You Are Reading Vol. 01 Issue. 15 December, 2013 Edition
Building Networks; Creating Wealth
REFLECTIONS: 2013 As 2013 draws to a close, Outlook had the opportunity to sit with President of the Small Business Association (SBA), Mr. Dalton Medford (DM) to reflect on the SBA’s achievements over the year. Q: We know that the SBA is recognised for its vibrant and proactive advocacy initiatives, what are some of the areas that you are most proud of and why? DM: Certainly, one thing that comes to mind immediately is our collaboration with the Private Sector Trade Team and the work that is being conducted to influence policy for the SME sector. We have had a number of consultative focus groups and I am pleased to note that a final document is being prepared, which would go towards incentivizing the development of the micro sector. Training : In the area of training, this year the SBA was proud to present over 230 certificates in various training areas of its Entrepreneurial Training Programme. We will continue to be aggressive in the area of training and add new modules because it is imperative that members have all of the requisite skills to successfully manage and grow their operations. We successfully created a
series of events at our quarterly meetings to expose members to networking opportunities and to educate them on various pieces of legislation and important issues. Some of these included updating them on new tax regulations, the Safety and Health at Work (SHaW) Act, Employment Rights Act and the budget. All of our meetings have been well attended and we are happy to see members taking advantage of the opportunities to expand their knowledge of the issues. Youth: We continued our Enterprise in Action Youth (EIA) Programme and once again we were pleased with the response of the students, teachers and consultants. This programme is one which we have great plans for in the future. We will be incorporating greater uses of technology with the launch of a website specifically geared towards the youth. We were also able to mentor a young enterprising business
called Bookline which won the Social Entrepreneur Award at the Caribbean Innovation Challenge and went on to admirably represent themselves in Guatemala and in Washington DC (Eco Entrepreneur). The Association wants to continue to be a mentor for other young businesses and we will do all we can to ensure their success. Technology: One of the major accomplishments this year was the introduction of the Tech Smart Project which saw some 50 members being provided with websites free of cost. This was a major undertaking but one that was necessary in order to provide members with the access to technology that could assist them in marketing and growing their businesses. With the support of our partner The Central Bank of Barbados, we were able to get this project concluded and members were really pleased with the results. We are hoping to expand this project to provide a further 150 websites going forward.
Partnerships: This has been a great year for building partnerships. We continued to build mutually beneficial partnerships in the interest of our membership. This is part of our motto, Building Networks; Creating Wealth. I would like to highlight just a few of those that we have built or strengthened this year We are proud to have First Citizens Bank as our title sponsor for Small Business Week for the next three years. This partnership will also incorporate the provision of financial training for members, the access to a viable e-commerce platform and the provision of attractive financial products for our members. The Inter American Development Bank (IDB) is one of our international partners who, along with the Ministry of Tourism, has worked with us in the development of the MIF Tourism Project. This project targeted members in the small hotel and agro processing sectors. . Now we are moving ahead with one final component in the Wood Based Arts and Craft sector which will bring great benefits to the artisans. ..........See page 2
REACH THE SBA HEAD OFFICE
1 Pelican Industrial Park, Bridgetown, Barbados Phone:
(246) 228-0162
Fax:
(246) 228-0613
Email:
theoffice@sba.bb
Website:
www.sba.bb
SBA: STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS SBA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
AO Consulting Services is a new consultancy service, which aims to have a three-fold purpose. It sets out to provide confidential, specialized sexual health management and HIV/ AIDS counseling and testing, health project consultancy and sessional nursing services. Their aim is to provide specialized, personalized, confidential, quality care tailored to the clients specific needs in a timely manner. The Sessional Nursing service is tailored to the specific requirements of the client eg. Number of hours and what skills might be required of the nurse and location. Home visits can be arranged. Sessional nurse skills available to the clients include: •General nursing skills •Basic Life Support & Anaphylaxis •Venepuncture & cannulation, •ECG monitoring •Assessing and dressing minor wounds including gluing, removal of sutures •Male and female catheterization Sexual Health and HIV/ AIDS This service operate with appointments and provide the following: •Testing of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS counseling and testing. •Microscopy for immediate detection and treatment of infections including non-STIs eg. Contact them for further information by email: aosborne736@gmail.com or (246)-2434186
http://m.aoconsultingservices.com
SBA Outlook Newsletter
December, 2013
We entered a partnership with the Barbados Employers Confederation and the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry to get Barbadians and in particular employees more active through the Walk the Talk programme. This programme generated lots of excitement this year and bigger things are planned for 2014 as we want to keep the focus on chronic non-communicable diseases like obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Creating Wealth by being SME SMART: We know that 2014 will be a very demanding year for all Barbadians and more than ever, we need to view entrepreneurship as a very viable option. Our members will be challenged to be innovative and skillful to be able to navigate what for many will be uncharted territory. The Association will galvanize all of the support it can to assist our members wherever possible.
