Posts in category: Featured Moms

Meet Senam Adjei — a mother of 3 children, and the owner of not just one, but TWO businesses! Senam’s first business is Kokoushh – Freshly Bottled Coconut Water. Her company manufactures and bottles coconut water for distribution. She manages a group of 10 employees including factory workers and sales members. Her second business is Devio Kids Wear. She makes tailored dresses for children, and has recently expanded her business to include adults’ fashion as well. She grows her business online through sites like Instagram, Etsy, and Shopify.

Like most other small Ghanian business owners, Senam has to deal with many business challenges such as limited funding capital, high interest rate for borrowing, and hiring and retaining skilled workers. She notes that while being a stay-at-home mother comes with many responsibilities, it also has the benefit to have somewhat flexible hours. Senam loves working on both of her companies because it gives her pride to be an independent woman. She is driven by her desire to contribute to the Ghana community and economy.

After meeting with Senam briefly, you’ll find her to be a very special woman and business owner:

1. Employee empowerment – Senam takes the time to teach and develop her employees. It’s important to her that her workers understand the vision of each of her businesses. Senam also rewards them generously, such as offering them bonuses and contributing to their national health insurance plan.

2. Proactively contributing to the community – During just the first conversation, you can tell that Senam is very thoughtful about how the government can better support small businesses in Ghana. Senam is passionate about giving back to the community, and that’s one of her primary drivers for being a business owner.

3. Business minded decisions – She records of all of her business transactions – sales and expenses – through a mobile app called OZÉ. She reviews her transaction data frequently and uses it to make purchasing decisions.

Senam uses her OZÉ app to record her expenses and sales, review her historical data, and make smart business decisions. Each month, she receives a report from OZÉ that evaluates her businesses’ financial health in a concise way.

OZÉ is a free mobile app that empowers small business owners in Ghana, like Senam, to make data-driven decisions to improve their performance. The app connects users to the resources needed for small businesses to accelerate their growth. It’s like a cash ledger, but on a phone. With OZÉ, you’ll be able to: back-up your records, track debt and credit, generate financial statements, and more! Click here to learn more about OZÉ or download OZÉ on the Google Play Store.

Mary Dickson

Mary Dickson is a versatile professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation at the
intersection of technology, marketing, and female empowerment.
With a background in marketing she worked with Nalo Solutions Limited for 13 years leading the HR
department for 8 years and moving on to lead the marketing team for 5 years.

This month we feature a gorgeous creative mother who runs her own handmade statement accessories and clothing line. She also has a full time job as a finance manager. Her beautiful accessories caught our attention on Instagram and it was refreshing to check her profile and see her items are made right here in Ghana. We caught up with Maame for our July Feature and I must say it was inspiring reading her story. I realized that passion is that which would keep someone motivated to create amazing accessories and clothing items stuff and still work a full time job . Her company CheeryBaby makes handmade statement earrings and Handmade hair accessories for all. Join us as she shares her story with us

1. How you started as a Mompreneur ?

In February 2015 I made a bow for my daughter to match her dress. She wore it out for a kids party and the feedback was amazing. And I was like okayyyy I think I’ll make a few to sell and have literally been at it since.

2. What inspired you to take that path in business

My daughter, She was the perfect model. And I totally enjoy making bows for her.

3. A little bit about your company and what you do

Cheerybaby started off as predominantly serving our little friends. Along the way we’ve had requests from mums,aunties and even dad’s. So our line expanded and with each expansion came growth. We currently make bows, themed head pieces, fascinators, earrings. Literally anything that fits in the head of the body. Lmao
Any accessory that fits on the head of the body. Lmao. We also started a sister company called cheerycomforts. Where we hand make baby bibs and nursing pillows. Please note everything on cheerybaby and cheerycomforts is hand made from scratch. We also make kids clothing. Specifically with tulle. Perfect flower girl dresses and christening dresses . Trying to expand our party line

4. A little background about yourself

Apart from getting good feedback when we started . I actually realized it would be a good source of extra income. To date i run Cheerybaby and work a normal job 9-5 as a finance manager for Vicdoris pharmaceuticals. It may seem like a lot of work. But I’m glad I’m able to work both parts of my brain – the left and right parts – creativity and math. Lol so there’s a plus there.
Education wise – I have studied both here (Ghana and abroad) and I have a masters in Finance 😊

