#InspirationalChat with Founder and CEO of GUBA Enterprise, Entrepreneur, Nurse and Philanthropist, Dentaa Amoateng. #BeInspired!
Akosua
Dentaa Amoateng MBE, a Ghanaian, comes across as a very distinguished
personality, for unlike most Jacks-of-all-trades, she really is a master of
most. She describes herself largely as an actress, entrepreneur, presenter,
advocate, trained nurse, and musician, mother and also she is the founder and
CEO of the following social enterprises: GUBA Careers fair, GUBA Awards, GUBA
Expo and GUBA Foundation.
During
a chat with Dentaa, she shared her story on how she broke into her Tv career,
singing and producing as well as how she started GUBA enterprise, an NGO
company.
Read
and enjoy!!
DB:
Welcome to Inspiration Chat
Dentaa: Thank you
DB: First of all a lot of us know Dentaa from
afar. Let’s get to know you. Who is Dentaa?
Dentaa: I am a wife, mother of four and the founder
of GUBA Enterprise. Born in Juaso Ashanti region, I moved to the United Kingdom
with my family at the tender age of five. I consider myself to be a resilient
individual, I believe that whatever your mind can conceive, you need to work at
making it happen.
DB: Kindly tell us about your education,
family and how life has been for you.
Dentaa: My educational journey started at the
Walthamstow School for Girls where I studied Media and Performing Arts. I
subsequently attended Leyton Sixth Form College where I undertook a course in
Sociology. This was followed by a Paediatric Nursing Degree which I obtained at
the Buckinghamshire University.
Life has been a wonderful journey and with the
support of my family and team, I know there are greater days ahead.
DB: You are the founder of the GUBA Enterprise
which has inarguably become a brand to reckon with. How did it all start and
what’s the motivation behind it?
Dentaa: I started GUBA Enterprise in 2009 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
Since its inception, GUBA has grown to
accommodate various brands and now known as GUBA Enterprise - an umbrella
organisation which holds the GUBA Expo, GUBA Foundation, GUBA Careers Fair,
GUBA Diaspora Card and GUBA Tours.
It fills me with joy that the GUBA brand is
now a platform for Diaspora mobilization and activities
DB: What challenges have you had to
overcome regarding GUBA?
Dentaa:
As a non-profit, there is always a challenge with the acquisition of funding.
Each year however, we find various solutions to this challenge.
DB: You appeared in major British TV
shows including EastEnders and Holby City before moving into presenting,
hosting television programmes on British and Ghanaian TV including The Dentaa
Show and reality TV music competition Mentor IV, how did it all happen?
Dentaa: From a young age, I dreamt of becoming an
actress. So when the opportunity came to audition for Eastenders and Holby
City, I did my best to make it. With the Dentaa Show, I loved hearing from
entrepreneurs and people who had succeeded at life. I therefore, wanted to
create a platform for them to share their stories and inspire others.
DB:
In 2011, you were named in The Future
100 Awards as a Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year for your work with GUBA,
how did feel about it?
Dentaa: The Future 100 Awards was one of the first
awards I received and because of that, it fills me with so much joy.
DB: You were awarded an MBE in Her
Majesty The Queen; Elizabeth II’s 2016 Birthday Honors, a year later in 2017
you received the Ghana Peace Awards Humanitarian Service Laureate in Ghana. What
brought about these achievements?
Dentaa: My work through GUBA has brought about unity
and progress within the African Diasporan community. Through GUBA Expo, we have
given small and medium businesses the chance to showcase their products and
services and break into the international market. The other brands have also
been beacons of progress within the community. It is the impact generated from
these initiatives that led to the Queen’s Honour of an MBE and the Humanitarian
Service Laureate.
DB: What’s your strategy to being so
involved and successful in diverse multi projects?
Dentaa: Delegation. It is absolutely imperative to
know the tasks that require delegating.
I have a multi-skilled team therefore; knowing the best people for each
task has made things a bit easier.
DB: Did you see yourself achieving
what you have achieved so far?
Dentaa: I have always had big dreams but even I
couldn’t have imagined that I would come this far. It is truly a blessing by
God and I pray for more elevation.
DB: How would you advise women out
there who want to venture into business or any dreams they may have?
Dentaa: 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.
DB: Do you think that entrepreneurs in
Ghana are given the relevant support by the government to remain in business in
this Covid 19 pandemic situation?
Dentaa: This pandemic is new to all and no government
was prepared for it. With that being said, I think the government are currently
doing all they can to help all the various sectors. In due time, adequate
support will be given to businesses and other affected industries.
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