One of our key activities going into 2014 is the Be SME Smart campaign. We are on course to renenergise this programme that was introduced in 2012 with much success. We want to build on this. We already have a number of small businesses that are eager to get on board once
again and we hope to work with our partner (First Citizens Bank) to provide even more avenues for members to be exposed to the consuming public. This campaign will continue to put the focus on small businesses and the need for Barbadians to support SMEs. My hope is that
with the predictions for a gloomy 2014 already being heralded, Barbadians would assist the government in cutting the foreign imports bill by redirecting their focus to local purchases. By consuming and supporting more local goods and services, we can reduce foreign imports (not withstanding raw material inputs), add money to the local economy, create much needed jobs and put our country on a better footing. We all need to rally together. Reviving the Barbadian economy will require some smart and creative thinking. Be SME Smart is one way our citizens can help. We want to encourage any small registered business to get on board with the Be SME Smart Campaign . I want to take this opportunity to wish all of our readers and our members a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous United and Productive 2014
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CREATING NEW ENTREPRENEURS
The SBA will be expanding its range of training courses in the new year starting January 2014 to provide training specifically for persons interested in starting their own businesses. Business Operations Manager of the SBA, Ms. Andrea Taylor, said that with the pending retrenchment of civil servants, the opportunity existed for many of these individuals to consider self employment and entrepreneurship as a viable career option.
She added that now was the time for Barbados to embrace more frontally, the development of niche markets in services (e.g. technology) and light manufacturing to fuel economic growth. Ms. Taylor posited the view that “micro and small business activity represents the best option for the development of these niche areas”. She went on to say that ‘through training, the SBA will provide the opportunity for interested persons
RECIPE MAKEOVER
‘Tis the season to be jolly - and to chow down! For many, Christmas time is filled with thoughts of goodies, treats, and seasonal dishes which evoke memories of childhood and home. Many of these foods are delicious, but are laden with calories, sugar, and other ingredients which can be detrimental to our health if consumed in large portions.
This year, SBA member, Caribbean Institute of Nutrition and Dietetics (CIND), launched a programme, called “Christmas Recipe Makeover”, focused on showing the public how to prepare traditional Christmas dishes in a healthier way. Founder of CIND and registered dietitian Esther Selman, informed the attendees about ways in which
to ensure that their holiday eats are healthy. Mrs. Selman explained how plant-based food items can be used as substitutes for ingredients
often found in holidays foods. For example, ground or whole linseed, or flaxseed, can be used in baked goods to replace eggs. To ensure that attendees received tangible evidence that one can eat tasty, healthy food during the holiday season, participants sampled healthy takes on traditional seasonal eats. The demonstrations
to develop their ideas”. Ms. Taylor also noted that the SBA would continue its usual suite of courses aimed at members, to provide skills in critical areas like customer service and computer-assisted accounting. “The new courses would be targeted specifically at persons who need to convert their ideas to a viable business and for those existing entrepreneurs who need to take their operations to a higher level of development”
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featured favourites such as jugjug, prepared entirely without any salt and using only fresh herbs as seasoning; and black cake, made with breadfruit flour, and no eggs, or sugar. Reviews from attendees were excellent, with individuals remarking on the taste, texture, and overall quality of the foods proffered. Many were eager to try the recipes given at home. Participants all came away with the knowledge that eating healthier did not mean that one cannot enjoy one’s favourite holidays treats.
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Happy holidays and healthy eating! If you require further information please contact theoffice@sba.bb or by calling 228-0162
PREMIUM SERVICE: PREMIUM PRODUCTS Diversification is the focus of the future for Premium Designs. This is the view of the Managing Director Mr. Charles Carter.
to helping clients make the most of their marketing and advertising dollars-no matter the size of the budget.
This season Premium Designs is offering SBA members a special package for the design and production of corporate calendars. There are also special packages for business card calendars with the lowest rates on high quality artwork available anywhere in Barbados.
