him when meetings have to run late or cannot be rescheduled in order to give my son the best.Reach her on +233 24 566 1464.
IG: @home_style_realty
Website: www.home-style-realty.business.site.
#realestate
#womenweadmire
#momcommunity

How I built my Thrift business – Mamas Kids Thrift

by with No Comment BusinessFeatured Moms

I am Mavis Dzidzor Dey Akomatsri, a wife, mama of 2 girls and owner of Mamas Kids Thrift. Retailing kids thrift, did not just happen for me.

When I became a new parent, I quickly discovered that buying kids clothes is a fraught affair especially when you’re on a budget. Whenever I decided to shop for my girls I would wake up very early and get to hub of second hand clothing(Kantamanto) as early as 5:30am.

Sometimes I would get nice clothes and other times I got really bad ones. This kept happening every time I went shopping for my girls. I got fed up with this frustrating situation and knowing that, there were mothers and caregivers who felt like I did, gave me the idea of starting a thrift shop.

However, when I thought of the idea, the thought of what people and my mates from school would think or say, the projection that people would make on my finances and the thought that people would look down on me deterred me from establishing my business.

Then one day I came home with a bag of goodies only to realize that some had bad stains that wouldn’t go away, some looked faded, a few had tiny holes, my favorite had a spoilt zipper and the only one I got for my new born had a few buttons missing. I felt cheated and wanted my money back and that, was impossible.

Suddenly I wanted to help parents make good choices when buying thrift items and get value for their money. Since I didn’t have enough funds to rent a space I established Mamas Kids Thrift in April 2019 online.

My personal philosophy to never accept anything less than what I deserve and to treat people how I want to be treated is the bedrock for the core values and quality policies of Mamas Kids Thrift.

I carefully handpick all the clothes, wash, disinfect, iron, add a splash of fragrance, neatly fold and beautifully package them.

I know people will wonder why I bother to put in so much time and resources in preparing the items and packaging them, after all they’re used clothes.

My father is a police officer and growing up the only times my siblings and I including other kids whose parents were on a budget got new clothings were on occasions like Easter or Christmas.
And whenever my mama got us clothes she ensured to wash, disinfect and iron them to prevent the growth of bacteria and ensure that no bacteria had a chance of survival just so her kids did not catch any bacterial infection. I also do this when I get used clothes for my kids so why not do it for other kids and parents too?

To ensure that the tagline “Preloved To Reloved” reflects in all that Mamas Kids Thrift is about, I strive to give my best.

With each sale I make, I believe I add a bunch of happiness to the world. I gain satisfaction from the thought that parents save time when they make a purchase from me.

Children jump up with joy at the sight of their neatly packaged parcel, they tend to appreciate that they have something new.

The satisfaction parents get as they watch their kids unveil their parcels with excitement and the feedback I receive from these parents is something that has filled me with peace and happiness.

With a purchase from Mamas Kids Thrift, all parents and caregivers are assured of zero defects and a 100% value for money.

Kindly visit Mamas Kids Thrift on Facebook and insatgram or click this link instagram.com/mamaskidsthrift and check the highlights and stories for available items.

You can as well reach us on 0246458530 via a phone call or WhatsApp. Or, simply click on this link to WhatsApp.

http://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=+233246458530.

6 things we love about Hamamat Montia as a Mom in Business

by with No Comment Featured Moms

Remaining relevant and consistent as an entrepreneur especially when you have kids can be one daunting task. You need a lot of commitment, focus, creativity and passion to keep you going. Most importantly you need to have a vision to direct you on this journey of entrepreneurship.

We have been following a couple of mothers in business since we started our blog and one of them who we totally love is Hamamat Montia. She is a former Miss Malaika winner and is the  founder of Hamamat African Beauty and the Shea Butter Village.

Once you land on her page on social media and her  business website, you can feel the passion and creativity on her page and this is very admirable.

Here are six things we love about Hamamat  Montia , we thought to share with you and we hope it is helpful and encourages you if you are on the Mompreneur journey

1. Believe in your brand- When you believe in your brand you dedicate a lot of time to it to ensure it grows. You work hard towards it because you have a goal you are aiming to acheive and you know you can build the brand to the level you want to see it.

2. Passion- When you have a passion for your business, you invest in it and find ways to ensure it survives. Being passionate about your business means having a compelling emotion or feeling towards your business. You want to see it blooming at all cost.

