Bulls n Bears Entrepreneurship Zone :: The journey so far: Constance Swaniker, CEO, Accents & Art

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Constance Swaniker is the founder and the CEO of Accents & Art, a Ghanaian
company that produces high-end artistic products using a combination of
exotic woods, wrought iron, cane and glass for furnishing and construction.
The company also runs the Art & Design Institute.


1. Tell us about one of the toughest situations you’ve found yourself in as
a business owner.


The toughest situation I’ve found myself in as a business owner in the past
20 years had to do with walking off a job. Walking off a job, to a great
extent, affects the survival of the business in terms of enhancing cash
flow.

Even though, at times, the job is something the business really needs; I am
also aware of the fact that, at the end of the day, it can damage the
business more than just looking at the figures of the contract at hand. This
means considering a lot of factors, like corporate governance and cash flow
systems.

Building a powerful brand over the years and putting systems in place to
check corporate governance and cash flow issues gave me leverage to overcome
situations of this nature, and [allowed me to] bid for larger contracts,
which was worth waiting for.


2. Which business achievement are you most proud of?


One of the achievements I am most proud of had to do with the birth of the
Design & Technology Institute in 2016. The Design & Technology Institute was
established as a result of the success chalked in the construction and
creative industry by its parent company, Accents & Art.

The vision of [the institute] is to transform youth technical vocational
education training across West Africa, graduating [more than] 20,000
students annually in the near future. The objective of the institute is to
bridge the gap between the school curriculum and the industry.

The opportunity to leave a legacy makes this project an exciting one.


3. Describe your greatest weakness as an entrepreneur.


One of my greatest weakness is self-doubt. There have been moments in my
entrepreneurial journey where I felt I didn’t have the strength to continue.
Sometimes the huge task ahead and external factors beyond my control – like
economic fluctuations, currency depreciation, HR issues – all contribute to
my self-doubt.

Putting systems in place, and the need to show courage as the leader,
prevented this from negatively impacting the company.


4. Which popular entrepreneurial advice do you disagree with?


I disagree with the conventional business wisdom of the customer always
being right. I feel the customer can’t always be right. As a fabricator and
designer our mandate is to guide and walk our clients through the design
process. As such, when we have difficult clients who may not necessarily
understand the process, we walk them through to find solutions
collaboratively to suit their demands.


5. Is there anything you wish you knew about entrepreneurship before you
got started?


I wish I knew entrepreneurship was a tough journey. The entrepreneurship
journey is not for the faint-hearted. One must possess enough passion to
last a lifetime if they are to sail through the many trials which will come
along the journey.


6. Name a business opportunity you would still like to pursue.


One untapped business opportunity, or profit-making idea, is youth
education in Africa. The opportunity to provide young Africans with hands-on
skills training to enable [them] to set up on their own or gain meaningful
employment.--Howwemadeitinafrica



Constance Swaniker

 

 

 

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