However, the company which has seen growth over the years is now looking to diversify into other areas to offer even more services to clients. One such area is the establishment of Website Development services. According to the Managing Director “ we have long been able to design and build websites and we have done that successfully for a number of clients. What we will be focusing on now is developing our own personalised hosting platform where clients can host their site and register their domain”.
The company has been around since 2005 and since launching they have made it their mandate to meet the needs of a diverse clientele by continuously making improvements to their services and by expanding their product offerings. Premium Designs, focuses on providing quality at every level of the product creation cycle to ensure a successful result, one that exceeds customer expectations. As Mr. Carter noted, they are committed
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offer clients and SBA members the very best service, the most reactive solutions at the most reasonable prices. Call 426-0070 for more information
Mr. Carter explained that the company needed to pursue other revenue areas like any business should and was hopeful that the new year would reveal other opportunities for the company. In the mean time, Premium Designs will continue to
GRANT FUNDING: PROOF OF CONCEPT
The Proof of Concept Grant (The Grant) of the Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre (CCIC) enables individuals, startups, micro-enterprises and Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to explore the technical feasibility and establish the commercial potential of a concept that has potential to significantly contribute to climate mitigation and/or adaptation.
True Christmas Gifts The painting is over, the ham is in the oven, the black cake, jug-jug and sorrel drink are waiting and there is heighten anticipation. Its Christmas time! Decked in our new “Sunday best” we congregate in the park to the delight of our friends and bask in the attention from the professional and amateur paparazzi. Yet something is missing for most Barbadians at Christmas. CHRIST. For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). In our march forward, we have somehow found time to do everything possible but remember Christ and the true meaning of Christmas. In our quest not to offend, even in our little Christian Barbados we are slowly replacing Merry
The POC grant will normally be up to USD 25,000 but may be increased to USD 50,000 for proposals that demonstrate exceptional potential impact. The POC grants aim to facilitate product development, prototyping, testing and/or piloting of a product or service to enable the entrepreneur to prove that the idea/business model is viable in a technical and commercial sense.
Christmas with “Happy Holidays”.
In most cases, it is expected that POC grants will help entrepreneurs to fine-tune some elements of the idea/model or open opportunities for other sources of funding. Only one application will be considered from each applicant. For more information please CLICK HERE .
Christ commanded two things:•Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength; and •Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
LAST WORD FROM THE CEO
As another year draws to a close and as we look back with mixed feelings on the year past, and look forward with hesitation, reservation or eagerness to what may lurk in the New Year, let us bring Christ back into our lives and in all that we do. As the scripture proclaims, HE was sent to save us.
It is in these two commandments that all of God’s laws are contained.
Let us focus on the whole that is commanded of us. We are charged to live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to Him. We have therefore to look at ourselves carefully and decide whether we have indeed kept His commandments. If not how can we change our lives to I am concerned with this shift, better serve God in all that this removal of Christ even we do? Equally, how do from our greetings. Our Lord we change our lives to help did not stop to ponder whether those around us? His actions would offend I believe that were we to others. He went about his rededicate our lives to Father’s work, dutifully. The Christ, and were we to live true meaning of Christmas by his two commandments, has been confused with much of this society’s social materialism, greed and other ills would pass away. pagan objectifications. Our year has ended with
more gloom than hope. This is not healthy for a developing nation. We have witnessed violence, business failures and the looming threat of job losses across our nation. We are no longer our brother’s keeper. We need to once again believe in Him before we perish. Christmas is not about the food, the clothes, the spruced-up surroundings nor the gifts. It’s not about getting days off from work or school. It is in fact about fellowship and celebrating the birth and life of Christ. I encourage my fellow Barbadians at this time to pause in their revelry and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and to recommit themselves to serving Him and following His commandments. Let us embrace our country in the spirit of the season – Love. And above all let us rededicate our lives to living for the honour and glory of His name. These words are my gifts to you. I encourage you to share these gifts with your love ones.
Merry Christmas and all of God’s Blessings!
The Small Business Association (SBA) is the island’s non-governmental, non-profit representative body for micro, small and medium enterprises. The SBA seeks to expand business opportunities for its members, provide educational and developmental services and lobby to ensure an enabling environment for the growth and sustainability of the SME sector. For more information on the work of the Small Business Association, please visit our website: http://www.sba.bb SBA Outlook Newsletter
December, 2013