3. Creativity and Innovation- There are so many skin care brands on the market however she has been able to carve a niche for herself with her brand. For me it’s a feeling of prestige to be associated with her skincare brand. And I love the way she addresses her audience as Kings and Queens.

4. Product knowledge- Hamamat understands her products very well; their benefits as well as the process used to prepare them. She also lets her audience have a feel of how the product comes into being. This alone brings the user closer to the brand and helps them to appreciate the product in terms of quality and pricing

5. Mixing Business with Fun- She makes her work seem so easy and fun. She owns the surroundings and takes it calm when it comes to the camera.

6. Family person- I can’t say much here but she seems to me as someone who makes time for two lovely daughters and has a lot of bonding time with them.

It’s always a pleasure watching her videos or reading her posts. They feel so personalized and helps me appreciate our culture. Our Ghanaian culture , our African heritage and I am proud to see how she flaunts it to the world
Go Hamamat, Go Ghana, Go Africa!

Photo credit: @iamhamamat page in Instagram

 

Meet the Women Shaping the Ghanaian Production of PPEs

by with No Comment BusinessFashionFeatured Moms

The coronavirus has posed some problems for our nation, including closing of borders, limited supply of protective wear etc. But just as they say there’s a silver lining in every cloud, this pandemic has brought to the fore the creativity of some Ghanaian women; four of them being selected by government to produce Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for frontline health workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

These women are:

  • Nora Bannerman, founder of Sleek Garments Export Ltd and MD of the Africa Sleek Institute of Creativity and Technology; whose businesses have employed over 120 people to produce quality clothes to be sold internationally.
  • Adjo Asare, CEO of Alfie Designs, who makes use of manufacturing and ethical fashion as a means of creating job opportunities and improving the lives of women and girls in her community.
  • Linda Ampah, a Ghanaian fashion designer who through her passion has shared Africa’s  prints with the world and has a desire to help empower women throughout Ghana.
  • Madam Salma Salifu, a Ghanaian businesswoman and the Managing Director of Dignity DTRT, a garment factory in Ghana which employs over 1500 workers and is located in capital city Accra,  Ghana.

The amazing thing about the stories of these women is how they turned their factories into a production house for Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), to meet the demand for frontline health workers who are overwhelmed with fighting the virus and need as much basic protective gear as possible.

Let’s get to know these women, shall we?

Nora Bannerman

With a background in fashion, Nora is passionate about local businesses and has played a key role in the Ghanaian clothing and textile industry. Her company, Sleek Garments Export Ltd, is popularly known for exporting about 75,000 men’s shirts to the US under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) and has been described as one of the success stories of this Act established in the US in 2000. Her business has promoted the beauty of items Made-in-Ghana and she has had the opportunity to showcase her works on fashion platforms in different countries such as France and the US.

Every success story of course has a beginning, and Nora’s began with her mother’s sewing machine.  As her passion grew over the years, she worked with determination to develop her gift to make an impact and become a solid business, which she now runs with her daughter.

She loves to organize skill development courses for young and especially needy women, to equip them with skills to thrive in the fashion industry or go a step further to start their own businesses. She played a pivotal role in placing Ghana on the AGOA map to enable the nation export over 6,000 products to the US without duties.

Her business, Sleek Garments, now manufactures PPEs for Ghana including surgical gowns, 2 ply masks for medical personnel, scrubs, doctors’ coats, and reusable masks for public use, approved by the FDA. Locate Sleek Garments inside 47 Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, Ghana. Visit their website on www.sleekgarments.com

Adjo Asare

Adjo Asare is the face behind the brand Alfie Designs, based in Accra, Ghana. Through the manufacturing of clothes and  fashion, Alfie designs has created employment and has helped to improve the livelihoods of women and girls whilst  putting Ghana on the map in terms of African fashion.

According to Adjo,  her mother started Alfie Designs and through her hard work, put her children through school all the way to the tertiary level. Adjo started the fashion school in 2016 to enable her support other young women so they can also make a difference in the lives of of their families.

Adjo believes every individual needs to do what their passionate about, so that during times when it seems like things are not working out, one knows what’s motivating them to push ahead in order to suceed and realize their dreams. Alfie Designs is located at Awudome Estate Kaneshie – Accra and can be contacted on +233 244 208778.

Linda Ampah

Cadling Fashions started with Linda Ampah, a Ghanaian based fashion designer who had a passion to share the African print with the world and the passion to empower women throughout Ghana. Overtime she has transformed her small tailoring shop into a global brand which is still known for producing quality and one of a kind garments.

