Lovina Akowuah speaks on her life and new book

#TheAfricanDream has a question(Q) and answer(A) session with Lovina of 5Linx about her life, new book and future intentions. Find the details of our Q&A below (and enjoy the attached video of it as well).

By Oral Ofori

*Q: Since Ghana is your birth country, give us a short history of your life there and why you left*

*A*: I grew up in Tema where my father worked for VALCO (Volta Aluminum Company) a Kaiser subsidiary. I was blessed to have such a wonderful childhood in which I did my elementary education at Tema Parents Association which in my view is the best school in Tema. I continued to Mfantsiman Girls for my high school education. After my high school education I worked for the government of Ghana for a year as a Kindergarten Teacher as part of requirement for anyone who intended to attend an institution of higher education.

While I grew up as a young girl, my father always drummed in me the saying ‘the sky is the limit’. With that at the back of my mind I wanted to explore the possibilities of life. Thanks to my family I pursued my undergraduate education at the University of East London in the United Kingdom where I completed a degree in Business Administration which served as a strong foundation for my life journey.

*Q: We know you're an entrepreneur associated with 5Linx, tell us a bit about that as well*

*A:* Although I was blessed to have a fairly good corporate job, I always felt it was not my place and that I needed more; I was thus searching for something to make me fulfilled. So I dabbled with entrepreneurship about 6 years ago and started a small scale bakery business. I concluded a year later that it was not a viable business option as expenses where high. Four years ago therefore I got introduced to 5Linx, a company which presented me with a business module that was new to me. It involved a direct approach of marketing products and services by word of mouth and leverage.

Statistics have indicated that this model made more millionaires than any other industry combined and the model seemed to have worked very well for several. 5Linx products and services are marketed nationwide and we are expanding globally in 2014. Our products range from telecommunication services such as VOIP (Voice over Internet protocol) which is predicted to be number 1 over the next decade. We sell energy products like gas, electricity and heating oil that also forms part of a 500 billion dollar industry and is the third largest industry in the United States. We are also involved in text marketing and healthcare.

Anyway after 2 years of commitment, dedication and hard work, I was blessed to reach one of the top earned positions in this company as a Senior Vice President and it has been an absolute blessing for me because from this point, the possibilities are unlimited.

*Q: How has the association with 5Linx influenced your life*

*A: *My association with 5Linx exposed the true meaning of entrepreneurship to me. As I shared earlier, I had ventured into entrepreneurship on my own when I started my small scale bakery business at home, that however became a lost dream because I couldn't find ways of making it profitable. My association with 5linx firstly allowed me to start a potential multi-billion dollar business with a very small investment and has since proved to be well worth the investment because of the financial return I receive. It also opened the doors to residual income which has today become my favorite type of income. Lastly it has provided me with personal growth and development I would otherwise not have received had I remained as an employee. So yes this association has been worth it.

*Q: Speaking about your life, I hear you have written your very first book, what is it called and what is it about*

*A:* My book is titled Unleash your Greatness which is actually going to be a trilogy with book one currently out there and called *The Journey: Catalyst to Change*. This is a Motivational and Personal development book.

Book one focuses on taking the reader through a journey to help them reflect on their life and identify what fulfills them and what will eventually become the catalyst for change in it. It seeks to share the steps that are needed to develop people as successful entrepreneurs by teaching them guided principles that will help them prepare for any journey they are undertaking.

It will also show you how I apply these principles in my daily struggles.

The objective of this book is to help as many as possible to unleash their greatness and to live a fulfilled life. A lot of people today have dreams that have unfortunately but paused due to exigencies of modern living. Unleash Your Greatness is meant to guide and move an individual to action.

*Q: What really inspired the writing of this book*

*A:* I started writing this book 2 years ago out of frustration and anger and disappointments. I went through a lot of rejection, adversities, distractions and failures during my journey as an entrepreneur and as I was thinking about how brutal this experience was for me, I wondered if everyone who climbs the success ladder experience such brutality, I wondered if people knew of these experiences. I therefore felt the need to share my story to help others avoid some of the pitfalls and mistakes I encountered on my own journey to become better.

So that is what inspired me to write this trilogy, I believe success is a journey and is not one to be expected to happen overnight and most people need to understand that, they need to be enlightened and they need to have a very strong mindset to fight for their dreams and not give up so easily in life. If more stories are shared then the person who is just beginning their journey will have some of the tools and ammunition needed to attack their goals and fears as this will help make more dreams realities.

*Q: Are there plans to also make this book available in your home country Ghana sometime*

*A:* Yes. My firm is presently conducting research into how to effectively market the books in Ghana so very soon it will be readily available there too.

*Q: Since you are working on your dreams, what do you say to people and especially fellow women out there who have dreams but are struggling to achieve them*

*A:* Let me share where Lovina has come from. As a young girl from Ghana, my life was not built on a silver platter. I had to work hard for everything that I have accomplished today. Firstly the society surrounding me in Ghana at the time did not encourage the average African girl to become ambitious. It was enough for you to just finish your high school education. My struggles started with my high school education. I did not make good grades for my first Ordinary Level examination. When all my friends went back to school to complete the last two years of high school I had to re-take my exam by enrolling in a private institution. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I learnt from that failure and was determined to take charge and push forward. When I went to London, I was so determined not to repeat failure in my life so I worked hard and I was blessed to complete my undergraduate degree with a second class upper which was just one step below first class. This success taught me that you can do all things when you put your mind to it. Once I discovered that, I felt limitless.

As women, we have a lot of challenges, we struggle with responsibilities as a mother, as a wife and quite frankly as a woman—period—and sometimes some cultures frown on women becoming successful. Whichever direction you choose to go, one way or the other someone is going to be hurt or ignored, but what will you say to yourself 40 years down the line when you are asked, what did you achieve in life, would you say you were an average person, I spent my life becoming an exceptional wife or I lived out my dreams to the fullest? Everyone woman has the strength to do more. That’s why God gave us the responsibilities to birth a child and to be the peacemakers and more. Every woman has a greatness in them that is waiting to be unleashed and to every woman out there I say: you have dreams and have desires you can achieve and you just need to put your mind towards going for it. The people around you who you are afraid to hurt will eventually catch on to your vision and end up supporting you.

*Q: The future is unknown, I can tell you are planning for it though, what do you hope to achieve through this book and with life in the long term*

*A*: This is just the beginning of many things I hope to accomplish in life. I am so passionate about helping people. I always loved pouring out into people and imparting my knowledge. It gives me such a great sense of fulfillment. That is exactly what attracted me to embrace the direct marketing business module, because it positions you to help people and by default get blessed also. So this Book is a teaching book and a guidance for many out there who are struggling to tap deep into themselves to draw out what fulfills them. I want to help free people from settling in life and living for others by ultimately creating awareness. If a young girl from the continent of Africa with limited resources and opportunities can do it then anyone can do it too.

Oral Oforiof #TheAfricanDream