Adu Amani- Ambition, Opportunities, and Taking Chances.

                               

"I don't have challenges because I see them as experiences and opportunities to learn from", this seems to be the daily mantra of Vera Adu Amaning of Adu Amani Klodin. She is an outstanding woman entrepreneur doing great things with her talent, career and personality which I believe young people and aspiring entrepreneurs can learn from.

Career Path

The brand Adu Amani Klodin was inspired while helping with a friend who was into fashion accessories. Their first attempt was called VAAD Style, also a fashion brand. VAAD failed due to difficulty in reaching a ready market,  and the unavailability of her partner and friend. They lost a lot of deals with customers in the course making closing down the last option.

Vera later sought for a job at a Printing Press. Fortunately, she had a background in printing so she had little problem securing a job. While doing this work, a colleague enquired from her where to get hand made shoes to buy from. Vera then used the opportunity to show her colleagues some pictures of her old creations from VAAD. Her very impressed friends encouraged her to pursue the fashion vision and build a business from it. After seeking permission from her former partner, she started Adu Amani Klodin which is gradually gaining grounds on both the local and international markets.

Adu Amani Klodin can be found online at www.aduamani.com where shoes, slippers, bags, belts and many more fashion accessories, mostly handmade, can be shopped.

Hobbies and Fun times

Vera is a lover of creativity. She prefers to spend quality time creating new innovations and better styles for her brand. Hanging out and attending events also gets her spiced up for new energy and motivation. Cooking and trying her hands on new things are other activities that lighten her up. However, the greatest moments of joy for her comes with just being alone at home, soaked in her own world and thoughts. Most of these fun moments have catapulted the young woman to unimaginable fame. Her Chalewote Street Art Festival moments for instance are remarkable times which have gained her some popularity in the social media circles. It has also won her the "Adomi Bridge" title, emanating from a hairstyle she wore to the event, and this has been trending online since last year.

Social media 

Adu Amani, as she is mostly known on Facebook, can be described as a social media freak. Her daily posts online can be described as a mixture of education, information and entertainment. She also has accounts on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, where she shares her works and fun times with her followers. Her love for social media allows her to turn her fun moments into a wonderful learning experience and avenues of opportunities for herself and her followers. Vera employs exceptional digital marketing strategies that she uses to promote her brand and other Ghanaian brands. She takes the chance to inspire, educate, and accept challenges through her social media platforms. Not a wonder that she clocked a deal with Woodin Fashion through her social media exploration.

Woodin Moments

Earlier this year, she had the chance to work with Woodin on their Wednesday Style Session, which features Fashion designers who teach customers simple fashion tips that they can practise at home. Speaking to her on how she got such an opportunity to work with a big fashion brand as Woodin, this was what she had to say:

"I must admit that it was a favor from God. I had always wanted to work with Woodin because I love their fabrics and I use them to design the male loafers that I work on. Some of their designs look more like leather making it easier for us to work on them", she confessed.

Excited about sharing the whole experience, she continued, "Five years ago, I visited their outlet in Osu to enquire on how I can work with them or at least sell in their shop, but I was disappointed when my efforts proved futile. Perhaps, I didn't try hard enough but i kept posting my designs on their timeline. Last year,  they updated a post on their Facebook page asking their fans to choose someone as their ambassador from a list of celebrities they had outlined. I commented with  my name, choosing myself as an ambassador. This seemed like a silly approach but it turned out positive. The next day, I received an appointment letter from Woodin asking to work with me on their DIY(Do it Yourself) Wednesday project."

To her, this was a dream come true, and a first step to becoming part of the Woodin family. "I was really excited about the opportunity of having Woodin on my portfolio/CV after 5 years so much that the package they offered really didn't matter to me", the fashion entrepreneur concluded. 

Words of Advice

It is okay to fail, she told me, adding that, "I start some creations afresh all the time because I find out that I have made mistakes on them". According to her, certain things we wish for will not come out as expected, however we must not see them as challenges but rather a chance to start all over again. This time, doing things the better way.

Vera advices young people by leaving them with these words, "Spend your time wisely. Learn a skill, a trade, or study a course. Stop visiting places like the Accra and West Hills Mall just to take pictures. All these things do not add value to your lives". She cautions everyone to build on themselves and carefully nurture their personality in order to be relevant in society.