Her clothing line offers a wide range of unique outfits to suit both the sophisticated and modest woman’s taste and provides custom-made clothing. The fashion house has also expanded their production capacity in order to mass produce for other designers and companies.

Their clothing line gained more popularity after one of its masterpieces was worn by former United States’ First Lady, Michelle Obama when she visited South Africa.

To learn more about Cadling Fashions call or WhatsApp:+233272460825 Call:+13013321931  or visit their website www.cadlingfashions.com

 

Salma Salifu

Salma Salifu is a Ghanaian businesswoman and the Managing Director of Dignity DTRT, a garment factory in Ghana which employs over 1500 workers and is located in the capital city Accra,  Ghana.

The fashion house bridges the gap between what global buyers need and what Africa has to offer. They also offer customers a one-stop solution, delivering high quality products at extremely competitive pricing.

For more details on Dignity DTRT visit their website http www.dtrtapparel.com

Its encouraging to see how these women have nurtured their companies and contributing to the growth of the country through employment of staff and also coming through for us as a country during these times.

We say Ayeeko!

 

References

http://www.dtrtapparel.com/contact

https://www.usadf.gov/blog/2019/10/8/meet-the-young-woman-making-ethical-manufacturing-fashionable-in-ghana

https://cadlingfashions.com/

https://www.graphic.com.gh/business/business-news/cadling-fashions-ceo-points-youth-to-fashion-based-jobs.html

https://live.worldbank.org/experts/nora-bannerman-abbot

Your quickest Gift guide for Val’s Day

by with No Comment BeautyBusinessFashionFeatured Moms

The month of love is here again and we are no doubt wondering what to get our loved ones. Whether it’s for that special someone or you just want to pamper yourself (because you certainly deserve it too), here are a few gift ideas that will help make your search easier.

Some chocolate is certainly good for the soul! With its colorful packaging and variety of flavors, Midunu Chocolates (by Selassie Atadika) are the perfect way to spoil yourself or remind someone of how much sweetness they have brought into your life. Midunu chocolates are a mixture of quality and affordability with a range of gift sets from the 6-piece box and 12-piece box to the 24-piece box. As Selassie herself puts it “The flavors of Midunu chocolates are a chef-scripted love story to our continent in every bite.”

 

You can never go wrong with a yummy breakfast basket. Whether cupcakes, some fruits, pastries, sandwiches etc., an A2K breakfast basket is a lovely way to say “I love you”, not just to others but a tasty treat for yourself as well! Packaged in dainty yet attractive baskets, this gift is convenient and fills the tummy too!

 

Maybe you want Valentine’s Day to be a year of reflection for you this year and what better way to reflect than to write your thoughts down and put some plans in place? The Unstuck Mentor (by personal women’s coach, Banke Sotomi) offers great planning tools such as Affirmation Journals and the Modern Woman Planner. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to reflect on how far you have come and where you hope to be someday.

 

Did someone just say a back and neck massage plus lunch?! This Valentine’s Day, Celfee Spa (located in East Legon) together with Sweet Temptations by Anike are offering a special treat for two, to have a relaxing massage and a delicious meal afterwards. 2020 has already been quite eventful, you certainly need to take a break and regroup, and the Celfee Massage can do the magic.

Show your skin some love this season with natural skin and haircare products made with the African woman in mind. The Delse Shop offers a range of the best made in Ghana beauty products from brands such as MGL Naturals, R&R Luxury, Peini and Serwakoto Naturals. What better way to show your skin some natural love?

 

Rene’s Giftspot specializes in personalized chocolates and cute hampers. Want a gift that consists of different but useful items such as stationery, wine, teddy bears, sweets, daily materials and toiletries? Then a Rene’s Giftspot hamper is a creative but affordable way to express your love this Valentine’s Day.

As you show others love this season, don’t forget to take some time off to appreciate yourself too. You’re doing great so far.

Happy Valentine’s Day, with love made in Ghana.

