From Chemical Engineer to Skincare Queen!
- Posted by George Bright
- Posted in NEWS AND EVENTS
Meet Christabel Ofori, an inspiring AWE Alumni who transformed her side hustle into an award-winning full-time skincare brand. Her journey from the lab to the beauty industry is nothing short of amazing! Curious about her story and how she achieved her dreams? Read more to get inspired and learn from her incredible journey.
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My name is Christabel Ofori, a chemical engineer, a certified natural skincare formulator, and the founder of Afcallo Ventures, known for our flagship natural skincare brand FlocareBeauty.
I started my business in 2017 as a side hustle, but when I decided to resign from my regular job and pursue the business full-time in 2020, I knew I had to build up my capacity as an entrepreneur and business owner.
I had participated in a few entrepreneurship programs, but when I saw the call for the AWE program in 2022, I was super excited to join because of its uniqueness in catering specifically to young Ghanaian female entrepreneurs.
And the program truly delivered on its objectives. With the very relatable simulated business start-up adventures of Alma, I was guided in putting structures in place in my business and learnt to correct some of the start-up mistakes Alma made.
The mentors we had for the weekly sessions were also very down-to-earth and shared relatable business experiences that motivated me to do more and improve my product offerings. The program also offered networking opportunities, and I made new friends and customers that I still have contact with to this day.
At the end of the program, we had the opportunity to apply for funding, and I had the honour of being selected as a recipient of the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) grant award of $20,000 for my project, ‘supporting mothers through natural skincare’.
With the funding, we are renovating our production workspace to effectively train more young women and mothers and make production more efficient. We are also creating a dedicated storefront where customers can walk in to sample our products and make purchases, and we hope to increase FlocareBeauty’s brand awareness through other marketing efforts.
The AWE program and the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) funding have been game-changers for my business, and I can’t wait to share more success stories soon.
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