5. How you manage your day to day activities

Going to keep this very simple. Because the little details will tire you. Lol. 12am wake up – work through till 5 ( on a good day 4 so I catch a nap) My daughter is up by 5 :30. Shower . Eat. Morning devotion. School drop off. Drive to the office. Prepare reports /manage people/ take decisions. Luckily I still close at 3. Pick daughter from school. Do home work. Play with her. Catch a me time 6/7. Shower little one. Dinner. Bedtime story and prayers. We all doze of at around 8 and I’m up at 12am and start the cycle again.

6. How you are able to balance taking care of your family and manage the business

I’m still trying to figure this out but so far see answer to 5. Can we ever find a healthy balance. I’m waiting . . . Lol

7. What are the challenges you face

Lack of sleep. Last minute orders. Not enough time in a day to fulfill all our dreams and purposes. Lack of a social life ( although this year I must say I’ve been good to myself)

8. What are the processes and systems that have helped you in your entrepreneurial journey

Simple. Calendar.I keep a diary on me at all times. I pencil everything down and I stick to my plans. I’m normally an organised person.So literally that trait is what has sustained me. I also don’t switch plans easily I go by the book and by my word and if God permits I tick each accomplishment off till all is done. A simple diary is my life saver

9. Advise to any young one who wants to start a business

Dream big dream very Big and if you can dream those dreams you can also take action towards them. Work hard even when you think all is lost and it might be pointless. Don’t stop because God always always blesses the hands that work. Just keep going. This is something that is actually true. God sees our toils and he blesses us accordingly just don’t stop.

Mary Dickson

Mary Dickson is a versatile professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation at the
intersection of technology, marketing, and female empowerment.
With a background in marketing she worked with Nalo Solutions Limited for 13 years leading the HR
department for 8 years and moving on to lead the marketing team for 5 years.

How would you like to sit in the comfort of your location and browse through a list of beauty and grooming places which are closest to you and are available at just the time when you need them. We caught up with Naa for our June Feature and she opened up to us on how her journey has been as an entrepreneur. Her company MHDE Ghana has an amazing concept coming up for grooming and beauty places that will bring convenience to clients.

Q. How did you start off as a Mompreneur?

A: I hated the thought of working for somebody who never appreciated my efforts or takes my advice or suggestions at the workplace simply because I’m a newbie and the famous ( that’s how it’s always done here) not willing to change attitude shown at the workplace. I’m someone who loves to create and brainstorm and I love teamwork and I really wanted to start a job or partnership that equally loves what I do.

Q. What inspired you to take that path in business?
A: I decided to opt out of the corporate world and do what I love and it was there that
I met someone who shared the same values and ideas like me and loves to get things done.

Q. Tell us a  little bit about your company and what you do?
I’m Awula Naa Amanuah Ankrah the country manager for My Hair Done Everywhere App (MHDE)Ghana. MHDE  is an app that promotes and help users find beauty and grooming places based on their location. We list businesses that are in the beauty and grooming industry ( hair salons, hairstylists including freelancers, makeup artists, wig makers, barbers, nail bars, spas, beauty suppliers, hair product manufacturers etc.)

Q. A little background about yourself

A: I’m a creative and young at heart. I’m an experienced brand strategist and creative entrepreneur and holds a masters in international business. Aside the managing MHDE Ghana I also have other side businesses I operate and manage. I own an Afrocentric accessory line, I’m a freelance market researcher trying to startup a consulting firm and a drop shipper( I help clients buy from china to Ghana)

Q. How you manage your day to day activities?

A: My days can be pretty hectic and I always manage by with journaling and checklist to help me get through the day. This practice helps me keep and stay on track on my activities for the day

Q: How you are able to balance taking care of your family and manage the business
A: Prayer and God’s guidance help me to balance my family life and business. I have a supportive husband who encourages me to for my goals in life.

Q. What are the challenges you face as an entrepreneur?

A: I guess my challenge I’m currently facing with MHDE is getting beauty and grooming businesses listed on the app. I guess this is because they don’t really understand how the concept works and now our team is investing a lot of time educating our prospective clients

Q.  What are the processes and systems that have helped you in your entrepreneurial journey
A: Having a plan for my business and using the Business model canvas. This canvas helps me to bring out my ideas and brainstorm about my business and generate new ideas for my business. Also journaling and documenting my milestones have really helped a lot.