9 GHANAIAN MOMPRENEURS WE CAN’T HELP BUT ADMIRE!

by BeautyBusinessFashionFeatured Moms

Achieving goals sometimes seem more doable when we have people to look up to or who have already set an example. We are always inspired to see women excel not only personally but also entrepreneurially. Today, we shift the spotlight on nine Ghanaian mom-preneurs we admire and how they weave their magic:

                                                                                      Gwen Gyimah Addo (Hair Senta)

As the Chief Executive Officer of the luxury hair brand The Hair Senta (started in 2008), Gwen Addo has risen through the ranks over the years as the owner of one of the biggest hair companies in Ghana. She started selling hair right from the trunk of her car, staying determined till she opened her first shop. Gwen is a former participant of the popular beauty pageant Miss Malaika (2003) and believes that gave her the platform and exposure she needed to build her brand and career.

She has carried her skills gained from her corporate background in the banking sector and educational background in entrepreneurship and innovation from the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), into the day-to-day management of her business. One key take-away point from her entrepreneurial journey is passion; in her own words “you should not be interested in just copying, but have that passion to pursue your ideas because it’s that drive you will need when everything doesn’t go according to plan” (Gwen Gyimah Addo, 2017). She is married with two kids and places premium on keeping her family involved in order to strike that work-life balance.

                                                                                               Claudia Lumor (Glitz)

With a strong belief in telling the African story, Claudia Lumor channeled her passion for fashion into her brainchild, Glitz Magazine which has eventually expanded into other brand extensions such as Glitz Style Awards and Glitz African Fashion Week.

Taking the bold decision to leave the financial sector in the UK and settle back in Ghana “was not easy at all” in her own words (Claudia Lumor, 2018) but with her focus on hard work, belief in oneself, creativity and credibility she has eventually placed the Ghanaian fashion industry on the world map.

A mother of three who has been married for over ten years, Claudia is also very passionate about maternal health and champions this cause through her Glitz Africa Foundation.

To her, one key factor in combining work with marriage is having a supportive family.

                                                                                       Valerie Obaze (R&R Luxury Ltd)

Described by Forbes as an “African skincare trailblazer’, Valerie Obaze founded R&R Luxury, a cosmetic brand that uses shea butter as its main ingredient for its products, in 2010. Her business idea was inspired by finding a product she could use for her newborn daughter’s skin. After much research, she birthed her idea through her first product, Shea Oil.

The brand has gradually expanded beyond Africa to the United Kingdom and the United States.

She has always nurtured her entrepreneurial traits, starting from her own PR agency she founded with her friend, to her current company R&R Luxury. She believes one advantage of being an entrepreneur is having the space to also factor in her children and have enough time for them by working from home.

Valerie is very passionate about motherhood, and founded the Mumpreneurs network in 2015.

                                                                                     Sacha Okoh (So Aesthetics)

Sacha launched her beauty career right after school in 2005 with the Ghanaian weather and woman’s skin in mind.

Her makeup brand, SO Aesthetics has over the years developed into a well-known and trusted brand specifically for the rich African skin.

She has grown to be a well of knowledge in the Ghanaian fashion and beauty sector, with her background from the London School of Fashion and London School of Beauty and Makeup.

She also runs Viva Boutique, a luxury clothing and accessories store for women. Sacha is a mother of three and believes in balancing work and family with a healthy lifestyle.

 

                                                                                    Evita Joseph Asare (Evita Joseph Brand)

Evita Joseph Asare, a mechanical engineer by profession, entered the makeup world through an experience in France, where she was advised in a makeup store that she needed a concealer.

Her interest in makeup eventually grew and she decided to apply her background in research and design to the beauty industry.

With a desire to challenge herself and learn more about the beauty industry, she signed up for beauty school whilst on maternity leave and launched her makeup brand, Evita Joseph Makeup, not too long after.

With feats such as ‘Best Beauty Retail Store in Ghana’ in both 2014 and 2016, Evita believes good things take time and often start small.

                                                                                           Ethel Adjorlolo Marfo (Junior Shapers Africa)

Popularly known as “Ethel theMompreneur”, Ethel Marfo has carved her niche as a ‘male child development activist’ who is passionate about nurturing young boys into responsive men who will not only impact society positively but also be positioned to support the contemporary African woman.

This vision was birthed with the future of her three daughters in mind as she and her husband are raising them to be independent and driven women, as well as a desire to contribute to bringing up responsible, holistic men in the society. She successfully carries out this vision through her non-profit organization, Junior Shapers Africa.

Her background in Public Relations and Marketing has played a key role in her branding and communications, and also runs Salon Cuties, a salon for children. She is also the founder of All Moms in Leadership (aML), a group aimed at supporting women who are faced with balancing both business and motherhood.

