Angela Bamford: How Entrepreneur Almost Quit Dream Of Owning Salon Due To High Rent And Deceitful Artisans
- Ghanaian female celebrity Angela Bamford reveals why she didn’t give up on her dream of becoming a beauty entrepreneur despite all the obstacles
- The media personality spoke about how the high importation costs increased her proposed budget for the business
- In an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh, Angela opened up about why she decided to create a toxic-free beauty salon
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This is not an ordinary entrepreneurial journey about visionary CEOs who have unique business ideas or have developed a product but need money to start a business.
It's about a young Ghanaian woman who knew what she wanted and was willing to break every knuckle to get it.
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Nothing good comes easy! No wonder the ability to overcome challenges and forge ahead separates winners from losers.
One of Ghana’s most revered media personalities and chief executive officer of Nurtured Beauty, Angela Bamford, is a serial entrepreneur who likes changing the status quo to solve societal problems.
In an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh, Angela Bamford talks about how the search for a high-end beauty salon that can provide her with excellent services as a woman keeping natural hair set her on an unforgettable entrepreneurial journey.
Angela Bamford talks about her childhood
Angela was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. However, she has never rested on her laurels. Even as an adolescent, little Angela made money through intelligent business models. She said:
I’ve always been entrepreneurial. My first business idea came when I was a mere 7-year-old in Sogakope. As the only child in my neighbourhood who had a bicycle; I’d have the other children pay a small token of 20 (now 2 pesewas) to ride my bicycle.
My next business venture was selling hot pies and other baked goodies with cold drinks from my Aunt’s car at the abattoir, near the motorway. My natural disposition has always pushed me towards owning a business.
Angela Bamford reveals why she invested in a beauty salon
The Ghanaian beauty industry has gained recognition over the past five years. Many event organisers have included a beauty category in their prestigious schemes.
Some individuals in the beauty industry have also had significant recognition. Professional makeup artists like Valerie Lawson are among the few Ghanaian lecturers at the London School of Business, which in itself remains an admirable feat.
Angela was therefore, confident when she set her eyes on the beauty industry. She revealed some of her reasons for settling on the beauty industry.
The beauty industry is robust and viable. We spotted a gap and potential market and took measures to fill it. As a woman with natural curly hair, I found it difficult to find one place that could offer informed beauty services.
Ghanaian technicians are generally talented in styling hair. However, there was a gaping hole when it came to knowledge-based care, that is, the science behind the service. Hence, my sister and I decided to fill that hole.
Angela Bamford shares the difficulty of finding a suitable location at a reasonable price
For an entrepreneur like Angela, finding a prime shop at a desirable location for a decent price posed one of the biggest challenges. She mentions how some landlords charge dollars for houses and stores in prime areas such as East Legon, Trassaco and other popular places in the Greater Accra Region.
It took us over a year to find our current location. Many options were woefully over-priced. Others just didn’t offer the space nor location we preferred.
Angela Bamford shares her unforgettable experience with unprofessional local artisans
Even though some public figures and politicians continue to patronise made-in-ghana products, some of the local artisans who produce the desired goods lack the requisite knowledge and expertise to produce quality products and deliver excellent customer service.
We faced many challenges in sourcing for our equipment. The options we found on the Ghanaian market were poorly manufactured and sub-par.
We were emphatic about finding the very best equipment and furniture. The other challenge was managing local artisans and their work ethic.
As someone who takes pride in being a Ghanaian and Pan-Africanist, my desire was to solely rely on local artisans to provide the furniture and equipment we needed. However, the poor work ethic and total disregard for deadlines and standards of quality were hard pills to swallow.
Angela Bamford reveals how the cedi's poor performance against the dollar inevitably affected her bank balance
In the last quarter of 2022, there was a surge in the prices of goods and services due to the dollar's rise against other currencies like the cedi.
Coincidentally, it was within that period that Angela Bamford and her sister decided to reconstruct their beauty parlour.
Angela recounts how they imported furniture and other decorative artefacts at reasonable prices only to pay huge sums of money due to high costs of importation.
We try our best to buy all the items we need from Ghana but after searching without no avail, we had to settle on the difficult reality of procuring from other parts of the continent. The exchange rate was unbearable too, so procuring things internationally (items we couldn’t source locally) put a strain on us.
The high tariffs at the port just made matters worse. Let’s just say that in the end, we paid an arm and a leg to get the salon ready.
All furniture, taps, sinks and even decorative pieces were made specifically for us.
Angela talks about her start-up capital
Introducing a new product on the market means setting a standard for others to follow, and Angela Bamford invested a lot to provide world-class services to her wealthy friends and clients worldwide.
While I will not disclose the exact amount involved, I shall say it was a hefty amount we invested to get the salon ready. At the time, inflation in Ghana was at an all-time high which tripled our initial budget.
For example, I inquired about the price of a water tank on a Friday and I was informed that for a 8000-litre tank, I would shell about GH¢5700.
I took note and made plans to purchase the tank the following Monday (that is, 2 days from Friday). I returned on Monday only to be told that a 6000 (not even the 8000) litre tank was selling for GH¢7,350. You can imagine how flabbergasted I was.
Angela Bamford shares her secret to being a successful entrepreneur managing many businesses
Living a celebrity lifestyle requires much sacrifice aside from the benefits of having ambassadorial deals. The media personality, constantly on set showing new episodes of her talk show, shares how she manages her time.
It’s always tough juggling a million and one things. My production company is currently working on premiering its first film this summer, working on season two for the Angela Bamford Show and other productions.
Beyond Cross-Culture Media and Nurtured Beauty, I ran other businesses quietly, so my days are always jam-packed.
While entrepreneurship is possibly the toughest journey I’ve ever embarked on, the challenges are also what I love. Being a serial entrepreneur means eating, sleeping and dreaming business and for that matter, work.
However, if done correctly, it is rewarding. Not only is it financially lucrative but it rewards by shaping your character, mental fortitude, grit and determination for success.
Angela Bamford talks about the services she provides at Nurtured beauty saloon
Nurtured Beauty is a non-toxic salon focusing on clean, non-toxic and ethical beauty care. This means all products used have been researched and certified to be devoid of harmful toxins.
We are a full-service salon as well. All our services are tailored to address your specific need. After all, Beauty is not standardized.
This means we do everything from nail-care (Bio Sculpture only), pedicure, manicure, haircare (with particular emphasis on natural hair treatments), braids, locs, twists, cornrows to facials, hair removal (wax), lashes and semi-permanent brows.
The only services we do not offer are perms/relaxers, acrylic nails and bleaching skin and hair, as these have been proven to be toxic.
Angela Bamford advises the youth who look up to her
Like many entrepreneurs who have become role models and mentors to numerous people, Angela had a few thoughts to share with those aspiring to thread the path to getting the things they want.
Stand strong in your conviction, be a person of integrity, face challenges head-on, and love and protect your tribe - that is family, friends, community, country and continent. Finally, never give up on your dreams. You’re capable of achieving them and you deserve them.
CEO Who Started A Watch Company In Ghana After Circle Repairer Ruined His Late Father’s Watch Gets $600k Deal
Previously, YEN.com.gh wrote about Patrick Amofah, the chief executive officer of Hourhand Co., who founded his watch business in Ghana when a local craftsman nearly ruined a watch he had inherited from his late father.
In an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh, the young watchmaker explained that because he is entrepreneurial, it was simple to pursue watchmaking when he noticed a need.
Patrick Amofah discussed the craft of watchmaking and how he gained the confidence of his affluent customers to create a successful brand in Ghana.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
