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.