As a mother of three, she believes strongly in raising children, both male and female, holistically so they can compliment each other in achieving great feats in society.

                                                                                         Lucy Quist (Quist Blue Diamond)

Known as the ‘first Ghanaian woman to head a multinational telecommunications company’, Lucy Quist has a ton of experience in the corporate and technology world, ranging from being an Electrical and Electronic Engineer at Ford Motor Company to a former CEO of Airtel Ghana.

With a strong desire to see women lead in male-dominated areas such as Science, Technology and Engineering, she founded Quist Blue Diamond, a technology and data-driven company.

She has also founded other businesses and initiatives such as Fresh Bakery, a network aimed at positioning African people to ‘contribute to the global economic pie’ (Lucy Quist, 2017), and the Executive Women Network.

She is a strong advocate for ‘The Bold New Normal’, an idea she pioneered to impact the African mindset through taking bold actions.

She believes in delegation, organization and separation of time to effectively balance her career with being a mother of three.

                                                                                        Beryl Agyekum-Ayaaba (Echo House)

Beryl Agyekum-Ayaaba is the Chief Executive Officer of Echo House, a creative marketing and event agency. Also with a background in engineering and marketing, Beryl initially envisioned Echo House as a magazine whilst in University, but the brand has evolved over the years into a multi-faceted agency with the youth at its core.

Named as one of the 100 Most Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs by fellow community of women, WomenRising, Beryl combines her passion for the youth and creativity to sustain a formidable brand.

She recently joined the motherhood gang in 2019.

                                                                                             Dentaa Amoateng MBE (GUBA Enterprise)

With a desire to improve relations between Africa and the UK, Dentaa Amoateng has made formidable strides in the diaspora with her brainchild GUBA Enterprise, earning her a number of awards and honors including the ‘Member of the Order of the British Empire’ (MBE, from the Queen of England in 2016 and ‘Young Female Achiever of the Year’ at the 2019 edition of the Exclusive Men of the Year (EMY) Awards!

Yes, you read right…she won an award at an event that celebrates the best in men’s achievements across all walks of life!

With a background in nursing borne out of her passion for children, Dentaa has extended that passion into society-driven initiatives that have helped place Ghana, and Africa, on the world map.

She believes in setting a clear distinction between work and family in order to have time for her four kids.

What are your goals as we kick start the New Year? 2020 is already underway but don’t freak out just yet. With determination, planning, action (and some rest of course), you will have a fulfilling year!

Which other mom-preneurs inspire you? We will be glad to hear from you!

Written by: Nana Boatemaa

Save a child Fundraiser Fashion Show

by with No Comment Featured Moms

The Save A Child Fundraiser Show is a kind of fashion show powered by Novan Consult. This show is intended to raise funds to support children suffering from cancers and are undergoing treatment at the Pediatric Oncology unit of Korle-bu Teaching Hospital.

The platform will also be used to promote the Ghanaian heritage through the wear Ghana initiative. The show will have some of our top celebrities model the runway in some authentic Made in Ghana designs.

This show seeks to bring to fore the rich local designs in prints and designers to put our senior class citizens in style whilst giving a trendy leverage to our senior class citizens.

The event will showcase authentic Ghanaian designs, former runway models and celebrities (50 years+) . A couple of popular face that will be featuring on the run way include Kalsoum Sinare, Kofi Adjorlolo, Edward Kuffour , Akorfa Edzeani Asiedu , Joojo Bediako, Derick Ocansey , Gloria Pwamang, amongst others…

The event will take place at the British Council, Accra on 4th October, 2019 from 4pm-8pm

September is childhood cancer awareness month and 1st October is world aged day hence, we want to support the children to overcome the disease so they can also grow to become adults.

Novan Consult is an organization incorporated under the companies Act, 1963 (Acts 179) according to the laws of Ghana in 2017. We are basically concerned with the human resource capacity development of mainly women, and the youth through empowerment, mentoring, grooming and networking programs as well as providing the necessary support for them.
Novan Consult has fashioned programs targeted directly to address the needs of women and young people under the Inspired Woman Network (formerly Inspired Woman Conference) and the Next Level Mentoring and Grooming Clinic respectively.
Jenifer Esenam Asare (MPA), founder and team lead at NovanConsult. We currently operate with a team of experienced social service volunteers for all our programs, events and day to day administration.

