You Are Reading Vol. 02 Issue. 2 February, 2014 Edition
Building Networks; Creating Wealth
Springer Memorial Making Waves
In Focus The Direct Assistance Grant Scheme
the contribution by W. Salons would assist the EIA students in applying the theory learnt about small business management and help to build teamwork, discipline and foster innovation.
Springer Memorial School’s Enterprise in Action (EIA) participants are now much closer to running a successful business through the generous contribution from the W Salons owned by Ms. Shelly Williams. W Salons in an effort to ensure that the students of the school had full access to equipment to fully develop their skills undertook the complete revamp of the Springer Memorial cosmetology
classroom. The result has been the total transformation of the old science lab into a fully functional cosmetology facility, fully equipped with all appropriate salon fixtures, fittings, tools and equipment. CEO of the Small Business Association(SBA), Ms. Lynette Holder in delivering the remarks at the press launch noted that
In addition to outfitting the facility Ms. Williams has also shared her insight into the day-to-day beauty salon operations in an effort to encourage the development of their business plan which is a key component of the annual EIA programme. This led to the revamping of the facility by the salon under the W Salon Partner School programme. The EIA programme which is currently active at nine schools, has been an annual programme of
Members Meeting The Small Business Association will be holding a members’ meeting on Tuesday February 25, 2014 to discuss the proposed changes to the denominational coin structure which will see the withdrawal of the one cent coin from circulation. IMPORTANT DATES - 2014
Under the theme “Doing Business without Cents” Ms. Celeste Wood, Advisor (Currency) to the Governor of the Central Bank will present on how the changes will occur and, more important, what economic impact the changes will have on operations in Barbados
FEATURE ACTIVITY
MEMBERS’ MEETING FEBRUARY 25
FEATURE ACTIVITY
Read more, pg 2
the SBA since 2009. There are some 15 students involved in the programme at the Springer School and over 200 in the entire programme. Ms. Holder noted that “inspiring young people to be entrepreneurial was a fundamental focus of the SBA and as such, the association would continue to provide opportunities for young people to see entrepreneurship as a career alternative. I think that we are definitely seeing progress and if we can replicate what has been created here at the Springer Memorial School at other institutions then creating that national mind-set would be even more possible”
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for both businesses and customers. How will it affect you, your prices and customers?
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Find out at our next meeting at Bagnall’s Point Gallery, Pelican Industrial Park, St. Michael at 6:00 p.m REACH THE SBA HEAD OFFICE
1 Pelican Industrial Park,
TAX CLINIC MARCH 12- 13
Bridgetown, Barbados
FINANCIAL PLANNING APRIL 16
Phone:
SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION
(246) 228-0162
Fax:
(246) 228-0613
Email:
theoffice@sba.bb
Website:
www.sba.bb
PROPOSAL WRITING TRAINING SBA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Errand Girl Errand Girl strives to offer outstanding service for busy executives and small business people. Their mission is to offer an errand and courier service to every business in Barbados. They are dedicated to giving their clients extra time to relax or to do more priority areas during the day. For employers, this is a great service since it keeps employees at their desk during working hours. Hence reduces the stress within the office and at home stress. Changes in the Barbados which saw more female workers introduced into the workplace has reduced time for the family. The average worker spends 44 hours per week or more on the job, which means workers feel completely exhausted a the end of the day. Then they go home to more responsibilities, where the spouse is also working. During the weekend, it is also hectic since they are trying to “catch up” on errands. This also leads to parents not spending enough time with their children. The popularity of Errand Girl stems from the fact that working persons are busy and stressed out with everyday life. Increasingly busy people want to spend what time they have with their families and nurturing themselves. This is why you need Errand Girl. They offer a personal service which most couriers don’t offer. Their services can range from buying accessories to grocery shopping, taxi service and lunch pick-up. Errand Girl is designed to be the ultimate stress reliever by giving you back the one thing that you never have enough of ..time. Contact Errand Girl at Tel: (246) 423-6173 Cell: (246) 233-9654 Email: errandgirl@caribsurf.com
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http://sba.bb/websites/ errandgirl/ SBA Outlook Newsletter
February 2014
