A Ghanaian nurse and entrepreneur, Nana Akua, has recounted how she navigated the challenges of managing a hair salon in Atlanta, United States, alongside caring for her ailing mother and her career as a health worker.

She explained that conditions became tough, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She cited customer retention and staff loyalty, among other issues, as major hurdles she had to overcome while trying to establish a hair salon, besides her career as a nurse.

Speaking on GhanaWeb TV’s Diaspora Connect, Nana Akua said the pandemic was one of the biggest setbacks to her entrepreneurial journey.

“My biggest setback was during COVID. You know, during COVID, we had to close down the business for about three to four weeks. So, during that time, I lost some clients,” she told the host, Mr David Antwi.

Despite the challenges, she has continued to operate the business while balancing her nursing career, with support from her aunt, who manages the salon in her absence.

“I’m still doing nursing full time and, as a matter of fact, my aunty is the one managing my hair salon,” she said.

Nana Akua also disclosed that managing workers has been another challenge, particularly when some staff allegedly attempt to lure her customers to their personal businesses.

She explained that she had to dismiss several braiders over concerns that they were obtaining customers’ phone numbers under the pretext of receiving tips and later contacting them to offer home-based braiding services.

“I had to get rid of a lot of braiders because some of them would steal your client,” she said.

However, she noted that some workers had demonstrated loyalty by encouraging customers to give tips to the salon owner rather than keeping the money for themselves.

According to Nana Akua, the experiences have taught her patience and the importance of being careful when recruiting and managing employees.

Beyond staffing difficulties, she stressed that discipline and a strong customer base were essential for anyone seeking to establish a business in the United States.

She cautioned aspiring entrepreneurs against relying solely on encouragement from friends and acquaintances, explaining that people who support the idea of a business may not necessarily become paying customers.

“It requires discipline; you have to make sure you have a good clientele base. Sometimes those who will encourage you to go into that business may not even patronise your service,” she said.

Nana Akua further advised Ghanaians with vocational skills who intend to establish businesses in America to take time management seriously, noting that punctuality and discipline are highly valued in the country.

“I will advise anyone who has a skill and would want to establish a business in America that they should be disciplined because, in America, they don't joke with their time,” she said.

Her experience highlights some of the challenges Ghanaian entrepreneurs may encounter while building businesses abroad, including retaining customers, managing employees, and balancing business operations with other professional responsibilities.



NA/VPO