Five Options for Mother’s Day gift this season

by with No Comment Featured MomsUncategorised

 

 

This year’s Mother’s Day has gotten a lot of publicity with different Mother’s Day packages coming up for sale for our beautiful Mothers. We have been following closely some amazing pages of some of our super Moms in Business and have picked out five packages which every mum would love to have as a gift.

1. Pauligath a ready to wear online shop has teamed up with Dear Dough GH and Suede Gh to give moms a treat with a  package which includes “Teresa” dress from the Pauligath collection. An H&M slip on from Suede Ghana and a colorful box of cupcakes from Dear Dough Ghana. Mama is sure going to love this gift set as she would keep the memories forever. To order visit their website on www.pauligath.com

 

2. MOD a clothing brand has also outdoored a unique limited collection to celebrate Mothers during this season. Check out more pictures of the LOVE MOM collection on their social media handles on @mod.hq.

 

3. A2KBakes is treating MOMS to a special Breakfast package this Mother’s Day. The MOMS Breakfast box contains goodies such as yogurt with fruit toppings, red velvet cake, waffles, spring rolls and samosa, ajar of juice and a bottle of wine. Let Mummy enjoy some healthy balanced breakfast this Mother’s Day.

 

 

4. The Delse Shop has three beautiful options for you to choose from for MOM this season. Treat MOM to some beautiful Made in Ghana body products from quality brands such as Laam, Peini, Nzua, Natural Treats. Guess what? Some of their packages comes with a Styling session and consultation voucher from MOD or a clothing shopping voucher to shop from MOD.

 

5. Trendy Silver Strands is sorting out our gorgeous Mamas on a bad hair day. Their beautiful Trendy shorts are going for a cool GHS140 this Mother's Day season. You could grab one for Mama. Every Mother epxeriences a bad hair day once a while.

 

 

Hope these helps you to pick something gorgeous for that Motherly figure in your life. Mothers sure deserve all the pampering all day anyday.

A support system for mothers in diverse leadership roles launched in Accra.

by with No Comment Featured Moms

All Moms in Leadership, hitherto known as Ghana Mompreneurs Club (GMC) held its 2nd annual thanksgiving brunch meeting on Wednesday 12th December 2018, at the African Regent Hotel, Accra to mark a successful end to the year. The brunch meeting also witnessed the rebranding of GMC to AllMoms in Leadership (aML).

The day’s activities started off with a thanksgiving service officiated by Pastor Enoch Annan.

Mothers & Business Leaders who attended then took turns to share their experiences and testimonies of their activities over the course of the year and to thank each other for their continuous support throughout the year.

Next was the address by the Founder of aML, Mrs. Ethel A. Marfo who also the Executive Director of Junior Shapers Africa, spoke about the journey so far and the massive growth in the businesses, branding and personal growth of members since its inception as an online support group in February 2017. She also spoke about the need for mothers to constantly upgrade key skills in order to stay relevant in building a sustainable generational legacy as well as provide employment opportunities for less privileged women and youth to boost Ghana’s Economy. At the end of her address, she emphasized the need to rebrand Ghana Mompreneurs Club (GMC) to allMoms in Leadership (aML) to encourage capacity building and collaboration to broaden opportunities for women and mothers who have dependents to cater for.

Ethel believes that today’s mothers are overwhelmed as majority are now shouldering bigger responsibilities with respect to the demands of raising modern children and running a successful business or institution thus the need to support and build mothers up to win on all fronts.

According to Mrs Marfo, the rebranding of GMC to aML will also offer diversity with respect to membership profile to boost business and personal growth across sectors.

The aML brand represents Value-Driven, Legacy-Driven &Tenacious mothers.
With aML, new doors are being opened to mothers in leadership positions from diverse institutions beyond entrepreneurship to train and empower moms quarterly in Leadership Development & Mentoring, Soft Skills Mastery, Financial Empowerment, Family Enrichment, Social Impact & SDGs. After her address, allMoms in Leadership (aML) was launched with the display of the new logo and banners amid pomp and pageantry.

Next was a discussion with the guest speaker for the occasion Ms. Ivy Heward-Mills, Executive Director of Insignis & Couth with over 20 years experience in Broadcasting, PR and Corporate Communication. She spoke about discovering ones passion and drive for success in business & entrepreneurship. She gave some insight on the need to develop wholesome relationships with one’s children as a mom and how to overcome some of the challenges faced in juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship. She also shared some of her life experiences and how they had shaped her to become the woman she was now.

