CEO | Entrepreneur | Humanitarian
I was born in Ghana and raised in the UK. I am a loving wife and mother of four wonderful children. Many don’t know this about me but, I am also a qualified paediatric nurse – I love children and enjoy working with them.
Prior to establishing the GUBA awards, I was involved in a number of successful personal projects. It all begun in 2006 with ‘The Dentaa Show’. The Dentaa Show was an entertainment program filled with exclusive interviews from celebrities in Ghana and the UK. I am blessed to be able to have done and be able to do all the things that I love. I am the CEO and founder of the GUBA Enterprise. GUBA Enterprise comprises of: GUBA Awards, GUBA Foundation GUBA Expo and GUBA Careers. The Ghana UK Based Achievement (GUBA) Awards was setup in 2010 and is a non-profit organization that focuses on enriching the African community in the UK with the aim of empowerment and growth. The GUBA Expo is a platform for Small and Medium Businesses to exhibit their products/services whilst engaging with industry personnel on business growth strategies. The GUBA Foundation is an initiative set up to tackle health issues within the African community. The GUBA Careers and Investment Fair aims to connect corporate firms in Ghana and Africa with skilled individuals in the UK. I alongside my team, run these various organizations. I feel blessed to be able to able to play my part in diaspora advancement and mobilization.
What made you take the leap into entrepreneurship?
My inspiration came from seeing a large number of Ghanaians in UK doing exceptionally well. I found that these achievers were not being acknowledged and had no platform to showcase their work and inspire others. Thus, I decided to setup GUBA as a platform to acknowledge, highlight and award trailblazers within our community.
What were the biggest initial hurdles to building your business and how did you overcome them?
As a not for profit, generating funding and sponsorships was a challenge and one of the main hurdles we had to overcome. We are however, at a stage whereby our brand, purpose and aims are known so we are a bit more stable in that area. These challenges are fairly common for not for profit organizations, it takes a lot of work to create a recognizable brand but it is worthwhile to achieve.
Did you ever deal with contention from your family and friends concerning your entrepreneurial pursuits?
How did you handle it? What would you do differently in hindsight?
My family and friends are extremely supportive; they are always there to help me and I feel very honoured to have such a strong team of allies.
What would you say was the single most influential factor in your business success?
Consistency. Learning how to follow your passion without losing interest and momentum is an affable skill to adopt in the pursuit of success. Another trait worth developing is that of resilience. There will be hurdles; it is inevitable thus, learning to be resilient is useful in the quest for success.
What do you know today that you wish you would have known when you first got started as an entrepreneur?
I wish I had known that the ability to succeed begins in the mind; what you think and believe is what you manifest. I know that now but, I often wonder how much further I would be if I possessed that mind-set from the beginning. Nonetheless, the road to success is paved with lessons and I am glad to have grasped each one.
What advice would you give to an upcoming young and old entrepreneur locally and internationally?
I would advise that in all that you choose to do, be passionate, be consistent and be resilient; these will ensure that you are successful on your path. Also, business is like any journey or difficulty in life – it seems impossible until it is done. My advice will be:
Persistence - regardless of the hurdles.
Thorough planning and research is essential as it helps to eliminate possible setbacks
Delegation – knowing which tasks to take on and which to share with your team
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