You Are Reading Vol. 01 Issue. 10 July 26, 2013 Edition
OVER 230 GRADUATE FROM SBA ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING PROGRAMME “Education as a Catalyst for Productivity” was the theme of the Small Business Association’s graduation ceremony when over two hundred and thirty (230) entrepreneurs and small business owners, received their certificates on July 11, 2013. One of the SBA’s pillars has been its focus on providing quality training for its members. It has sought to provide training opportunities not only for members but also for the interested public. The Association draws on its resources of skilled, professional persons to
In Focus Tech Smart Websites for 50 Read more, pg 2
in accounts, marketing, computer literacy, strategy and planning. A large part of the focus is on the use of available technology. Business Operations Manager, Andrea Taylor noted that each course offering in the Entrepreneurial Training Programme, was well subscribed and in some cases the SBA had to put in additional classes to accommodate the demand. “We will continue to review our course offerings and tailor them to suit the current
the featured address in which he encouraged the graduands to pursue their passions, find their purpose for being on the earth and not to settle for careers that brought them no joy. He also warned those present not to stop pursuing excellence, and never to settle; “celebrate your achievements and commit to applying what you have learnt in the best way you possibly can”.
conduct training in numerous areas. The overall training objectives are to equip members with basic skills IMPORTANT DATES - 2013 MEMBERS’ MEETING JULY 30 BUDGET DAY AUG 13 UDC MARKET PLACE AUG 13 BRAZIL TRADE MISSION SEPT 14 - 21, SMALL BUSINESS WEEK SEPT 21 - 28,
needs of the market”. Mr. Errol Griffith of Freemind Institute gave
MAJOR EVENT
The graduation ceremony took place at the Savannah Hotel. The new SBA Entrepreneurial Training Series begins in October 2013. Call the SBA office at 228-0162 or email us at theoffice@sba.bb to learn more about our courses
UPCOMING
.
Members’ Meeting The Employment Rights Act will be the topic of discussion when the SBA convenes the next Members Meeting on July 30, 2013. Under the theme “Employment Rights Act Compliance Issues” , a panel of human resource specialist will examine and answer questions on the various aspects of the legislation. The meeting takes place at Bagnall’s Point Gallery, Pelican Village at 6:00 pm, and all are invited. Come and understand what you need to do to get your business ready for the October deadline
.
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.org.bb
SBA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
The ANNU (Annu meaning to renew, to rebuild, to restore) Institute was founded in 1995. It was established as a transforming presence, to maximize the human potential. The Institute focused on health,-an integral component of human development and is dedicated to the uplifting of humankind. In 2003 ANNU Institute partnered with the Barbados Ministry of health to promote holistic (healthy) lifestyles. Subsequently the Institute has partnered with many government ministries such as Community Development and private agencies to bring participants of the various programmes into a state of wellness on all levels. The Institute researches, develops and disseminates progressive information on human renewal and development. The Institute holds firm to its mission of developing the full potential of students and staff so that they can make a meaningful contribution to their country, region and the wider world community. ANNU Institute is a warm, caring and nurturing institution that looks after the total well being of each student. It is also a place of intellectual, social and spiritual development that inculcates in its students the full range of cognitive, affective and emotional skills to assist them in navigating further studies, the world of work and life generally. In addition to producing persons who are competent in functional areas, the Institute’s programmes are designed to help students to be able to examine current events, issues, fads and situations in order to reach informed and wellreasoned decisions that can be defended with logical arguments. The Institute has a comprehensive range of programme offerings (from health science to human development ) that are delivered within two teaching Divisions/ Departments: The Continuing Education, Health Sciences, and Human Development. Prospective students will find listed on this site a programme that meets their academic or technical/vocational needs, whatever they may be.
.
Contact them for further information email: annuinstitute@ hotmail.com. (246)-420-4788 or (246)-243-0125 SBA Outlook Newsletter
July 26, 2013
TECH SMART PROJECT LAUNCH Fifty (50) SBA members have benefited from the recently launched Tech Smart Website Project funded by the Central Bank of Barbados and facilitated by the Association. In her address to the media at the start of the launch SBA CEO Lynette Holder noted that as far back as 2011 the Association was determined to provide web technology to its members coming out of a study which showed that 31% of the small businesses had websites. Ms. Holder noted that the ability to transact business online and to be accessible to consumers at home and beyond our shores was critical for small businesses to survive. She went on to underscore the association’s aim to provide capacity building for its members and noted that this was one of the pillars on which the SBA was founded. Ms. Holder said she was happy with the outcome of the first phase of the project and that the association would press ahead to secure funding to ensure that every
Left, Small Business Association CEO, Ms. Lynette Holder and Mr. Ian Collymore, Acting Deputy Director of the Central Bank of Barbados, sponsors of the Tech Smart Project
member who desired a website would have access to them. Members who took up the initial offer came from every economic sector. In his address to the media, Mr. Ian Collymore, Acting Deputy Director of the Central Bank of Barbados said that the Bank was pleased to be associated with the project and said that they were committed to supporting local small businesses. He highlighted a number of facilities presently available through the Bank which could benefit small businesses including a guarantee facility which
Internationalization & Promotion of Caribbean SME Consortiums
SMEs could use to secure funding from financial institutions. Mr. Collymore also noted that once the budget allowed, the SBA could look forward to additional support to continue the project which the SBA hoped would be completed by 2016.