There was also a presentation of award citations to 20 aML members who had shown tenacity and growth throughout the year.

The social project for the year which was a donation to some selected widows in Accra was also launched and members who had made donations for the widows were acknowledged with thanks. One of the widowed beneficiaries, Jacqueline Efua Adutwum, thanked aML members and spoke about the need to support widows and encouraged members to be appreciative of opportunities available to help develop themselves and strive for more.

Afterwards the closing prayer was said and members departed to have their brunch.

Many thanks to members of aML for contributing and donating towards the thanksgiving brunch as well as the upliftment of struggling moms this festive season.

There will be four quarterly aML events in 2019 to build capacities of women juggling motherhood and leadership roles. The upcoming aML event is a personal development workshop scheduled for 6th March 2019.

WeMompreneurs Feature: Mrs. Abla Quansah, Abbees Chillbox

by with No Comment Featured Moms

This month on our Mompreneur Feature, we are joined by Mrs. Abla Quansah of Abbees Chillbox. She is a determined, hardworking woman with so much energy and positivity. Read on and be inspired by how she turned a hobby into a full time business and transitioned from the corporate world as a Chartered Accountant into  Events Management.

Q: How did you start off as a Mompreneur?

A: My entrepreneurship journey started at a very young age. My mum was a serial mom(entre)preneur and she introduced us to the world of entrepreneurship very early. As early as you could say ma!

Q: What inspired you to take that path in business?

A: I am from an entrepreneurial background and always had the passion to run my own business.

Q: Please tell us a little bit about your company and what you do.

A: I own and manage a drink solutions company,  Abbees Chillbox. We provide drinks and waiting services for all events, We are also into rentals of chillers, glases,  plates, cutleries, e.t.c.  

Q: Please share a little background about yourself.

A: I am Chartered Accountant (FCCA) by profession. I have worked in various accounting positions in the Corporate space for 16 years. Whilst in Corporate, I was running my current business alongside. I resigned in 2014 to manage my business.  

Q: How have you managed your day to day activities as a Mompreneur?

A: I am an early riser (this doesn’t go down well with my family because when I wake up, everyone else has to be up in no time), so I will say my day starts at 4am. After my quiet time and family devotion my day has officially begun. I send my kids to school by 7.00am then I settle for the day’s activities. My To-do-list keeps me in check of my daily routine.  l operate my business from home so I have to schedule between office work time and domestic work time.

Q: How are you able to manage taking care of your family and managing your business?

A: It’s all about planning. I am intentional about making time for both business and family, I try not to make any suffer. My work takes me away from the family sometimes for days, especially during the peak seasons but I make it up to them once I am done with the job. My family understands the nature of the business and their support is awesome.

Q: What are some of the challenges you face?

A: It’s been an interesting journey. My initial challenge was with the staff. They didn’t appreciate work ethics, policies and procedures. It was a frustrating transitioning period for me. I had a corporate background where policies and procedures worked.  I didn’t understand why my team couldn’t comprehend simple procedures.

The other challenge was people appreciating our services. Some people thought they could use their families and friends to handle their events instead of engaging the professionals.

We also had challenges with time management. A client can give you time for an event but they will start late and close very late.

Q: what are the processes and systems that have helped your entrepreneurship journey?

A: The business was birthed out of a hobby and it was operated as such for sometime alongside my regular office work. When I started running the business full time, I realized a lot had to change to sustain the business and also take it to the next level. I had to put structures in place. Even though I am a Chartered Accountant, I realized I had to learn more about managing the business as an entrepreneur. I enrolled in entrepreneurship programs, I joined entrepreneurship groups where I met a lot of seasoned entrepreneurs who share insights into running successful businesses. Training of staff has also helped in aligning the goals of the business. The seminars and courses helped me put in place business plans and other systems that will make the business grow.

Q: What’s your advice to any Mother who is passionate about starting their own business

A: Start your business out of your passion. Money should not be their initial motivation. Take your time to learn about the nature of the business. Allow the business to grow organically, Don’t be scared of making mistakes. We always learn from the mistakes and that makes us better.  Finally, Never forget the God factor. He is our Chief Director.

To learn more about Abbees Chillbox, visit their page on instagram at @abbeeschillbox or contact them on 0206000265.

To get feature on our blog and share your journey as a Mompreneur with us, reach out to us on mompreneurgh@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.