We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amelia Quaye. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amelia below.

Alright, Amelia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

This is an interesting question, but for my answer to make sense, I’ll share some backstory:

In my earlier twenties, I found my passion in entrepreneurship but at the time I had a full time job as a teacher and no business plan, much less a viable idea. For years I mulled over different business ideas, started and stopped endeavors, and was honestly quite frustrated and feeling lost about the fact that things weren’t working out. Time was quickly passing me by, friends were starting to excel in their careers, and I felt that all my potential was going to waste. I started to doubt my ability to succeed.

Fast forward through two years of real estate experience, an international relocation, the launch of a travel business, and a year at a miserable retail job… I found myself furloughed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was scared and anxious, but for the first time in the past five years, I’d found myself with the one most precious resources: time. I used that time to invest into my idea for an African skincare brand.

I launched my business, and it took off beyond my imagination. Things were really great! But about two years later, the economy was shifting and I found business slowing down. Around that time, I was also pregnant for the first time. My life was changing, and so did my priorities. I made the tough decision to go back to work, feeling like a failure as an entrepreneur, and that I was giving up on myself. But I was also burnt out and needed to provide for my new child.

In the year following, I dealt with several other challenging personal life events that pushed me further away from running my business. The responsibility of it felt so overwhelming that I even considered closing down. By this time, I was fully depressed and I dealt with that for about another year: feeling numb, working my job, and feeling like I’d failed as an entrepreneur.

Then I went on a trip to Ghana, my homeland, where I was grounded and reminded of why I initially stated my business. I recommitted to my business and self, and for the first time in a couple of years I felt alive again. I realized that in all this time that I had returned to work and stepped back from my business, I had backed away from the very thing that I’d felt most passionate about. I thought, “No wonder I’ve been so numb and unhappy – I’m not doing the very thing that I love.”

So I say all this to say…. Yes, I’m happier! Life is challenging, and entrepreneurship is no different. However, if you’ve found your passion in creating and leading business, then it will be worth the challenges that come along with it. I know that I am personally much more happy when I’m fulfilling my purpose.

And that’s not to say that you can’t work the job (sometimes we have to), but just make sure you’re also working your passion.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Aforkor Quaye, but my friends call me Amelia. I am a Ghanaian American from Atlanta, GA. I studied biology at Spelman because at that time I was planning to go to dental school, but after studying abroad during college, I realized that I wanted to pursue a different path. After college, I decided to move to Dubai for a few years where I became intent to pursue entrepreneurship. I felt passionately about creating a lane for myself that blended, my interests into a career and a lifestyle.

The idea for my skin care brand was something that I had been inspired to do because of a personal need. In my mid 20s, I was starting to become more interested in skin care and with my science background, I was pretty thorough in my research. However, I realized there wasn’t much (if any) representation of authentic Africans skincare in western market or scientific research libraries. It bothered me that there was no space for “us.” I wanted to create a full skincare line that addressed the concerns of black women while using the authentic African ingredients that have been a part of traditions for centuries.

I’m very proud to create a brand that not only represents black women, but authentically represents the heritage and the history of our past. I’m also really proud of the community we’ve begun to build together. I want everyone to know that AFOKOSKIN is truly a self-care brand, meaning the very essence of the brand revolves around loving and caring for self, and that is more than skin-deep. We represent self-care for black women that looks like: showing yourself grace, allowing yourself to take up space, showing up as your authentic self.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Absolutely! I got to a place where my challenges in my personal life were preventing me from running my business. The responsibilities of running the business were overwhelming, so much so that I wondered if I would have to give it all up.

At this time, I’d had about 7 hand-made skincare products, all with their own unique ingredients, containers, and packaging. As you could imagine, keeping inventory as well as completing administrative tasks for this product list was a lot, especially for a new mom with a full-time job. I couldn’t take time away from my child or employer, so I felt as if my business was inevitably on the chopping block.

Until pivot.

Speaking with one of my very intelligent friends, and venting about all my issues… he said, “You’re trying to do too much, pick something to focus on.” And I realized he was right. Looking at the numbers, I’d made 80% of sales from about 3 products and the time that I was having to split across the other 4 products was not worth the return on investment. If I got rid of these products, then I’d not only reduce my overhead costs, but I’d also reduce the workload to a much more manageable and sustainable amount for me to manage.

This pivot relieved me of my burnout, and allowed the business to continue running. It also allowed us to focus on doing on thing really well, instead of several “ok” things. This was a success for AFOKOSKIN.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I owe a lot to social media for the successful launch of my business. In the first year, I was able to maintain consistent growth on Instagram through follower giveaways, sharing behind the scenes, and engaging with customers in polls, quizzes, posts, etc.

Social media algorithms are always changing, but given the climate of the economy and how customers spend, I think it’s imperative to build a presence for your brand’s community on at least one social media platform.

My best advice? Stay authentic (and make sure that you communicate who you are). When you’re showing up consistently as your authentic self, then your community will eventually find you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.afokoskin.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/afokoskin

Image Credits
EbenGrahl Photo