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An Interview with Cassandra Gyamfi of Northern Ashanti

Northern Ashanti is a brand merging West African Fashion with the North American lifestyle by showcasing cultural pride all year around and changing the way we interpret fashion featuring winter accessories inspired by Ghanaian traditional Kente cloth with much more to come. Created by Fashion Business Management Graduate Cassandra Gyamfi, Gyamfi realized the majority of Canada's and the Northern States in America colder climate did not agree well with traditional cotton
Kente but still wanted a way to showcase cultural pride during the winter months,as a result Northern
Ashanti was born and is only going to grow over time!


What was your motivation for starting your own business?


I had a number of motivations to start Northern Ashanti

1. I was going to countless interviews for my field of study ( I graduated from a Fashion
Business Management Program in Toronto) and was always getting great feedback but
not the position. Time and time again I was applying for jobs that I was perfectly
quantified and over qualified for try different interview star gates and techniques and still
always got that “close but no cigar outcome”.

2. I couldn't stand that I had to limit my creativity to rules and regulations of large corporate
environments. Also jobs that require a large amount of creativity you need 5+ years of
work experience.

3. Having to work your life around your superiors convenience. Example even if you feel
overworked and your body physically needs a break your superior has could question
your exhaustion and hold you back from getting time off.

4. Finally the driving point was after getting laid off from my first corporate job out of college
and that was the same week I started an accelerated entrepreneur course. I felt like
God was presenting Northern Ashanti to me loud and clear and there was absolutely no
way I could ignore it.
  


Walk me through some of the first few steps you took to get to where you are today? 
 
 A few things I had to do to to get Northern Ashanti rolling were

-Firstly, I had to decide on my merchandise, what I would actually sell. Would I jump right into
apparel or start off with accessories. How many styles I would have. Then I used Computer
Aided Design programs (CAD) like Adobe Illustrator and I design to create digital and print
copies if my designs.

-Next, was deciding on how much inventory I would carry and research manufacturers that
would work with me. Since Northern Ashanti is a first time small business I started off with low
quantities and it is a bit difficult to find manufacturers that will work with such low minimums but
being persistent is key and if you keep searching you will definitely find what you are looking for.

Then I worked with my manufacturer to create samples and tweak any flaws and perfect designs
before product go into mass production



What has been your biggest challenge so far?


The biggest challenge I’ve had so far is working with manufacturers that keep their word. I was
working with a manufacturer that I meet with in person spoke about what I would like to do with
Northern Ashanti they said they could provide and after that trying to follow up with them was a
nightmare. I was hunting them down for weeks and was watching valuable time pass me by.
Lesson learned from that situation: if one company won’t provide there is more than likely
another that will exceed your expectations so don’t bother wasting time.

Another challenge are virtual windows shoppers lol. Thanks to social media insight
I am able to keep track of my social media audience and what they like to see on my platforms
and what they don’t. It's frustrating when you get a ton of support on social media but at times it
doesn't translate into sales, but I am more than ready to accept that challenge because
essentially comes with the business !


How did you overcome this challenge?
 

How I overcome any obstacles business related is one golden rule: BEING PERSISTENT​. If
you don't try you are guaranteed no outcome, however if you do try there is a possibility one
person will like what you are doing and it could spread like wildfire!






If a young person walked up asking your advice and only had a few minutes, what would be your best advice?
 


If a fellow young person asked for my advice (I’m only 24 lol) I would let them know if you truly
thought through your business whatever it maybe and you feel you could fill a void in whatever
industry you’re looking to enter go ahead and do the best you can. You may run into people who
doubt you or give you negative feedback, use that as a way to improve don’t let that keep you
down. At times we may get down but we cannot stay down!
To learn more about Northern Ashanti and where to purchase it, be sure to check them out using the links below:
Photo credits: @Myva_photography
@bernardoralph
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