Episode #489 - Empowering Women Through Craft, with Resilience and Perseverance - with Sheila Ako

In this inspiring episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Sheila Ako Glavee, the founder of Skilled Hands Organisation, a remarkable social enterprise dedicated to empowering women and children through craft workshops. From humble beginnings in Ghana to establishing a recognised organisation in the UK, Sheila shares her journey of resilience, innovation, and community impact.

Sheila recounts how her entrepreneurial path evolved — from publishing a lifestyle magazine in Ghana to creating social enterprises that uplift vulnerable communities. Skilled Hands started with a focus on unemployed women, providing them with valuable craft skills, and has since expanded to children and corporate workshops, generating new revenue streams for long-term sustainability.

We explore Sheila’s experiences navigating the funding landscapes in Ghana and the UK, the critical importance of mastering grant writing, and how she balances sustainability with social impact. Sheila also reflects on the challenges of scaling a charitable enterprise, the role of partnerships, and her aspirations to expand Skilled Hands across the East Midlands and beyond.

Highlights From the Episode

• Empowering through Craft: Skilled Hands has trained over 500 women in the past seven years and continues to grow.
• Entrepreneurial Resilience: From running In Thing Maglog to founding Skilled Hands, Sheila shares how self-reliance and perseverance have shaped her journey.
• Funding Realities: A candid look at the differences between securing funding in Ghana versus the UK, and the critical skills needed to succeed.
• Vision for Growth: Sheila's ambitious plan to create a global network of Skilled Hands hubs and make a lasting societal impact.
• Personal Legacy: Sheila’s passion for leaving a meaningful legacy for her family and future generations.

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For now, continue listening for the full story from Sheila.

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Drawing on BizSmart’s own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, Kevin Brent explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up.

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Sheila can be found here:

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