MP for Kwabre East Constituency, Francisca Oteng-Mensah says the one thing she learnt early in life was the power of perseverance.

Speaking on Personality Profile on Joy FM, the daughter of the CEO of Angel Group of Companies, Dr Kwaku Oteng, said that growing up her family had to endure hardship, especially when her father was just getting his business started.

Her father, Dr Oteng made his mark on the business world in 2001, when he started the Angel Herbal Products Industry, producing herbal cosmetic products, Angel Cream and Angel Soap. The products quickly became recognized across Ghana and internationally. 

However, Miss Oteng-Mensah explained that her family didn't start out wealthy as some think. Rather, growing up, her family was compelled to sacrifice their comfort in order to help make her father's dream a reality.

She revealed that her father decided to quit his carpentry business just when it was taking off and venture into making the Angel products.

"One lesson I picked up was perseverance. My dad was into carpentry, he had started something which was doing very well and then all of a sudden he is like I don't have the passion for it I want to start something fresh."

"For him to have made that decision and go into the herbal business it was challenging for us, especially in an environment where it takes time for you to penetrate the market."

Miss Oteng-Mensah revealed that it was an all hands on deck affair, as every member of her family had to help her dad make his soaps and herbal creams, which often included sometimes having to wake up as early as 4:00 am to work on the products.

As a result of the challenging times they faced, she revealed she had to change schools often because her parents were either found it difficult to pay her fees or they had to move.

Thankfully over time, her father's business took off and money started to come in.

"When I was 12, the herbal medicine we sold started paying off and things changed for the better for my family."

The MP believes that all these trying phases of life she experienced as a child have helped shape her into the woman she is today.

Just like her father, Miss Oteng-Mensah hopes to leave a legacy that will inspire generations to come.