Q. Advise to any Mother who wants to start a business?
A: Get yourself a mentor who will help groom you and advise you on your startup journey

Follow MDHE Ghana on all social media platforms on @mdheghana.

To feature on our blog contact us on 0249879525 or email us on mompreneurgh@gmail.com. We would love to feature your story.

Mary Dickson

Mary Dickson is a versatile professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation at the
intersection of technology, marketing, and female empowerment.
With a background in marketing she worked with Nalo Solutions Limited for 13 years leading the HR
department for 8 years and moving on to lead the marketing team for 5 years.

The Ghana Mompreneurs Club introduced the Monthly Success Clinic this year for their members as a way of educating them on essential business tools and tips to help their businesses grow . The Month of May’s Success Clinic focused  on the use of Social Media for the businesses of Mompreneurs was organized on the 30th of May, 2018 at Christ The King Parish hall.

The Facilitator of the session was Allen Olayiwola , the Chief Technical Officer of eSolutions Consulting. The session began with a prayer by a member of the club Abena Serwaa Dickson.

After the prayer, founder of the club Mrs. Ethel Marfo touched on the background of the club to the members highlighting the objectives as Educating Mompreneurs through the monthly sucess clinics, Elevating Mompreneurs by enabling them to explore and develop themselves and taking advantage of opportunities and helping Mompreneurs to gain Economic Independence through vendoring opportunities that is usually a part of the monthly and quarterly meet ups.

Mr. Allen took over from there and gave each Mompreneur an opportunity to introduce themselves and share with us their personality in one word!

We learnt that social media played an integral role in the growth of our business as a lot of individuals are now hooked on to these platforms through out the day.

These are some points that were shared by the Facilitator to guide us in our social media journey for business growth;

1. Numbers do not necessarily equate to business. It is necessary to ensure that these numbers convert into sale for ones business
2. It is essential to understand each platform and know what works best on that platform. For instance Instagram is associated with more visuals and less text , understanding this will help a business owner know whether their product or service  will sell on Instagram.
3. Identify your unique selling point as a business and use it
4. Include hashtags in posts as this also helps to get our posts visible to a lot more people
5. Ensure your posts are 80% influencing your industry and 20%  selling your product or service
6. Understanding the number of times to post.
7. Sources of generating good content

We were introduced to some sites that could help us with the right hastags to use such as Top Hashtags. Canva was recommended to help Mompreneurs with content creation such as posters.

We were also advised as a group to like and comment on each others post as that helped our profiles and posts to reach more people organically and create visibility for each others profile within our individual circles.

After the session, there was time for socialization , snacks and visiting of the exhibition table of all the vendors. They had some wonderful Made In Ghana products and services on display. Some Mompreneurs on exhibition included Teckulina Fashion , Akobamoxie, Afro Essentials and Pauligath.

Snacks was catered for by Afrakuma Catering and Flexy Foods. The Professional Pictures were taken by Platinum Photos.

Source: Ghana Mompreneurs Club

Mary Dickson

Mary Dickson is a versatile professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation at the
intersection of technology, marketing, and female empowerment.
With a background in marketing she worked with Nalo Solutions Limited for 13 years leading the HR
department for 8 years and moving on to lead the marketing team for 5 years.

I’m Alexis Antwi. I’m married with two boys. I completed Roehampton University with a BA in Film and TV Production. I have a diploma in Criminology and International relations from the University of the West of England, Bristol (left the degree program before final year to persue film- passion- dad didn’t speak to me for a year 🙄) 

I moved to Ghana as soon as I graduated as a single mum with no job. My family is based in the UK. I just felt all the plans I had would work better here. I just packed up and left. No regrets so far.

Started a restaurant/catering business in 2012 for 2 years but handed over to my aunt as it was too time consuming. I fired my staff cos they were stealing…some even take groceries home from our stock. 🤦🏾‍♀

I hosted Today’s Woman on TV3 for almost 2 years. I was supposed to cover a maternity leave for the presenter but it got extended somehow. I also co-hosted Ghana’s Most Beautiful in 2014 for sometime.

