START UPS Henry Lewis’ passion takes shape By: Andre’ Burnett
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For an entrepreneur, the development of a better product than that of your competitors is as ideal as one could hope for. In that case, imagine entering a market where competitors are non-existent because the product that you have developed is yourself and that product is the only of its kind in the region. This is the enviable situation that Guyanese born executive coach, Henry Lewis, has found himself in and he did it simply by doing what he feels he was destined to do…helping people develop.
of high profile clients such as Olympian Shelly-Ann Fraser. “The Caribbean Coaching Centre has the potential to be the main coaching organization in the Caribbean and certainly the most prominent and this is the ultimate goal”, says the smiling executive coach.
The 37 year old psychologist and teacher for over 16 years is the CEO and founder of Caribbean Coaching Center, a coaching consultancy and training center based in Jamaica. The company which is a little over a year old has been making steady headway into corporate Jamaica by offering the service of life and executive coaching, an industry which has taken off around the world gaining popularity in the past decade or so. “I was drawn to psychology because I was always interested in working people and helping them to develop”, explained the quietly selfassured entrepreneur, “but in psychology I found myself tackling psychological issues and not launching people into the future, this is what coaching does and this is the best way I see myself helping people”.
Henry Lewis founder and CEO of Caribbean Coaching Center
Mr. Lewis says that he has been considering establishing a Coaching and Leadership College for about five years before he finally decided to take the plunge but in a slightly different format. At present Mr. Lewis is the only coach at the Caribbean Coaching Centre but he is looking to train people so he can have a fully functional set of coaches at his disposal. Being the only enterprise of its kind in the country also has its drawbacks as Mr. Lewis is faced with the challenge of introducing a fairly new concept to the minds of the people. This has been overcome, he says, by the exposure garnered by interviews done in the newspaper, on the radio, through functions that he has organized and a lot of work on social networks such as Facebook. The rewards are being reaped as the Caribbean Coaching Centre is a learning partner of the National Commercial Bank as well as being home to a number
Capital s in . The main capital input wa ess sin bu the am I e, cas s “In thi lot of people particular skill set that a equipping myself with a business rticular advantage that my do not have. This is a pa es out there” has over a lot of business Marketing e that I y interview or appearanc “I am selling myself so an paper to ting value. From, the news make yields a lot of marke o very als ds up. Social networks are the breakfast club it all ad rk on were as a result of my wo nts clie r fou t las my l; itfu fru these sites. Labour some staff member so that eases At present, I am the only they will in the additional coaches tra I en wh t Bu . nts rai nst co of itself ducing so that takes care pro are y the as ng rni ea be as in that regard.
BUSINESS LOUNGE Swapping Debt for Prosperity: Dr. Adrian Stokes is in the Business Lounge Your Money Reporter: Andre Burnett
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hat’s another rating downgrade to a country that has been on a rather precipitous decline in recent years? Especially a downgrade that comes as a result of an initiative, which many have hailed as a very responsible move by a sitting government that could do with some popular support. The initiative is the Jamaican Debt Exchange (JDX) programme that was launched on the 14th of January, 2010. The programme is set to save the country over $40 billion over the next year by requesting investors to voluntarily exchange over $700 billion in existing GOJ bonds for new ones at lower interest rates. On the back of the debt swap, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed in principle to the US $1.25 billion stand-by agreement that the Government had been trying to hammer out since last year indicating that the debt restructuring was in accordance with the IMF’s wishes. It seems that support for this initiative by the Government is wide and financial institution Jamaica Money Market Brokers ( JMMB) has been one of the most vocal supporters to date with others falling in line to the Government’s delight. To discuss the benefits and implications of this initiative, Your Money invited Senior Investment Manager at JMMB, Dr. Adrian Stokes to sit in our Business Lounge. Dr. Stokes who holds a PhD in International Finance explained the financial sector’s support for the JDX. “We have realized that without a bold initiative there would be serious questions about the economic viability and sustainability of the sector”, said Dr. Stokes, “support for this plan is a case of enlightened self interest to endure the short term pain for the long term gain.” Dr. Stokes went on to assure the Business Lounge that JMMB is sufficiently capitalized and has sufficient liquidity to ensure that the short term pain is not severe. As for the long term gain of which Dr. Stokes makes mention, he says that the first round impact will see an increase in the cash of the government giving the room to maneuver. “The second round
effect will see the a sustainable lowering of the interest rates leading the more market consumption”, says the investment guru, “it should also decrease the appetite for government paper thus creating more opportunities for micro, small and medium sized enterprises, helping entrepreneurs to raise capital for their companies as government paper will not be the only source of investment return.” Mr. Stokes ended by saying that there is a strong showing of support in the financial sector; he only hopes that people will put their money where their mouths are. “Jamaica needs a significant game changer, I only hope that this is it”, closed Dr. Stokes.
YOUR MONEY INSIGHTS
Haiti: Hope in Devastation By: Andre Burnett
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uman beings are unable to discern the actual passage of time when exposed to severe amounts of stress which leads to the perceived effect of time slowing down. The furthest depths of one’s imaginations may not be adequate to comprehend what must have gone through the minds of the people as Haiti as a massive earthquake ripped buildings apart minutes before 5pm on the 12th of January, 2010. A minute must have seemed like an eternity, and after eternity had passed the survivors and the world looked in despair and for a second felt utterly humbled by the power of our planet. With the world transfixed on the efforts to aid the Caribbean country in their time of need, the words of a University professor in the UK, meant to convey the scale of destruction, achieved their intentions but inadvertently struck another chord. Dr. Roger Searle described the damage to Haiti as comparable to destruction caused by the energy of 35 atomic bombs and with that comparison he may have sparked the flame of hope with the sooty blackness of the present anguish. The atomic bomb reference may spoken to the extent of damage but for anyone who has heard of the Japanese and German post-war economic miracles, the comparison should hold particular interest to the long term prospects of the long ravaged Caribbean country. When Japan emerged from the Second World War a country less focused on military dominance the opportunity was there for Japan to focus on its own development. US occupation of Japan is not a fair parallel to what the United States continued assistance to Haiti could become but the willingness of the other countries of the world to aid the ravaged country could present an opportunity for Haiti to make a drive for the economic and social fruitfulness it had never achieved. The similarities in devastation may be similar, but unfortunately the extraordinary booms exhibited by Germany and Japan may have a hard time being replicated in Haiti without a high
level of impetus from committed partners. The Japanese especially had an advantage over similar “developing countries� at the time because their emphasis on education saw them the holders of a reservoir of workers with technical and scientific expertise. At the same time the devastation in Haiti removes the reluctance to invest in new infrastructure and new systems, it simply has to be done. There is time to reflect, mourn but the examples of Japan and Germany should be somewhere in the back of all minds as we look forward to a new day in Haiti, some day.
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