Author and co-founder of Ahofade shoemaking firm, Edna Frimpong, better known as The ShoemakerGurl, has detailed the inspiration that drove her into the predominantly male-owned business.

Speaking on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning show, the cobbler revealed that the business was originally owned and begun by her father, Maxwell Frimpong, more than 20 years back.

But his effort was not recognised and appreciated nationwide, even though he efficiently worked hard to cater for their education and other necessities.

Being the eldest amongst the all-female siblings of her father and a Public Relations certificate holder, Miss Frimpong felt the urge to continue her father’s legacy by grooming and rebranding the business, applying the knowledge she acquired from school with the little training she had from her father. 

“I wanted to make something meaningful out of it because he had done it for over 20 good years and I hadn’t seen any achievement. So I was like, Let me try. Maybe because I have been to school, that may be the reason. So maybe I can get something from here that he did not get so that he will be proud of me.”

She narrated how she witnessed her father love and cherish his profession, which made her admire it and want to venture into it.

“He started by selling shoes from Kumasi to Kantamanto. So he never learned the skill; it was just a gift to him. He never went for any other training; it was just a gift. So he has been doing that for about 23 years plus.”

Additionally, The ShoemakerGurl said it was her dream to be a professional journalist, which her father supported. But after completing high school and seeing the harshness of the 'real world’, she decided to deviate into public relations because she worked with a non-governmental organisation at the time.

Edna further explained that although she went against her first intended career path, her father did not try to force it onto her, and instead he permitted her to flourish in her chosen field.

“My father is a liberal person, and sometimes parents need to guide, not impose. He never forced me; even to this day, he never forces me. At the end of the day, it is the end results that he is looking for. If it’s bringing money, why not? I can go from nine to five, and it won’t bring money. The end result is what matters,” she said.

Edna, The ShoemakerGurl, as she is famously known, ventured into full-time shoemaking after losing her job with an NGO during the COVID-19 confusion.

The entrepreneur has been in the business for approximately five years. Not only does she produce shoes, The ShoemakerGurl also weaves local smocks, beads, and crochet. 

Currently, she is one of the best cobblers in Ghana and looks forward to training and employing other young people to help reduce unemployment in the country as she aims to break into the global market.