I love cameras, stage, role play….basically TV and Theatre. I’m currently working on my production due for TV by end of the year.

I worked at Groupe Ideal as a deputy Corporate affairs manager but resigned…twice. There’s no going back to corporate as it’s just not for me. Working for myself allows me to take care of the family properly and I can nap in the afternoons.🤣

I run Niche Concepts where we produce radio and TV adverts, documentaries, TV shows and our events. Radio and TV is on hold as I’ve struggled with sinusitis for the past 2 years and currently awaiting surgery. 😢
I also organise trade shows and my first two babies in events were Int. Hair and Beauty Expo and  The Wedding Shows Gh. Senam was one of our exhibitors for our first show. We are yet to confirm dates for this years events.

I run an NGO with my sister called Mother’s Bliss Foundation where we assist young single mothers in entrepreneurship to return back to school. Our youth wing is called 4YP – For young people. We visit schools around the country to educate young people on sex education, career options after school, grooming, confidence building and personal hygiene. Our last major event was 5th Nov 2015 in Tamale where we had over 2000 students from 3 schools in attendance. Our next one will be later this year. This one is dear to me n chops my money but it’s so worth it.

My latest baby is an online babyshop @babyblissgh. We are on IG an d Facebook. Long story short I was told my 2nd child would be a girl so I shopped for the goods 😂 only to push out a boy. I wasn’t sure what to do with the girls stuff and decided to sell to my work colleagues when I returned to Ghana. We started November and it’s been amazing. My customers come first thus gives me loyal customers.

Competition? before I started @babyblissgh I knew all the baby shops on Facebook nand instagram as I went into :
“early labour” in GH at 32 weeks and needed some stuff urgently. Thankfully baby held on till I went back to deliver. I now have more following on IG and Facebook than those I came to meet and I used a simple strategy.

1.I DISPLAY PRICES. I’ve had customers who have said that’s why they chose to buy from me as is saves them the hassle of calling or messaging for prices.

2. I have sales n reduce prices on some items on special holidays for a limited period.

3. FREEBIES – I deliver for free when customers place an order for the first time and it’s over a certain amount. I give free products and samples or sometimes just little pack of sweets or a chocolate bar. You will be amazed the difference it makes.

4  FREE ADVICE/CONSULTATION – I don’t just sell baby food, I eat some too and have tried the varieties with my boys so I’m able to advice parents and I usually get it right.

5. RESEARCH! RESEARCH! RESEARCH!!! I’m constantly looking for discounts and offers when doing my purchasing online so I can always afford to sell some products cheaper than my competitors and still make profit. I research on the use of products and child/pregnancy related issues  to give better advice.

6. NETWORK!!! – If I meet people anywhere I give a card. I’ve joined groups as well to connect with others.

7. CARE – I check up on customers a lot. I recently started saving most kids birthdays so we can send out birthday greetings as well.

Source: Ghana Mompreneurs Club

Mary Dickson

Mary Dickson is a versatile professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation at the
intersection of technology, marketing, and female empowerment.
With a background in marketing she worked with Nalo Solutions Limited for 13 years leading the HR
department for 8 years and moving on to lead the marketing team for 5 years.

Jackie&Dentaah Love Foundation is a registered charity organization in Ghana that aims to provide and support less privileged in the communities with their basic needs such as food, water, health care and education.

In March 2017, Jackie&Dentaah Love Foundation team embarked on a project in Ekmufi Abukwa in Central region of Ghana to help and support 11 less privileged persons. These 11 less privileged are sick and disabled persons, widows and widowers and orphans.

The needs of these privileged persons include health care assistance for the disabled and the sick persons, capital for the windows and widowers to start a small business, support in education for the drop out orphans.

These less privileged persons are hoping on Jackie&Dentaah Love Foundation for help and support to make provisions for those needs. On the 15 of April 2017, Jackie&Dentaah Love Foundation team made a donation of food items and toiletries as the first step to support these less privileged persons.

The team could not meet the specific needs of these less privileged due to limited financial resources. Therefore, Jackie&Dentaah Love Foundation is appealing to the individuals for support to help them meet the needs of these11 less privileged persons. Donations in cash and in kind are welcome.

