For many young Ghanaians, the advent of social media over the last few years has created a unique opportunity for them to express and explore their creativity and innovation. With a growing interest in the digital space, many are leveraging the opportunities the digital economy presents to showcase their skills and monetize their knowledge and platforms in photography, blogging, storytelling, and content creation among others.
Ghana has seen a significant rise in content creation with several young Ghanaians creating engaging, educative, informative, and inspiring content across various genres. One of such is food blogging which has gained significant popularity among local and international audiences over the last few years.
For Ghanaian food blogger Bibiana Gyasi, Cheflifestyle has become more than a platform for sharing her culinary skills and experiences – something she started during the COVID-19 lockdown. It is an avenue for her to showcase and explore Ghana’s diverse cuisines and delicacies, promote Ghana’s rich culture, and her commitment to food waste advocacy & SDGs. I had a chat with her to tell us more about her journey.
- Tell us who Bibiana Gyasi is?
Bibiana Gyasi is a young Ghanaian woman who is passionate about food and developing people. I come from a family of 5 and I have 2 brothers. My father was my biggest cheerleader. Sadly, I lost him in 2018. I studied Visual Arts at Kumasi Wesley Girls High School and Publishing Studies at KNUST where I majored in Design and Illustration. I have always been a go-getter ever since I was young. I always knew I wanted to make an impact and I am glad that I am able to do that through food blogging.
- At what point did you decide to build a career in food blogging?
Food blogging was never planned. During COVID, I was bored and needed something to do. I have always loved food. My mother is a caterer and I have been around food all my life. I used to cook for my friends during parties and hangouts and some of them asked me for some recipes. One day I thought why don’t I start documenting my cooking processes? I received a new phone from my other mom in the UK (who will always be a great part of this story). When I got the idea, I did a poll on my WhatsApp status to see if it was something people will be interested in and the response was great. That very day, I filmed my first video. That was when I realised I wanted to keep doing this.
- Why did you decide to switch from fashion to food blogging?
My interest in fashion design began during my childhood as I watched my brother build his fashion brand. Right after completing Junior High School, I started working as a shop attendant in his shop. Not long after, I became an apprentice and continued to learn the rudiments of fashion design and dressmaking. I spent my vacations assisting him. When I began my university studies, fashion became my side hustle. There was a huge demand for it, and I knew it was a great opportunity for me to earn some income.
I am grateful to my brother because, through his help and willingness to teach me, I was able to make some money for my upkeep. However, as much as I love and appreciate my brother for all he did for me and the skills he taught me, fashion was something I wasn’t as passionate about, but I did my best because I always give my best in every situation. When I discovered food blogging, I knew I had found something I could do for the long haul. I decided to focus all my energies on pursuing food blogging.
- Were there any hesitations/setbacks that initially discouraged you from pursuing food blogging?
None. I have been blessed with a great support system- friends and family who believe in me so much and trust that whatever I set out to achieve, I work towards it. I have done my part to gain that trust, but I don’t take any of it for granted. When I think about doing something, I just go for it. I don’t stop to think about how it will work. I just take the risk and figure it out along the way.
- Tell us how the journey has been so far in building Cheflifestyle? How long has it been since you started?
It’s been three years since I started, and the journey has been exciting! There have been some challenges, lessons, and successes. I have grown, I have challenged myself and I have become a better person from building Cheflifestyle. I have met some amazing people and worked with brands I could only dream of. I go out and people want to take pictures with me. It still feels a bit unreal sometimes because, to me, I am still beginning this whole journey. But I would just say, I am grateful to be able to build this life and this dream.
- In your posts, you mention how your mother has been very influential in your career. Tell us more about what role your mother has played.
I know this may be a bit confusing, but I have two mothers, and both have been very influential in my career. My biological mother has appeared in some of my videos. She has been a caterer for so many years and she is the reason why I am into food blogging. She taught me a lot of the things I know, and she continues to support me, pray for me, and show up for me whenever I need her assistance. I am grateful to God for her.
Then my other mother, she and her husband were the ones who put me through university. She has been a great source of encouragement to me. I have learnt a lot from her. She’s so hardworking and I really admire her work ethic. She is the one who got me the phone that helped me start this journey because, in all honesty, I would probably not have started if I didn’t have a good phone.
- What have been some of the major highlights of this journey? Any regrets?
For me, it is very heartwarming to see that my journey continues to inspire my community and a lot of young people to achieve their dreams. The stories I hear of people being inspired to start things or go for a life they wanted because of me make me so fulfilled. Additionally, I leverage the skills and lessons I learn on this journey to impart knowledge. I train people in content creation and food blogging and so far, I have trained over 100 people to start, grow and monetise their food channels in and outside Ghana. Also being able to work with some of the amazing brands I only imagined have been some of the major highlights for me. For me, there are no regrets, only lessons.
- You are a big believer in consistency. Tell us how this has influenced and shaped your journey.
