Leaving an assured, constant income stream to pursue one’s passion which is riddled with uncertainties can be a frightening and questioning moment in one’s life.
Pursuing one’s dream requires a vicious sense of tenacity, determination, and consistency to make that smooth transition from passion to a profitable business.
This vicious sense of tenacity, determination, and consistency is what made Mrs Gwyneth Gyimah Addo leave her banking job which offered her a consistent flow of monthly income to charter the course of entrepreneurship. She subsequently established a luxury brand in hair known as the Hair Senta.
About Mrs Gwyneth Gyimah Addo
Mrs Gwyneth Gyimah Addo graduated from the University of Ghana, Legon in 2006 with a BA in Philosophy. She further gained an Executive MBA from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). She is the Chief Executive Officer of the luxury hair brand, The Hair Senta which she commenced in 2008.
She began selling 100% human hair extensions on a very small scale from the trunk of her car while working at the bank as an Associate Relationship Manager. She later resigned in 2012 to fully commit to the business as it began to witness growth.
“I used to work with Standard Chartered Bank, I did that for seven years and resigned in 2012 but before that, I had started The Hair Senta on a very small scale by selling in the bank and doing door-to-door sales,” she recalled in an interview.
The Hair Senta has become more than a selling point for human hair with exponential growth. Today, the Hair Senta offers treatment for all hair types and scalp conditions. Gwyneth currently has branches in Accra, Kumasi, a franchise in Koforidua, and wholesalers in Cape Coast, Takoradi, and Tamale. She is also represented internationally by wholesalers in the USA, UK, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, South Africa, Sweden, and Togo.
“We created a brand when we started in 2012 and here we are today. We ship to Germany, Ukraine, etc. We collect hair from all across the world. When you come to The Hair Senta, there is no human hair you cannot find. We have them all, just name it,” she said in an interview.
Entrepreneurial and Business Skills
Gwyneth applied the skills and knowledge she gained from working in the bank and her educational background in entrepreneurship and innovation from the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) to the management of her small business. This transformed her small business into an international luxury hair brand. According to Gwyneth, one key growth to success is the company’s excellent customer service.
“The Hair Senta competes on exceptional customer service, we compete on customer service because we know women need extra care. We do deliveries also. We have branded bikes and as soon as a client calls, we deliver”, she said.
Gwyneth leveraged social media particularly Instagram to build her successful brand. Now, the Hair Senta has over 217,000 active followers on Instagram. Gwyneth has the vision of making Hair Senta the most successful hair company in the world out of Africa. One of the ways she planned to do this was by introducing the prestigious Hair Senta International Beauty Show (HIBS Africa). An annual intercultural beauty show and exhibition that seeks to project local brands in the space of Hair and Beauty all across Africa to the world.
Gwyneth also offers business coaching for existing corporates, struggling, and start-up businesses.
Her Achievements & Awards
Married with two kids, Mrs Gwyneth Gyimah Addo has received several awards for her achievements. She was the recipient of the CEIBS Africa “Organizational Impact Award” in 2016 and the recipient of “Most Promising Female Entrepreneur” by the CEIBS Alumni in 2017. She also won the Sales and Marketing for the 40 under 40 Awards in 2019.
