Nana Ama Antwi-Darkwa is an entrepreneur from Ghana. She is the Founder of C’eliore Naturelle, a brand that produces natural, plant based cosmetic products, that are free from harsh chemicals, for a wide variety of customers. The products are manufactured in Ghana and sold in Ghana, Tanzania, and the United Kingdom.
At C’eliore Naturelle they focus on the well-being of the environment, while trying to preserve their healing traditions and cultural heritage. Their ingredients are locally sourced, and the products are done following what their mothers and grandmothers taught them when they were younger.
“We are working on introducing more products and using sustainable packaging and our focus is to provide products that have a positive impact on the environment and on our consumers. Our consumers have improved their well-being and gained and healthier lifestyle. We do not just produce and sell organic skincare products; we are preserving our ancient healing and beauty practices which have been neglected.”
Skincare and cosmetics have always been Nana Ama Antwi-Darkwa’s passion, so after several years of working in the field of banking she decided to quit to set up her own business and follow her dream. In order to get the skills she lacked to make a business flourish, she decided to enroll in the Global MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship in Accra.
“Thanks to the Global MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship I have learned how to properly target my audience and how to hold on and go through tough moments.” she stated.
The business is now growing rapidly and having great success. But let’s learn more directly from Nana.
1. How was your Business Idea born?
C’Eliore started when I came back from the UK and my face started breaking out due to the climate change. While looking for a remedy, I remembered that my grandmother used to use clay for most of her skin care problems whiles she was growing up. So I wanted to find out what other remedies she used. Once discovered, I started using these ingredients on my skin and started receiving comments from my friends always on how beautiful my skin was. So I saw the opportunity of a business.
2. How can your business improve the life of the beneficiaries of your activities?
Our mission is to create and provide healthy, effective skin care and wellness products made to enhance holistic health. In doing this, we celebrate Africa’s heritage, creating a community of women across the world increasing their confidence and self-esteem. Our goal is to see our customers being in harmony with their health as we give them products with their well-being in mind.
Thanks to our products, customers feel confident in their skin. We have had countless customers who were not confident because of some form of acne or rash on their faces and after using our products their faces were cleared, they even have the confidence to go out without wearing makeup. And they send us videos, photos, and feedbacks on how confident and excited they are about the results.
3. What has been the main challenge you had to overcome in your entrepreneurial experience?
Dealing with new entrants, scaling up and funding. I still haven’t overcome them yet. However, I have found space for work which was the initial challenge before the lockdown. We have also been able to repackage our products, we are still “work in progress”, I believe we will get there.
4. In your opinion, what are the main qualities an entrepreneur should have?
An entrepreneur should have resilience, passion and the ability to learn and adapt to situations. A lot of companies have experienced challenges during the onset of covid 19 pandemic. Some have been forced to close. If you do not have resilience as an entrepreneur, this can affect you as an individual.
5. Is there a person you are inspired by, i.e. an entrepreneur or a particular mentor?
Susan Wokabi, the Founder of SuzieBeauty.
6. What would you suggest to a new-born entrepreneur?
It is not an easy road so they should not get overexcited at the initial stages. Also, they should do things properly, keep records etc. They shouldn’t be in a hurry to become famous and leave the day to day running activities to workers, thus not being part of the company. Neglecting the business may lead to the business collapsing at the early stages.
7. Could you tell us a particular satisfactory moment you had in your entrepreneurial activity?
When I finally found a place for operations for the business after the Covid19 crisis.
8. Could you tell us how the MBA has helped you and your business?
This MBA is very different. I have a first degree in business so initially an MBA wasn’t my choice, I wanted to pursue a masters in a different area. But one of the past students encouraged me to enroll. It was very practical and made me think about my business thoroughly. The course helped me define my target market. I thought starting a business was just remaining positive and selling, then you make millions. I am still learning but the MBA has really helped me, I am currently assisting other people start their businesses through the knowledge I acquired from this course.
Learn more on C’Eliore Naturelle
Facebook Page: @celiorenaturelle
Instagram Account: @celiorenaturelle
