After She Lost Her Job in 2020, Ghanaian Entrepreneur Edna Frimpong Founded Fash Slippers

• Edna Frimpong lost her job in 2020 when COVID-19 struck the world in 2019 but refused to throw in the towel
• She founded the footwear-making brand Fash Slippers to produce quality but affordable handmade wearing apparel for the feet
• The Ghanaian entrepreneur and shoemaker has opened up about how she started, her challenges, and her goals

Women in traditionally male-dominated fields such as shoemaking face difficult hurdles, but one Ghanaian artisan, Edna Frimpong, is making laudable strides.

Born into humble parentage, Edna has worked hard to establish Fash Slippers, a footwear brand that produces handmade slippers in Ghana.

The journey to becoming an entrepreneur, shoemaker, and creative director of the shoe label was not a walk in the park because of her deprived background.

Humble beginnings

Edna was born to a Ghanaian shoemaker who singlehandedly raised her. Despite being financially disadvantaged, he was keen about giving her the best of education.

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She first completed Maamobi "1" Junior High School (JHS) before heading to Adonten Senior High School, where she studied General Arts.

She acquired both JHS and SHS education through a scholarship from the Sub-Saharan Education Project (SSEP), a United States-based organisation based in Atlanta, GA, working to improve the quality of life in sub-Saharan Africa through education.

Overcoming early life challenges

Edna, however, had to take a two-year break at home due to financial constraints. She resorted to working as a nanny and subsequently volunteered at SSEP, where she rose through the ranks to become a project coordinator.

In an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh, Edna disclosed that she used the remuneration she earned from working as a nanny and at SSEP to fund her education at the Ghana Institute of Journalism.

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But life threw more challenges at her when COVID hit the world in 2020; SSEP folded up in Ghana, and she lost her job.

Founding Fash Slippers

Nonetheless, she used the opportunity to start her footwear brand, named Fash Slippers. Edna had acquired skills from her father and would subsequently work with him on major projects to achieve the best for her clients.

The young entrepreneur told YEN.com.gh that she leveraged social media to reach more clients.

''I decided to create my company after I lost my job; I subsequently created social media accounts to be more visible online.''

While thousands of companies folded at the peak of the pandemic, Edna got creative and her idea to start her footwear label has paid off. However, one of the challenges facing her business is funding.

''It's not easy to get investors to fund new ideas,'' says Edna, adding that ''finding new markets to produce in mass qualities is also a hurdle.''

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Despite what appears to be impediments, she is determined to expand her start-up, focusing on penetrating new markets outside Ghana.

Please click to check some of her works and order on her social media platforms.

The Ghanaian Behind the Smart Locker Transforming Package Delivery

When Godwin Agyapong decided to venture into the technology industry, he was unemployed with little to no idea of how he would finance his business idea into reality.

But that didn't deter him from pursuing his goal to start a high-quality delivery and pickup system, which became known as LocQar.

At the time, it was just an idea inspired by the Amazon Locker and shot into reality following a tragedy that nearly claimed his life.

Source: YEN.com.gh