Top Ten Lessons from Gwyneth Gyimah Addo - #GwenQUOTES

1. Entrepreneurial Foundations. My father, Allen Gyimah, was a consummate entrepreneur in his time, running the famous Video City as well as a thriving second-hand clothes business. In my school days, I tried my hands on selling stuff like milk powder.

2. Standards. Set your own standards. People will often hail you for doing very little, but refuse to settle prematurely and keep aspiring to greater heights.

3. Vision and Due Diligence. Paint a clear picture of where you’re trying to go with your business and ask the key questions right at the onset. It helps you to stay focused on the journey.

4. Money. Money should not be the end but a means to something greater. Excellence should always be the goal with serving people as the ultimate.

5. Business as God’s Work. God is more interested in your heart than your hair. As a person of faith, I wear the hair products with pride as God’s creation. Interestingly, I see us at Hair Senta as doing the work of God.

6. Gap and Need Philosophy. It is easy to succeed in a business that meets a need you can identify with. I never had hair and still don’t. Hair Senta first met a personal need and became a solution to many. What we give our clients is confidence and options.

7. Consistency. While varieties of hair are available, I do not recommend wildly contrasting wig styles for the same person. You must communicate a clear image and be consistent.

8. Fear of the Unknown. I walked out of a multinational corporate banking job to start Hair Senta in my car boot. I was scared of potential difficulties; and that fear materialized as time went on and things became really tough.

9. Relationships. Everyone needs people who believe in you. My brother, Gyo, is my coach, my brother, Gerald, my brands person, while my husband, Charles, is my biggest cheerleader. Each of them chose to believe in my future.

10. Appreciating Customer Preferences. For years, I stocked and tried to sell what I thought my customers should buy till I almost went down. I learnt the hard way to listen and ask questions. Eg. Francophones prefer bright hair while Ghanaians are more conservative.