Consistency means showing up; no matter how the outcome will be. Believing that one day your time will come. I have shown up every single day in the past 3 years to make my brand what it is today. Consistency also builds discipline, and you need a lot of discipline to build anything meaningful in life. Consistency builds trust and credibility; it shows that you are reliable. Your audience need to feel like they can rely on you and brands need to see that you are present. That way they trust you to work with you. Consistency has given me the opportunity to share my story and that has helped me build a community as well as attract brands to work with me.
- Which brands have you had the opportunity to work with since you started? How have you positioned yourself to attract such partnerships?
I have had the opportunity to work with over 40 brands both locally and internationally. I believe consistency is a huge part of attracting brands to work with you as I stated earlier. Another important factor is storytelling, you need to have something to say, something that matters and makes a difference. Brands are looking for people to identify with, and they look out for those with similar values and stories so that these partnerships are more valuable to both parties. Community is also a great part of it.
As an influencer, your community is your social currency, not followers but a community. A group of people who rally behind you, support and encourage you and support the brands you work with and the ideas you birth. Finally, quality in what you do. I am always looking for ways to upgrade my skills and the quality of my work. I am constantly evolving and honing my craft so there is an increased quality every time a brand works with me.
- You have recently started advocating against food waste? Why that decision?
As an influencer in the culinary space, I believe I have a lot of influence. People try out my recipes and buy products I recommend. Being an influencer goes beyond this. It is also about creating a positive impact on my community. If there are new ways of doing things and good habits I have learnt, I need to let them know so they can also adopt them. Currently, more than one-third, or 1.3 billion metric tons of food produced is lost or wasted each year and a major contributor of that is food waste is from our homes. Sustainability has become a very important topic across various sectors. As a food blogger, if there is something I can do to store these foods for longer and save money and the environment, I would love to do that. That is what inspired me to start learning about sustainable cooking and food waste practices and share with my community.
- What are the relevant skills needed to pursue a career as a social media manager and food blogger?
The first skill needed is confidence. You need to believe in yourself and put in the work to learn more about these fields. Apart from that I believe being passionate and loving what you do will go a long way to keeping you motivated when the journey gets tough. The digital media space keeps evolving. Being social media savvy is also important. If you don’t know anything about social media or have no interest in learning about it, it is not the field for you. You also need to be up on trends, know what is going on in the world, and how you can leverage those new developments and trends to create value for yourself and your client.
Apart from these, other skills like video editing, photography, videography, storytelling, communication, writing, customer service, design, etc. are also vital. But you don’t have to have everything figured out. You can learn as you go.
- What are some of the major lessons you have learnt in your career/business?
There have been a lot of lessons, but I will share 3. First, you need an incredible amount of self-discipline. There will be so many days when you don’t feel like showing up. Relying only on motivation or your emotions to keep you going will keep you inconsistent, and we know how important consistency is. Secondly, having routines is a big win for any entrepreneur. For example, having an effective morning routine sets you on a good path for the rest of the day. I also have work routines and days I do certain activities.
For example, Mondays are for planning and administration tasks, Thursdays and Fridays are for content production, and Wednesdays are for editing. Finally, investing the right way always pays. I invest about 80percent of what I make back into the business, buying props and equipment, building my studio, investing in courses such as culinary lessons and professional videography lessons, etc. Trust me, you will make that money back at the right time. There is a time to sow and a time to reap but there will be no reaping if you don’t sow.
- As a content creator, social media strategist, and food blogger, what do you think brands and business owners can do to position themselves to stay relevant in these times?
Social media is here to stay and it is important for us to embrace it and leverage its benefits. The world is evolving at a very fast rate, and we need to adapt to continue to stay relevant. I always share these three important things with brands and business owners. Plan social media like you plan your other business activities. So many people treat social media as an afterthought when it really should be a huge part of business operations.
Secondly, having a social media account is not enough. Learn about it, hire people who can help you build your brand’s online presence, and put a lot of effort into it, the amount of potential that social media has is incredible, but you can only reap if you do it right. The best marketing strategy is to care. Make your followers and customers feel like you care and value them and not just about selling to them and they are sold.
- What advice will you give to anyone who is looking to start a career or side hustle in food blogging?
The best advice? Just start! Learn through the process, don’t stop learning. Choose a niche you are passionate about and show up as often as you can. Interact with your audience as much as possible.
- What are some of the challenges you have encountered in your business so far? How did you handle those difficulties?
Challenges are part of the journey. I handle them by accessing what I am currently faced with, what is ahead, and what I can do about it. There are things beyond my control, and I am learning to let go of things I don’t have control over. The ones that I can control I try my best to develop a plan to tackle it.
- What should we expect from you in 2023? Do you have any exciting projects coming up?
2023 is an exciting year for me. I am looking forward to travelling and exploring the cuisines of other countries. I also have a project coming up with another colleague in the food blogging space that I am so excited about. I will also be launching my website soon as well as some eBooks and courses. I am also looking forward to all the unplanned amazing things this year has to offer. Connect with Bibiana via – Instagram & Tiktok: cheflifestyle, YouTube: cheflifestyle, Facebook: Cheflifestyle Ghana, Email: [email protected]