Future Plans

She hopes to use her brand and its resources to fund and sponsor many worthy causes in society in the years to come. She also plans on training and educating young women, especially in rural areas, with requisite skills and business ideas so that they can live meaningful lives in their societies. 

In ten years, Vera sees herself to have gained a degree, married, and with children. By then, her fashion brand would have also gained much solid grounds in the fashion and business industries.

Interview and Story by:
Justica Anima
Adjeianima@gmail.com
Switstica.blogspot.com

Simple Steps to Attracting Rewards Into Your Life.

"If you do the work, you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life." - Micheal Jordan

If you are an achiever, being the rule rather than the exception is always your goal. Nobody wants to be on the bench without getting noticed. You do not want to be stuck at one place without getting all the benefits and promotions that are being offered at your workplace. In an era where there is competition for the job market, you and I cannot afford to be pushed out. Employers are also on the lookout for exceptional result oriented people to work with.  Whether you are an employee or individual seeking rewards and results, reading this article is a great start for you to reach the level you aim at.

Engage in high Performance

Getting rewards for jobs done are very fulfilling and it takes a great deal of effort to get there. You need to be effective, proactive, and an over-achiever to get to pull a lot of customers. The customers are those who bring income into the organisation and therefore targeting them is the best approach. You do not want to seem pushy; trying to impose your product or services on them. The goal is to engage customers and try to know and understand their needs. A lot of employers have gotten a raise or promotion in their companies because the customers enjoy their services. Personally, I know of a waitress who gets all the customers' attention at her place of work because they claim she renders better services. Do you know what that means for her? She gets to receive more tip offs from customers and better treatment from her boss. On top of it, she may get a better job offer from another employer.

Share your company or brand

Proactively promoting your company is another way to get results at the workplace. Share your company's mission and vision with people whose needs are channeled in your direction. This move will ensure that more people get hooked on to your brand or market. Making your company your business fetches you enough credibility both with your employer and prospective customers. Sharing  also helps people know your capabilities and are able to trust you with their problems for your solutions. In turn, you get additional rewards in terms of monetary gain and endorsements. It is sad to hear most employees complaining about rewards when they have done little to help increase productivity at the workplace. Note that; the more you put in, the more you will get out of whatever venture you are into.

Include your ideas

When it comes to attracting rewards, many factors come into play and any smart employee will device all means to get to the top. Adding your inclusion by bringing on board real solutions to some problems is also a plus to your skills. Wherever there are loop holes, you must be able to fix your ideas. Rewards come to those who are up for the challenge. Active people are always in check for results. They are aware of the need to be on top of their game. They therefore learn and gather information and relevant skills needed for their success. They are not mediocre and so having unique features are their focus.

Learn from a team

Teaming up is another sure way of reaching higher performance. Smart people utilize the power of team work to their own advantage. It allows you to learn on the field, and helps you to brainstorm ideas with other equally talented people. Asking and answering questions while on the team is how you quickly tap into other people's knowledge and expertise. You get an added advantage by deliberately decided to learn from other team members. At the end of it all, you must be sure that you have added value to yourself which will help you to achieve greater and more results. Be observant and reorient yourself by engaging and learning from others.

Deliberately attract rewards

Expect to attract rewards and draw your focus on just that. Nothing is more fulfilling than achieving great results and applause for work done. Never half do anything. Give everything your maximum attention while deciding to reach the top of your game. Take advantage of all the tools and skills and people available. Focus on the end rather than the beginning. Anyone who has accomplished things in life understands that 90 percent of the rewards in life come on the back end, not the front end. Meaning, a great sense of personal satisfaction comes from completing a job and doing it well. And of course the monetary rewards also come from finishing. People who never finish anything never experience these rewards. By doing so, you prepare yourself for bigger opportunities than  anyone else around you. Remember, it's a win-win situation. Always.

I hope this boosts your energy to strive for more rewards. Share your thoughts on the topic. How have you achieved results in your life? What challenges have you faced while pursuing for results? Which level of achiever are you? Let's get interactive.

Justica Anima
Adjeianima@gmail.com
Switstica.blogspot.com