Young Entrepreneur of the Week: GUBA ENTERPRISE
GUBA ENTERPRISE
SHOWCASING AND AWARDING EXCELLENCE
Welcome, to another exciting edition of YEW Global blog as we celebrate the month of love, excellence and black history. This week's young entrepreneur has been described by many as the 'She boss' of Ghanaian enterprises. Her passion and dedication for Ghana as a country have resulted in the establishment of an empire and one of the most prestigious annual award ceremonies for Ghanaians based in the UK. Without any doubts, I can openly state that her various contributions to our communities set her apart as an exceptional woman and a leader in her own league.
Dentaa Amoateng MBE is the founder of the GUBA Enterprise which consists of GUBA Awards, GUBA Expo, GUBA Careers and GUBA Foundation. The GUBA Awards is a non-profit organisation that focuses on enriching the African community in the UK with the aim of empowerment and growth. It is an annual event dedicated to highlighting and rewarding outstanding achievers.
The GUBA Expo is a platform for Small and Medium Businesses to exhibit their products/services whilst engaging with industry personnel on business growth strategies.
The GUBA Careers addresses the gap between those in the diaspora and those who reside in Ghana. This organisation sees to provide a platform and a bridge for recruiters to interact and meet potential candidates. This year the organisation has a range of opportunities in several fields including; Business, Politics, Law, Marketing, Technology, Construction, Education, HR and Radio.
GUBA Careers stands as a prime opportunity for investors to locate business opportunities in Ghana through interaction with local businesses present by identifying overseas strategic partnership. The GUBA Foundation is a charity set up to tackle health issues within the Afro-Caribbean community in the UK. The ethos of the GUBA brand is to uplift and encourage personal and collective growth.
Prior to the GUBA awards, Dentaa was involved in a number of personal projects such as ‘The Dentaa Show’ which was first introduced to the viewing public in 2006. The Dentaa Show was an entertainment program filled with exclusive interviews with celebrities in Ghana and the UK. Mrs Amoateng is also a Paediatric Nurse by profession, family orientated with a loving husband and four wonderful children.
In 2016, Dentaa Amoateng was honoured by Her Majesty The Queen as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE). A year later, she received the Ghana Peace Awards Humanitarian Service Laureate in Accra, Ghana and was included on the list of the 100 Most Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs in Ghana for her work with GUBA by The African Network of Entrepreneurs.
Dentaa is an advocate for the Ghanaian community in the U.K. With her various achievements astonishing methods of creating bridges between the African and Western cultures as a social entrepreneur, she has become a source of inspiration for both young men and women around the world.
INTERVIEW
1. What is your name? - Dentaa Amoateng MBE
2. Where are you from? - Juaso, Ashanti Region, Ghana
3. What is the name of your company? - GUBA Enterprise
4. Where is the company located? - London, United Kingdom
5. When was the company established? - In October 2010
6. How did you get the idea? - I started the GUBA Enterprise because I felt that there was a need to acknowledge achievers within our community. My inspiration came from seeing a large number of Ghanaians in this country doing exceptionally well. These great Ghanaians served as role models for the youth and that inspired me to use GUBA as a platform to acknowledge these wonderful people and upcoming ones. The aim of the GUBA Enterprise is to bring about collective growth within the African community in the UK.
7. Was it something you've always wanted to do? - I have always been passionate about Ghana. I felt it was my part as a citizen to help in any way that I can. Thus, getting the idea felt like the perfect opportunity to play a part in helping my country.
8. What has been the ups and downs while establishing the company or after establishing it? - The biggest challenge we face each year for the GUBA awards is the acquisition of sponsorships. GUBA awards is a not-for-profit organisation and thus, relies on the sponsorships to get it running. Being selective of our sponsors and ensuring that they understand our cause is one of the many ways we tackle this issue.
The upside of our enterprise is always seeing the impact it has on the recipients. Seeing Ghanaian businesses thriving through the expo, trailblazers getting their due acknowledgement through the awards and the foundation being able to help the underprivileged is always a blessing.
9. Where do you see this company in 5 years time? - Within 5 years, I see the GUBA Enterprise brand being more global and incorporating the participation of more African countries. Through the expo, we aim to have established countless Made in Ghana products and services within the UK and aid the fulfilment of career goals through our GUBA Careers. The aim for the GUBA Enterprise is to be known as the source for the mobilisation of the African community.
10. Is your business a full-time self-employed occupation or a part-time occupation? - My business is a full-time not-for-profit organisation.
11. What advice would you give to anyone trying to emerge in the same business? - Business is like any journey or difficulty in life – it seems impossible until it is done. My advice will be:
• Persistence - regardless of the hurdles.
• Thorough planning and research is essential as it helps to eliminate possible setbacks
• Delegation – knowing which tasks to take on and which to share with your team
I believe all these coupled with passion and hard work will help to achieve the desired results
12. Do you have any social media platforms for the company? - Yes. We are on Facebook and Instagram as @GUBAAwards and Twitter @GUBAAwardsUK.