The chairperson for Young Urban Women Movement in Ghana, an entrepreneur and B.A. holder in Agricultural Technology, Dorcas Yingura Zoogah, has motivated the general public with her entrepreneurial skills and strategies.
Speaking on the Equal Voices programme on A1 Radio recently, Ms. Zoogah explained how she started making her own skin care products with shea butter. These products are now widely known on both local and international markets.
According to her, her focus was on making body cream, hair pomade, and shea lotion. She said she started by using shea butter for mosquito repellent and lip balm, which she always tried on her own body to ensure quality before offering them to the public.
Though her aim was to earn something to support herself and her mother’s efforts, patronage wasn’t as good as she expected. Miss Zoogah said her family and friends did not show interest in the products when she started. Due to this, she had to apply her own strategy to grab their attention by giving them the product to use for free, after which they found them worth patronizing.
“Even my friends were not patronizing because it is shea butter. They were like, ‘We don’t use shea butter.’ So I told them I have started using shea butter now, and they still said they don’t use it. They were even kind of discouraging me. So for the first batch, instead of selling it, I had to give it away just to ensure that at least those ones would be used, then I could try again,” she explained.
She continued, “With the second batch I made, someone took a small portion and used it, and there was a little change in her skin. So she called me and said, ‘Dorcas, your cream is nice. I want some.’ And I was happy because it was a good sign for me.”
“So I gave them products for free to use, and after using them, they also started advocating for my product in school. Then I took it to church.”
Miss Zoogah also mentioned how she borrowed money from Qwickloan to start this business, the losses she encountered, and how she gradually made it to the international market with the branding and uniqueness of her products.
As part of her advocacy for women’s entrepreneurship, Ms. Zoogah advises women, especially younger ones, to believe in themselves, be positive, and take small steps to make their dreams a reality.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Gifty Eyram Kudiabor|Bolgatanga
