Mavis Amankwah - A bit about me

This past year we have spent more time than ever online and most, if not all our interactions have taken place behind a screen. People have spent hours of their time communicating with people whom they may have never met in real life and although things do seem to be returning to normal, with more people going back into the office, it is thought that many things could continue to stay virtual. With that in mind, I thought it would be a great time to let all my connections get to know me a bit more.

Let’s start with the basics, my name is Mavis Amankwah, I’m a proud wife, mum, and grandma or “glamma” and I have been in business for over 19 years! I used to work a normal 9-5 as a qualified IT consultant and technician however, in 2002 I decided to give all that up to set out on my own and start my own business. This decision paid off and now, almost two decades later I run several different brands and businesses including:

-       Rich Visions Small Business

-       Rich Visions Diversity

-       Marvel Business Group

-       BE Mogul

-       Women Like Me Business Club and App

-       MA Business Academy

I have also had the honour of being featured in over 250 press titles both national and international, these include the Daily Mirror, Guardian and PR Week and Forbes. Moreover, I was listed in PR Week’s PowerBook as one of ‘The Most Influential People in PR,’ for six consecutive years (2009-2015). This was a massive achievement however, it also highlights how very few black women were listed in this definitive guide, amongst hundreds of other PR professionals and industry leaders.

I am also the proud recipient of 16 business awards including the 2015 ‘Inspirational Award’ Back2Black Award, 2015 ‘Speaker of the Year’ iWO and the 2011 ‘Outstanding Career Achievement’ Powers Award.

This is not the first time I have spoken about my life as I often share my personal life and business experiences through, social media, my website and motivational speaking engagements. I have been lucky enough to speak at various conferences and expos in the UK, UAE, Africa, and all over Europe. During these events, I shared the stage with high profile dignitaries and celebrities including Levi Roots, Stedman Graham (Oprah’s Partner), Lord Alan Sugar and Sir Richard Branson.

Although I have been lucky enough to achieve so much success in my career it has not all been handed to me and instead, I have worked hard to get myself to the position you see me in now. For example, when my children were young, I raised them while running my business and returning to college and university to achieve four more qualifications and a degree.

From the age of 10, I would look after my two younger brothers every day to help my mum and by the age of 12, I had started working on a market stall earning my own money and helping others. This is something I have continued to do throughout my life and to date, I have successfully assisted over 800 entrepreneurs to embark on their businesses. I have helped them to secure millions of pounds via various finance and funding programmes as well as helping them to scale up their marketing online. I am a massive supporter of women in business too which led me to create and launching a business app for women in business.

I am also dedicated to helping young people at the beginning of their careers. Here in the UK, we have a massive employment gap which has only been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic to try and combat this and help young people who are a risk of long-term unemployment I have partnered with Universal Credit and the Kickstart Team. I am offering work placements in digital marketing and administration to people aged between 16-24 and on Universal Credit.

I hope you have enjoyed getting to know a bit more about me and that you stick around to learn more and watch me and my businesses grow.