Happy Sunday! I know you want me to gist you on the International Fabulous Women’s Conference. I promise to share soon. For now, let me introduce you to a fabulous client of mine called Maame Baffo – a Virtual Administrative Professional.
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Ama Duncan (AD): Thank you so much Maame for making time to join me all the way from the Netherlands. It’s always nice to have you like this.
Maame Baffo (MB): Thank you Ama for having me, I am always glad to be here.
AD: Let me start by saying you have really impressed me over the 18 or so months we’ve been working together. First, I love your spirit and the way you ginger everyone in our mastermind group to keep moving. And then the flexibility with which you pivoted from being a Travel Consultant to a Virtual Assistant during the COVID-19 was admirable. Let’s start today’s conversation, by sharing some secrets to your swiftness.
MB: First of all I am connected to powerful women like Ama Duncan and her community. And getting to know you has changed my life positively.
AD: To God be the glory!
MB: Secondly, as an individual growing up, I have set 5 pillars that guide my life and bring my attention to my journey. These give me great perspective.
1. Choices
2. Growth plan
3. Journey
4. Faith
5. Impact
This is one of the driving forces in all that I do.
Let me share a story about my life which also gives me a lot of perspective. I was born in a family of 8 (2 parents and 6 children). When I was young my mom told me that right before I was born, they lost 2 children. As a child, I saw that my mother was pregnant again and then gave birth to another boy whom she also lost. In total my parents have lost 3 children. Many times I reflect on this, the reason we lost these siblings was because they had sickle cell anemia. I am the only one in the family without a trace of the sickle cell. So I always ask myself, why has my life been spared this way? I see my life as a gift from God and I do not take that for granted. I see that God sent me here for a purpose and I embrace it. So whatever I do, I do it with significance so that I can always be on point. This is the reason why I was able to pivot from being a travel consultant when the pandemic came to becoming a virtual assistant.
AD: Powerful story! Kudos and thank you for sharing. Yes, your life indeed is a gift and that fire in you is definitely meant to impact a lot of people. I see that in the work you are doing especially as a virtual assistant to many fabulous women some of whom I know. Let’s talk about pivoting; you know the pandemic just came and took us by storm and by God’s grace we are sailing through. I wonder if you can share with us some tips or advice based on your own experience of pivoting, something to help us adjust better in our businesses.
MB: Absolutely. I believe that God gives us ideas to do things. When there is the need to pivot (and in most of the times in our entrepreneurial journey we need to pivot), we need to change course a little bit. Mainly you have to use what is in your hands already. I started with travel because I studied culture and tourism at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. During that time, I had the opportunity to travel a lot and realized that I loved to travel. It gave me an open mind to experience different cultures and learn. When I relocated to the Netherlands, I realized that many people were interested in my culture, the way I carried myself, dressed, wore my hair, etc. When I talked about my country in class, they said one day they would want to go with me to Ghana. I think there is a gap here. I have traveled to different parts of Africa, Europe, America, etc and this time if I have the opportunity to sell Africa and my rich culture to the world, why not? Also, I know tourism, that is what I have in my hands so I use it. When the pandemic came I knew that I needed to pivot. What else did I have in my hand? I studied organizational management on the masters level. I learnt a lot of marketing skills and had the opportunity to intern in a marketing organization. I realized that many entrepreneurs have brilliant ideas but don’t know how to market their products and services especially in the online world. So I pivoted to a Virtual Assistant using my skills to serve a lot of organizations, coaches , authors, etc. By the grace of God, they have been able to sell and market their products and services to their desired target market. Somebody like you Ama, does not have the time to concentrate on email marketing. You are a coach, concentrate on that and leave marketing to me and then we will work together as a team and the company will expand.
AD: Absolutely. You know in the beginning of a business you think, ‘I can do it all’? The reality is that, as you progress you will need a lot of help. That is where we have people like you supporting us so we can focus on what it is that we do. Now, tell us more about VA Baffo; what exactly are you doing to support entrepreneurs?
MB: We specialize in online marketing. We set up the email marketing system including gathering e-mails and helping our clients market to them. We also do social media marketing and graphic designing for some clients. Further, we offer administrative support so if you need help for instance to send out e-mails, engage with clients, set up different software, etc we can help. Further, we offer creative marketing ideas through brainstorming so you can tap into our brains when it comes to marketing. We work with the budget of our client.
AD: Fantastic! In a nutshell, you save people time! Keep up the great work. I am praying for more resources and health for you as you support entrepreneurs to make an impact which is one of your key pillars as well . Now, please complete the following sentences:
If I could advise my younger self in one short sentence I would say… embrace the grace that you were born with and run with it. Use it to your advantage.
I am fabulous because… I serve with significance and I can positively make an impact.
One book that has really helped me in the business is… “Redefining wealth for yourself by Patricia Washington” I keep doing what she says. Last Saturday for instance, I decluttered my kitchen and realized I had expired products that were just sitting there! Can you imagine? I have started decluttering and it has given me so much peace in my kitchen. Thank you Ama for giving us these books and then helping us to go through the books together. It’s really changing our lives.
AD: Amen, Amen, to God be the glory. Before you go Maame, please tell us what is exciting in your business right now and how we can be part of it.
MB: I have realized that many entrepreneurs need a client database with phone numbers, email addresses, etc. I want to equip entrepreneurs to have their client database and market to them with a cool offer. Here is the link to find out more https://bit.ly/OFFER-EmailMarketing
AD: Thank you so much Maame for making time to talk to me today. I wish you the very best in your business and in everything that you are doing. God is with you because you are doing His work and it’s amazing. Thank you.
MB: Thank you so much Ama and I recommend you as a coach. Connecting with Ama as a coach has changed my life positively. I am growing in my business and achieving more. Women in business, get on board her mastermind and it would change your business towards the right direction.
AD: Aww my pleasure
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Well, I hope you gleaned a thing or two from this interview with Maame. If you are reading this and you know that you need Maame in your life, don’t hesitate. Take it from someone who has spent many sleepless nights trying to figure out how to come up with my customers database and all these things. My goodness just get the help you need, trust me you are worth that investment. You will see how much you will enjoy your peace of mind. Check out her offer https://bit.ly/OFFER-EmailMarketing and grab it fast.
Oh and by the way, I wish you a belated Happy International Women’s Day and a fabulous new week.
Ama xx
PS: Through coaching, training and consulting, I have helped over 100 women to start and grow their businesses. I am happy to help you as well, let’s start with a 30-minute Discovery Call. You can call/WhatsApp +233 246 25 2330 or book here https://paystack.com/buy/discovery-call-with-ama-duncan
About Maame Baffo
Maame is the visionary behind VABaffo Virtual Administrative Services. They ensure that organizations/entrepreneurs thrive online by making their products and services visible to their desired target market.
They provide marketing services that drive sales, through
1. Email marketing
2. Social media marketing
3. Graphic designing
4. Administrative support
5. Creative Marketing ideas through brainstorming with clients6. And helping authors to self-publish their books on Amazon, design book covers, and market new books. Check out her latest offer for entrepreneurs here https://bit.ly/OFFER-EmailMarketing