The bank details of Jackie&Dentaah Love Foundation are as follows:

GT Bank Accra, Ghana

Account Name: Jackie&Dentaah Love Foundation

Account Number: 2191 0374 3140.

MTN Mobile Money: 0023354 203 1160

For more information on Jackie&Dentaah Love Foundation and on other projects please visit us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JDLFGh/?pnref=lhc , on Twitter @JDLFGH and on our website http://www.jadlfoundation.org/pages/index.php?siteid=jadl

Thank you for your support!

Mary Dickson

Mary Dickson is a versatile professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation at the
intersection of technology, marketing, and female empowerment.
With a background in marketing she worked with Nalo Solutions Limited for 13 years leading the HR
department for 8 years and moving on to lead the marketing team for 5 years.

Its been 4months since the Ghana Mompreneurs Club was founded and I must say through this club a lot of partnerships have been formed, new friends have been made, members have a wider reach to market to and most importantly individuals have been inspired to start up or nurture their ideas into fruition.
We had our second brunch meeting last Wednesday and I must say it was an eventful one. Members had the opportunity to attach faces to names they had bonded with over the past four months though some had met themselves in person. Members also had the opportunity to exhibit their items up for sale and also share with members some of their items

Our MC for the day was our very own Selasi Dzikunu, Jayset Consulting. She did an amazing job right from the introduction of every member through to the interview and elections of supporting executives for the club.

Selasi ( Our MC for the day)

The Brunch meeting started with the introduction of members of the club. Each member introduced themselves and spoke briefly about the products or services they provide.

Jane co-founder MaryJane a fashion house

Stephanie of V Spa

Naa Odey owner of Merleys

After the introduction, the Founder of the Club, Ethel Marfo, welcomed all the new members and took everyone through the vision, mission and objectives of the club. She also laid out the rules and regulations governing the whatsapp group of the Club. This group brings on board all members and gives them the opportunity to share and market their products and services, aside this days are set aside for presentations for each member to share with others their journey as Mompreneurs, their success stories and challenges.

Our guest speaker was introduced right afterwards. Our Guest speaker for the day was Akorfa Edjeani, a seasoned actress and also the owner of Fali’s hot pot. She encouraged members to cultivate the habit of saving, no matter how much small the amount to put aside maybe.

She also touched on the need to offer our first fruits to God as that is also a way of bringing blessings on our business. She encouraged the Mompreneurs to develop the habit of living within their means as it is also a great way of increasing savings.

After the Guest Speaker ended, the Club presented to her a hamper with items from some of the sponsors of the program and other Mompreneurs.

We took pictures with her and had the opportunity to engage her afterwards. The meeting went on break as we went to visit the exhibition room to feast our eyes on the products and services from the lovely Mompreneurs and make purchases.

We went back after some few hours to continue with the program. Some positions had come up in the club that needed to be occupied so elections were held to elect  a Financial Secretary and Organising Secretary.

We ended by having some lucky dips where everyone won some of the products provided by the  Members of the club.

The Ghana Mompreneurs Club currently has over 100 members, and plans to expand its territory as it continues to empower Mothers to make it in their careers and businesses.

Source : Ghana Mompreneurs Club

Mary Dickson

Mary Dickson is a versatile professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation at the
intersection of technology, marketing, and female empowerment.
With a background in marketing she worked with Nalo Solutions Limited for 13 years leading the HR
department for 8 years and moving on to lead the marketing team for 5 years.

The Ghana Mompreneurs Club ( GMC) , has hosted a Goal setting workshop for its members. The event which was held on April 12, 2017 was aimed at providing participants with the necessary tools to set and achieve their life goals.

Participants of the workshop were taken on a journey of introspection to identify their current situation, future goals and required commitments to enable them achieve their goals whether financial, business, spiritual, health or quality of life.

Leading the workshop was Mr. Richard Akita of Launch Pad who inspired the ladies to set SMART goals and work towards achieving them by planning, investing and making the right decisions.

He encouraged them to rise above their failures, stating that “success inspires and failure matures”.

Mr. Akita further emphasised that the ladies “must set specific goals and ensure it happens”. He advised them not to feel guilty about setting vacation goals but rather plan, save and ensure they have enough funds to take them on fun holiday and still sustain them through the days after. “It’s all about me” was the catch phrase he left the mothers with.

