Success is not a straight journey moving from Point A to Point Z; there are several bumps along the road and the journey could zigzag, go in circles and move in odd directions but by keeping your eyes on the prize and looking ahead, you will make it. It is just a matter of time. ‘Our Story, Your Story’ is just as the name says it is. From this platform we tell stories of the entrepreneurial journeys of Small and Medium scale Enterprises sharing how like Stratcomm Africa, SMEs are making a difference and building their brands.

Through this and other activities we work with SMEs to explore innovative ways of employing communications to grow their brands to raise the bottom line.

When Stratcomm Africa began ‘Our story Your Story” four years ago, it was to commemorate our 20th anniversary and we focused on some of Ghana’s most successful entrepreneurs. May 13 2018 marked 24 years of the establishment of Stratcomm Africa. As we look ahead to celebrating our two and a half decades of existence next year, we focus on stories of SMEs and social enterprises as we also explore with them innovative approaches for employing communications as a tool for growing their brands.

This blog is designed to be interactive, educative and fun.
We start with Nature’s Own Smoothie Bar by Afia Berfi
Afia Berfi is the owner and founder of Nature’s Own Smoothie Bar. Afia describes herself as a go-getter who does not settle for less, she believes there is no limit to what you can do as long as you are determined. Nature’s Own Smoothie Bar was born out of a desire  to stay fit and live a healthy lifestyle. As a gym fanatic with a deep love for healthy eating and being the best version of herself, the ability to create healthy meals and snacks is Afia’s dream job.

From mixing fruits in her house and giving to her friends to taste, the year-old Nature’s Own Smoothie Bar is now a six-staff strong shop in East Legon near Lancaster University providing health enthusiasts with smoothies, sandwiches, wraps and salads. Afia attributes her success to persistence and being focused on what you love while turning that into a viable business. With all the hurdles associated with starting a business in Ghana as a young woman, being resilient and committed will ensure your success.

In her own words, Nature’s Own success as a juice brand and a healthy meal joint has been as a result of social media. Through engaging the online fitness community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the shop was able to drive traffic and patronage to their first shop on the Spintex Road and contributed to their success. Afia says her unique selling point is her attention to the uniqueness of each customer, she said: “We don’t just give anything to you. Here, we try to understand your health status before giving you any of our products, so based on your health goal; we give you the meal that will help you based on your blood group, etc.”

On the biggest lesson for upcoming entrepreneurs, Afia said being patient in the face of challenges is the key to ensure your sustenance. She recollected how in the past she had a skewed expectation of being profitable as soon as she started and was disturbed when she didn’t immediately make any profit when taking into consideration the investment she had made into Nature’s Own. But after talking to other entrepreneurs and gaining more experience, she learnt that profit will come but it just will take some time.

The future that Afia has for Nature’s Own is for the brand to become a franchise in Ghana and beyond focusing on serving customers healthy meal options. Nature’s Own Smoothie Bar echoes Jim Rohn when he said, “take care of your body. It is the only place you have to live.”

LESSON IN COMMUNICATION
Establishing the right business framework for giving expression to your passion and COMMUNICATING it to the right audiences through appropriate CHANNELS makes business sense.
COMMUNICATION MAKES BUSINESS SENSE—- Our Story is your Story

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