‘I Had No Expectations When Starting Glitz Magazine’

Claudia Kwarteng-Lumor, the founder of Kollage Media and the lifestyle publication Glitz Africa Magazine, discloses she had no expectations when she began the magazine. In an interview on the To My Sisters podcast, she recounts the doubts she faced. People told her Ghanaians didn't enjoy reading, but she disagreed, stating that people in the UK read magazines but kept them on their coffee tables.

Claudia reveals she started the magazine to be busy while planning to have children, and quickly discovered advertising was a major obstacle. Ghanaian brands were used to radio and newspapers and were hesitant to pay more for advertising in a magazine. She explains the biggest challenge was maintaining consistency and delivering quality content to win over the brands.

Despite the initial hurdles, Claudia's unique focus on lifestyle content – hair, makeup, fashion transformation, stories of returnees – captured readers' interest. Impressed by this, she launched Glitz Africa Fashion Week 15 years ago, which hosts around 50 designers from Africa and beyond today. Claudia's motherhood brought about a shift in focus towards women and children, leading to initiatives such as the Glitz Africa Women of the Year and the Ghana Female CEO Summit.

In 2015, she was appointed as a UN Goodwill Ambassador. Claudia emphasizes that she didn't have a grand plan, but instead took things step by step. She urges young people not to pressure themselves with timelines, and instead measure success by continual improvement.