The Ghana Mompreneurs Club is a support network for mothers in business. Founded in February, 2017 by Ethel Marfo, the club seeks to bring together entrepreneurial mothers to network, share ideas and exhibit their products and services.

Sponsors for the workshop include, Launchpad, Pigment, Egudzi, Food101, Cerino, Adler Travels, Nfoniri.com, Canada-Ghana Nutrition Centre, Senam Foods, Jayset Consulting, Lola’s Braiding Centre and Tropical Sun Foods.

Written by Guest Writer: Abigail Naa Karley Clegg

Source : Ghana Mompreneurs Club

Mary Dickson

Mary Dickson is a versatile professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation at the
intersection of technology, marketing, and female empowerment.
With a background in marketing she worked with Nalo Solutions Limited for 13 years leading the HR
department for 8 years and moving on to lead the marketing team for 5 years.

We caught up with Elsie I. Laryea, CEO of MyTastyPlatter a company aimed at providing organic healthy meals for babies 6 months and above and we had a lovely session with her sharing with us her journey as a Mompreneur.

She works with a team of mothers, entrepreneurs, midwifes and everyday people to promote the need for healthy meals and required nutrition for children. She is a member of the Ghana Mompreneurs Club.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi my name is Elsie I. Laryea. I am a certified in making children meals and feeding specialized in advising on healthy meal plans for infants. I am an entrepreneur a mother and a wife, I had my education in partly in Nigeria, Ghana and in England.

What does it take to be a successful working mum?

Joggling your job and kid is not very cheap though because no matter how much planning and organization you put to sort out kids and work from meals to care for them while you are at work, cannot be overemphasized because there are days when you need to jog back and forth from work to home and days where you wrap up early and come home to sort them out.

What led to your decision to become an entrepreneur?

 The need for my expertise always came up in situations I never imagined. People always stopped when they hear me talking about infant meals.

How much capital do I need to begin life as an entrepreneur?

When it comes to capital for starting a business the first thought that comes up is I can’t do it because it is too capital intensive and they start thinking of borrowing. My dear, my advice is start as small as you can everything must not be in perfect shape before you do.

What are some of the challenges playing a dual role as a mother and entrepreneur?

There are several challenges that pop, before you can say jack getting people to know the importance of healthy nutrition for their kids isn’t cheap because they think by hearing or getting an advice from you shows they are not feeding their kids the right way meanwhile, the essence of the talk is to enlighten us on several other meals available for your child’s plate.

Please tell us about what you do and how we can get in touch to patronize your products / services?

Mytastyplatter seeks to promote child nutrition by providing organic, healthy meals for toddlers 6 months and above. We assist parents/guardians and child care institutions to plan meals for their kids based on their health needs as every stage. We have to beautiful packages (standard meal package and premium meal package) the premium package comes with a starter pack. Currently working on our training packages for parents to come and enjoy knowing varieties for their little ones.  You can contact us on this no: 0553479880, 0249879525 email:elletreasure1@gmail.com.

• Final words of encouragement to any mother out there struggling with combining work and house keeping.

If you have the zeal passion for a particular business, go for it don’t forget to get basic education for it, because it guides your thoughts and business on decision making always remember that with progress more knowledge is required to aid you. For your kids plan your time as much as you can for them in your schedule it’s very important and trust GOD for His leading.

Source: Ghana Mompreneurs Club

Mary Dickson

Mary Dickson is a versatile professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation at the
intersection of technology, marketing, and female empowerment.
With a background in marketing she worked with Nalo Solutions Limited for 13 years leading the HR
department for 8 years and moving on to lead the marketing team for 5 years.

Photography is one of the business areas that is currently booming and gaining a firm foundation in Ghana. Individuals, couples and families love to capture fond memories of time together. Nfoniri.com is one of the few companies that help people to capture these beautiful memories on canvas. We caught up with the founder who is also a member of the Ghana Mompreneurs Club. Enjoy our session with her as she shares with us her journey as a Mompreneur.

 M: Tell us a bit about yourself?

N: I am a smart self motivated person who has eight years working experience in accounting and finance.