All websites launched under the Tech Smart Website project would be available via the SBA’s website. Training will be conducted for all website recipients to ensure that they are able to manage their sites independently American countries in order to strengthen the productive integration of the region and finally to promote the participation of SMEs in trade fairs and business events.
.
The SBA recently took part in a workshop on Internationalization and Promotion of Caribbean SME Consortiums in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Small and medium-sized enterprises have to outline strategies with longterm objectives, with a view to finding new markets, with skilled staff at all levels, who can act in an integrated manner and establish various forms of sectoral linkages. The objectives of the workshop were to promote strategies for productive development, creation of export consortiums and internationalization of SMEs for their foray into regional and international markets; encourage the exchange of goods and services among Caribbean and Latin
Representatives were drawn from the Caribbean and Latin American business sectors and included Government officials and representatives of SMEs of Caribbean countries; and representatives of exporting consortiums
.
PROTECT YOUR VALUABLE DATA DURING THE HURRICANE As we prepare this publication another storm has been named (Dorian) and is making its way to the Caribbean. Tropical Storm Chantal while it tracked well to the north of Barbados still was a valuable lesson for us. No matter the size or distance the weather conditions associated with tropical systems can seriously impact a business with the potential to disrupt or wipe out critical data. Damage from lightning and power surges can create havoc with our crucial data. While it is easy to replace a computer system, it’s not as easy to restore data or in some cases to even replace it. So care must be taken to protect what we consider critical to get our business back up and running after the storm. With hurricanes, power outages and other damages are bound to occur. For your personal computer, protecting documents, pictures, videos and music is almost a necessity. Turn off your computer: Damage can occur from a power-outage occurring while a computer is left on or from a power surge or downed electrical line. The easiest and most efficient way to avoid this damage is by turning your computers off
and unplug them from outlets. By unplugging computers, you can remove this danger. This is effective for those who do not need to use their computers during storms.
Surge-Protection: Power surges can occur even without the presence of a storm system. It therefore makes sense to invest in a surge protector. You may require some advice in this regard to avoid simply buying a multi outlet plug. Most surge protectors are certified and built to offer some measure of protection from infrequent spikes. Never plug your electrical hardware directly into wall outlets.
Castor Oil & Sugar I recall with none too fond memories as a child being subjected to the mandatory dosing of castor oil. In the day, castor oil was a tried and tested remedy for skin problems, gastro intestinal issues, and the hair. What it was renowned for was its effect on constipation because it got things moving again. Now, no man knows the hour when the Son of Man will return but fortunately for us we Barbadians, have a sense of when our budget is and what may be coming down our throats, a good dose of castor oil. I don’t say this to make light of a serious matter, but simply to underscore what is all too apparent to me. The Barbadian economy is backed up, we are in a recession and we as Barbadians need to face up to the fact that hard decisions need to be
made. The government and its economic advisors have already told us in LAST WORD very plain FROM THE CEO terms we have to cut $400 million from our spending. Immediately, like the child eyeing the spoonful of offending liquid, Barbadians from all walks of life started to protest and to speculate about how drastic these cuts will be and how damaging, etc. We spoke from a very personal and selfish perspective. Yes, there will be periods of pain for all of us given the size of the cuts to be implemented, but this pain seems necessary. We have to look collectively at what we can achieve if the government’s fiscal plan is able to realize its objectives.
Uninterrupted Power Supplies (UPSs): A surge protector may prevent hardware damage but sadly it does not prevent damage to data caused by a power outage. A UPS offers some measure of protection from data corruption. In addition these devices also allow you some time to safely shut your system down to avoid data corruption. Data Backup: Think of this as your personal safety deposit box. If you do not have a UPS then the best thing to do is to backup your data. You can do this onto an external drive, USB drive, SD Card etc. This is usually enough for a home system. You may want to look at free backup services like Dropbox, SkyDrive and Google Drive, where your data can be backed up to the cloud. Never store all of your backed up data at the same location. Make a copy and store it off site at a secure location. In the event your copy is damaged then you have a quality replacement. Keep computers off the ground during storms to prevent damage from flooding. As a safety measure cover your computer equipment with a strong garbage bag in case of water leaking from the ceiling. While there are many risks and possible hazards for your data and computers, protection is a simple and relatively cheap process. And at the cost of your personal items, benefits far exceed that cost to address them
All right thinking Barbadians would agree that we cannot sit by and allow our economy to implode and our dollar to be devalued, not when we have the means and the collective will to effect a change in course. Barbadians were concerned about the VAT and public sector jobs. The government has emphatically stated that these two issues are not on the front burner in their plans. We have to take them at their word. So what’s left? We still have to deal with the $400 million elephant in the room that will not go away. Will there be cuts in expenditure, revenue raising measures and consolidation of government resources? I am confident that my fellow Barbadians will redouble their efforts no matter what the medicine and will work harder and more determined to ensure that all that our fore parents have fought for, all that we
.
have struggled for will not fall by the wayside. That is one thing I am unshaken of in my belief! Barbadians cry out because they have come to enjoy a standard of living that is second to none in the Caribbean. But we still have lots of work to do and it will start with accepting our own dose of economic castor oil to get our economy moving again. Our grandparents always warned us we have to take the bitter with the sweet. This is now the time to listen to and accept these words of wisdom. The social partners have been meeting to chart the way forward and rest assured that at the end of the day everyone of us want the same thing, the very best for Barbados and its people. I will take my medicine, balk at the taste and then get down to the task of making Barbados better for all
.
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.org.bb SBA Outlook Newsletter
July 26, 2013