Thirteen (13) businesses recently benefited from training in proposal writing organised by the SBA and conducted by the Caribbean Export Development Agency(CEDA). The workshop which was conducted by Senior Grant Advisor- of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, Mr. Kirk Brown, saw participants being given valuable tools to effectively respond to calls for proposals and applications for grant funding from a variety of areas. Mr. Kofi Branch of Capellos noted that the workshop was invaluable for him because it gave a better insight on the requirements of CEDA and areas on which attention should be paid to ensure a greater degree of success. CEO of the SBA, Ms. Lynette Holder noted that the training provided was significantly important to members because “sourcing funding was pivotal to SME development and our members needed to be able to successfully apply for these various grant funding opportunities when they present themselves. As one of our partners, CEDA, regularly offers grants and as such they are well positioned to teach persons on the proper way to write proposals.” Ms. Holder also noted that similar programmes are slated for the future, adding that “I strongly believe that to be profitable our small businesses must
aggressively pursue export opportunities. Whether on their own or as a group our local businesses must become more sophisticated in their businesses and must tackle the issue of exporting head on.” The Caribbean Export Development Agency is conducting workshops across the Caribbean to sensitize businesses about the The Direct Assistance Grant Scheme. This is a reimbursement grant funding facility specifically designed to provide financial assistance to legally registered firms, individuals and Business Support Organisations (BSOs) who have the potential to export their products and services. The deadline for this Call for Proposals is March 7, 2014 and more information about the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme can be found at www.carib-export.com. Persons may also contact, Kirk Brown, Senior Grant Advisor (kbrown@carib-export.com) or Celestine Moe, Grant Advisor (cmoe@ carib-export.com), at (246) 436-0578.
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This Call for Proposals is expected to result in a record number of applicants to utilise the funds made available via the 10th European Development Fund
SME SECTOR: Barbados’ Best Members of the Small Business Association have a chance to prove they are among Barbados’ best employers by entering Barbados’ Best Employers Award Programme 2014. The initiative which was launched in May 2010 by SBA member, Caribbean Catalyst Inc , was “designed to recognise and honour locally based organisations with exemplary human resources practices, policies and programmes. The programme seeks to publicly acknowledge employers who provide work environments which are conducive to high productivity and who support positive employer/employee relations”. The Barbados’ Best Employers Award will focus on the “human resource practices and climate of organisations and showcase companies that demonstrate
a commitment to their human resources through the adoption of progressive
employment strategies”. Entrants will be judged through an interview process in a number of areas including Business Strategy, Human Resource Strategy, Culture, Employee Communications, Performance Management/ Recognition, Work Environment and Work Life Balance.
Association has over the years through its Entrepreneurial Training and Development programmes, equipped several of our members in these areas. We view these as critical areas for business development and we continue to ensure that our members are trained. We have also conducted workshops/clinics for our members in the area of human resource development.” Ms. Taylor went on to state that “ we are confident that our members can meet the criteria quite easily and look forward to a member of the SME sector taking the top award”.
Applications close on February 27, 2014. Speaking about the award, Application forms may Ms. Andrea Taylor, Business be obtained from www. Operations Manager caribbeancatalyst.com, or of the SBA said that “the from www.sba.bb
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Visit our web page at www.sba.bb regularly to stay abreast of what is happening in the SME sector.
REGISTER & WALK TO WELLNESS The 2014 edition of the Walk the Talk - 100 Days to Wellness has been receiving overwhelming interest from businesses in Barbados.
to encourage employees to take responsibility for their health. Get fit. Get healthy. Get moving!
The next iteration of the programme will begin March, 2014 and run until June, 2014.
Due to the overwhelming response the last shipment of pedometers have all been allocated. However you can still register for the programme though you will have to secure your own pedometers. These can be obtained by contacting Mr. Lennox Prescod at Knights Health Care Advantage at 230-4132. The pedometer is a LifeSource XL-15 Digital Pedometer.
All SBA members are urged
For the more tech savvy, you
The programme is a collaboration among the Small Business Association, Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Barbados Employers Confederation which started in 2013.
can download a pedometer app onto your smart phone
(you will have to browse the Internet and select the app that is right for you) or you can purchase your pedometer from a sporting goods store or other establishment. If you will be entering the programme, please request a copy of the registration
form or download a copy from the download section at www.sba.bb by Monday, 24 February 2014. The new start date of the programme will be announced shortly. At the end of the programme companies will be assessed to see who has recorded the highest number of steps within the stipulated time frame. The person recording the most steps at the end of the period will be declared the winner.