Although an accountant, I have competencies in photography and arts, understanding customer behavior and conducting market research.

I work full time with Star Assurance Company Limited, one of Ghana’s finest and renowned insurance companies.
I’m with the accounts team and I have built strong competencies in areas such as Team Leadership, Relationship Management, Customer Focus and Supporting Change.
I’m a part-time entrepreneur; the Founder and Sales Lead of NFONIRI.COM, an indigenous company in the Photography and Arts industry which preserves memories by framing photographs on authentic canvas.

I hold level two of the Chartered Accountancy Programme from the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAG), an MBA in Accounting and Finance from the University of Professional Studies – Accra, Bachelor of Science in Administration – (Accounting Option) from the Central University and a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy from the Koforidua Polytechnic.
I have attended seminars on Anti – Money Laundering, Positioning Strategies for the Exceptional Graduate, Customer Care, Agency training amongst others.
I love to examine photographs religiously, loves cooking, listening to good music and an ardent sports lover.

M: What does it take to be a successful working mum?

N: It takes determination, hard work and perseverance. You must be strong in all facet of life and allow God to lead you in whatever you find yourself doing to be a successful mum. You simply must be a woman who never gives up on her dreams no matter what the challenges may be. I will say any successful working mum must be driven by PASSION for whatever she finds herself doing.

M: What led to your decision to become an entrepreneur?

N: I realized at some point in my life that there’s a God given potential within me that puts smiles on people’s faces and makes them feel good. Just at that point, I noticed that what I have always taken to be a hobby could actually be turned into a business, where I’ll make some little money and at the same time help put smiles on other people’s faces by preserving their memories and also having that inner fulfillment and joy when people smile.

M: What are some of the challenges playing a dual role as a mother and entrepreneur?

N: I must confess, being a mum and an entrepreneur is a very tough role any mother can find herself.
Combining work with taking care of my kids and husband is very challenging. There are times, you have deadlines to meet, and your kids would not give you the chance to because they may probably not be feeling too well or they are demanding an extra attention from you that you simply cannot do anything about. Things are even worse of when you work elsewhere aside been an entrepreneur. To make an impact, I have to work as twice hard as a man and this is a big challenge being a mother.

M: How much capital do I need to begin life as an entrepreneur?

N: It depends on the field you find yourself or what you intend doing.
But whatever it is, start small. No amount is too small for any start up. Consistency and persistency are the key things that matters in entrepreneurship. I do not believe so much in going for a loan. It is better to start small, have patience for your little dream to grow into a huge one than to go in for a huge loan to start up and be burdened with interest payment.

M:  What are some of the challenges you faced starting your own business?

N: The challenges are enormous my dear. I’m still facing them only it has subsided compared to the beginning.
I’ve had challenges with whom to patronize my product, challenges with financing, challenges managing my home; especially my kids and challenges satisfying my clients. I have overcome most of them with the help of God.

M: How were you handling your life as a mother and a corporate lady if you have ever worked for someone?

N: I still worked for someone. Managing my life and being corporate lady is quite hectic. I don’t get enough sleep neither does my family. I work over-night if I have urgent orders. Weekends are worse!!
But with determination, hard work, perseverance and faith in the almighty, I’m able to combine both lives. Things will be better soon, I know.

M:  Please tell us about what you do and how we can get in touch to patronize your products / services?

N: I’m a part-time entrepreneur; the Founder and Sales Lead of NFONIRI.COM, an indigenous company in the Photography and Arts industry which preserves memories by framing photographs on authentic canvas.
Current and prospective clients can reach us via our social media handles
@nfoniri.com – facebook, instagram, tweeter etc.
They can also reach us via WhatsApp and voice call on 0266684933.
They can find out more on www.nfoniri.com

M:  Final words of encouragement to any mother out there struggling with combining work and housekeeping.

N: 1. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding….in all your ways, acknowledge HIM, and he’ll direct your path.
2.  If you lack wisdom, let ask God, he’ll give you liberally without reproach.

Mary Dickson

Mary Dickson is a versatile professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation at the
intersection of technology, marketing, and female empowerment.
With a background in marketing she worked with Nalo Solutions Limited for 13 years leading the HR
department for 8 years and moving on to lead the marketing team for 5 years.