This month, the Entrepreneur Weekly is serving up resources and inspiration for the everyday entrepreneur in need of a boost for the journey. Inspiration is such an underplayed value in this space of entrepreneurship because we often miss how role models and mentors can be of great support for this journey.
Interestingly, in a study conducted by Olivet Nazarene University, researchers found that 76% of respondents felt mentorship was important, yet only 37% had an active mentor relationship at the time of the survey. According to Forbes Magazine, ” Mentoring is widely recognised as a key strategy for career development and progression, but there’s a long way to go before it’s a part of every career journey.”
Today, we are looking at a few inspiring entrepreneurs in the local space who have struck gold because of their bravery and knowledge. In this digital age, we can get a glimpse into the journey of others and be able to pull inspiration from how they conduct themselves professionally.
Kalilah Reynolds
First up, Mrs. Kalilah Reynolds, who is proof that you don’t have to be one-tracked in any way and your skills and knowledge can build on each other to create a niche space for you. Mrs. Reynolds is an award-winning business and finance journalist, who served in media both in Jamaica and Belize for 20 years.
She has now begun forging her path as a financial educator and entrepreneur. In 2020, she launched Kalilah Reynolds Media (KRM) which creates financial news and educational content for social media. She mentions on her website that “Its mission is to help people create and maintain personal wealth and prosperous economies by making business and finance easy to understand.” She is also the Executive Producer of Taking Stock, with over 2 million views on YouTube. Small business owners can both be informed by Kahlila’s insightful content as well as inspired by her progress in entrepreneurship.
Kadeen Mairs
Kadeen Mairs, is another name that has been making the rounds as his company Dolla Financial has been experiencing success. According to the Jamaica Observer, “Dolla had a historic year, setting the record for the largest oversubscription for a Junior Market initial public offering (IPO) on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) and listing two tranches of its bond on the JSE Private Market in less than five months after its IPO, tripling its balance sheet from $861.09 million to over $2.40 billion in 2022.”
Kadeen Mairs is now certainly being seen as an entrepreneur and strategist with great vision and insight. Our Today shared that Kadeen’s philosophy of “solving problems and creating businesses with the solutions” has resulted in extraordinary business success and inspiring initiatives.”
Tyrone Wilson
iCreate is steadily becoming more and more familiar especially among people in the creative space. This team is led by Mr. Tyrone Wilson who the Jamaica Observer dubbed as “The comeback kid.” In an article by the Jamaica Observer titled 23 to watch in 2023, it said that “iCreate was at one point the best-performing stock on the JSE and managed to end the year in this position as well.” The article went on to say “Set on a plan to deliver US$2 million in revenue and US$1 million in net profit, the Tyrone Wilson-led company managed to close out on the acquisition of outdoor advertising company Visual Vibe Limited and will become the fourth company to graduate from the Junior Market to the Main Market.”
Tyrone exemplifies the dynamism involved in entrepreneurship and the vision for iCreate has evolved into a group with training, advertising, real estate, media and entertainment, and tech & e-commerce divisions.
Ryan Reid
Mr. Ryan Reid is the Executive Chairman of First Rock which he co-founded with Dr Michael Banbury. He brings to the fore over 12 years of experience in the real estate and financial sectors, with a number of that being executive level in the financial sector. Ryan is an inspiration as he has set his mind from a young age to pursue what he is pursuing now.
In an interview with the Gleaner, he said “I have always wanted to be involved in the financial sector. During summer internships working in banks, I was exposed to different elements of the industry.” According to the Jamaica Observer, “First Rock Real Estate Investments Limited began its share buy-back and is also looking to complete its Hambani development and begin construction of Bonne Chance in New Kingston. It is also involved as part of a consortium looking to purchase Medical Associates Hospital and is seeking to develop luxury villas in St Thomas.”
JBDC’s Inspiring Homegrown B.O.S.Ses
The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) consistently recognises its inspiring clients who have achieved great measures of success in their respective fields. The JBDC annually awards four entrepreneurs who embody the entrepreneurial spirit and mindset, embrace a culture of innovation, have evidenced significant changes in revenue and have entered the export market/or have introduced a new product/service to the market.
These entrepreneurs are awarded JBDC B.O.S.S Lady and JBDC B.O.S.S Man of the Year. Last year saw Mr. Hjort Henry of HMH Farms and Dr. Elorine Turner-Pryce of Eden Joy Whole Foods copping the top prizes. Read more: https://www.jbdc.net/four-home-grown-entrepreneurs-awarded-jbdc-b-o-s-s-of-the-year. Additionally, through the JBDC’s YouTube channel, inspiring stories are shared through the Entrepreneurs Journey series. Interested entrepreneurs can watch the series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL962j2uEhv5cMwYlSvtDWVpd7_36XdvER.
References
https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20181130/ryan-reids-extraordinary-journey-success
https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/23-to-watch-in-23/amp/