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For more information and registration forms please visit the download section at www.sba.bb
APPLY TO THE DIRECT ASSISTANCE GRANT SCHEME The Direct Assistance Grant Scheme is now open for applications The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) officially announced the publication of the Call for Proposals for both the Accelerated and Regular Procedures grant facilities under the well known Direct Assistance Grant Scheme as part of the Regional
Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP) funded by the European Union under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF). The Direct Assistance Grant Scheme is a reimbursement grant funding facility specifically designed to provide financial assistance to legally registered firms, individuals and Business Support Organisations (BSOs) who have the potential to export their products and
Sound Asleep
I am not a geologist, nor am I a seismologist. I have never worked for any meteorological or disaster management agency but I think I am well qualified and within my rights to say emphatically, Barbados is not ready.
In the wake of the most recent earth tremor to impact Barbados (Tuesday February 18th), complacency again seems to be the watchword of Barbadians. God is not a “Bajan”. He is indeed a vengeful God. Above all, he is omnipotent and this is not a trait synonymous with the wait-and-see personalities of Barbadians. To hear regional and local scientists now arguing back and forth on what can and cannot affect Barbadians does the society no good since we are left to wonder who is right as we wait for the inevitable. In the aftermath of that event, many Bajans were heard to say, they didn’t feel a thing, they were sound asleep. Unprepared and unrepentant. No, I am not preaching. What I am trying to bring home is a point I raised in the June 21, 2013 edition of the SBA
services. Grants of up to €30,000 can be received by firms that meet the eligibility criteria, whose applications are accepted and are exporting or demonstrate their potential to export goods and services.
legislation or policy for the mandatory use of the Barbados National Building Code existed. This should be cause for concern for persons seeking to expand their businesses.
O u t l o o k , when I spoke about disaster preparedness and business c o n t i n u i t y LAST WORD How many businesses have p l a n n i n g . FROM THE CEO done the necessary critical analysis to determine I do not believe their vulnerabilities? The that Barbadian businesses SHaW Act while it seeks are seriously prepared for to safeguard life and limb disasters. My fear is not only does not go far enough to of the possibility of a disaster require this kind of analysis devastating Barbados, my fear for business survival. It is is that our businesses are ill therefore incumbent upon equipped to effectively recover the business operators to from a natural or man-made do the necessary inventory. disaster. One of the experts recently said that we have a Cane-fires, grass fires, good building code, and once hurricanes, fire, flooding, that is maintained, events such strikes, accidents and yes as the last tremor would have earthquakes. Have you little impact. But the thought assessed your suppliers to of the earth shifting worries see whether in the event me because water mains of a calamity you can get could be broken resulting in the required supplies? flooding and business closure, What about your data, is gas lines could be ruptured everything paper-based and leading to far more serious stored in some dusty box events or electricity supplies hidden in a room, or is it being impacted causing the electronic and susceptible to corruption of data or worst. data corruption or viruses? I am also not comforted by the goodly gentleman’s suggestion that we have a good building code because up to the time of printing no enabling
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The deadline for this Call is March 7, 2014 and more information about the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme can be found at www.carib-export.com
Sadly many small, medium and even some large companies do not do all they can to minimize business disruption and are left in
chaos when it actually happens. One thing I am sure of is that no two days in business are the same. Finally and on a more serious note, how will your business be impacted by the lost of your key employee? Perhaps you have an exceptional sales executive. We know that sales personnel are highly stressed. What happens therefore when your high volume sales staff is no longer there? What happens when YOU are suddenly no longer there? Have you put a business continuity plan in place in the event of your untimely demise? It’s a little morbid to think about but it is a reality and the Barbadian landscape is replete with the carcasses of businesses that simply collapsed after the death of their founders. It’s becoming cliché in Barbados after every serious event, (whether hurricane, fire or flood) for the experts and disasters managers to say, “this is a wake-up call”. Then for whatever reason we go back to sleep. Barbadians may actually need a major disaster for these matters to be squarely addressed at every level. I hope it does not have to come to this
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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
February 2014