Caribbean Power Lunch with Kevin Valley: Recent Episodes

Kevin Valley

From the Caribbean to the world. This podcast aims to support those looking to grow and scale their businesses, and compete on the global stage.

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In this episode of The Value with Kevin Valley, we are with Nicholas Rees; a digital payment specialist, chartered accountant, private equity investor, and two-time Olympian from the Bahamas.

Nicholas discusses his PPP business model - People, Planet, Profit - and his multifaceted career journey from an Olympic swimmer to founding several businesses, including his successful digital payments platform, Kanoo.

He elaborates on his family's storied history, his educational background, and his extensive entrepreneurial ventures, such as his innovative water company, Everfresh. Nicholas also provides insight into Kanoo's operations, its role in the Bahamian digital currency ecosystem, digital financial inclusion efforts, and strategic acquisitions, including the recent acquisition of Trinidad-based fintech, LUHU.

He emphasizes the importance of technology investment in the Caribbean and shares valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the region.

Timestamps:

02:50 Nicholas Rees' Early Life and Family Legacy

06:31 From Swimming to Business: The Transition

08:28 The Struggles and Triumphs of Starting a Business

10:48 The Water Business: A Social Impact Story

16:05 Educational Pursuits and Career Milestones

24:57 The Birth and Growth of Kanoo

29:21 Kanoo's Vision and Future Plans

31:13 Empowering Businesses with Digital Tools

34:05 The Sand Dollar: Bahamas' Digital Currency

36:57 Challenges and Innovations in Digital Payments

40:03 Financial Inclusion in Remote Areas

45:05 Kanoo's Strategic Acquisitions and Partnerships

57:18 Investment Opportunities in Caribbean Tech

01:01:37 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

01:03:53 Conclusion and Farewell

In this episode, Kevin Valley engages with Bill Huston, a leading expert in the field of investment crowdfunding and recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the top 19 global crowdfunding professionals. Together, they explore the various forms of crowdfunding—donation, rewards, and investment—and discuss their unique advantages, particularly for underserved communities.

Bill sheds light on his journey from Cincinnati to becoming a prominent figure in the crowdfunding industry, emphasizing the significance of community, mentorship, and access to capital.

The discussion also highlights the need for increased awareness and education about crowdfunding among government bodies and financiers.

Bill outlines strategies to use crowdfunding as a demonstration of due diligence and the role of robust business plans. He acknowledges regional advancements, particularly in the Caribbean, and predicts a future with more opportunities for non-accredited investors through community-driven models.

Throughout the episode, Bill underscores that while not everyone may become an entrepreneur, everyone has the potential to be an investor.

Segments:

Introduction to Investment Crowdfunding
Bill: Talks extensively about the fundamentals of crowdfunding, distinguishing between investment crowdfunding and rewards crowdfunding. He gives examples like the Oculus Rift to highlight the differences.

Bill Huston's Journey

Bill: Shares his personal and professional journey from starting local food businesses to becoming a recognized expert in crowdfunding. His experiences emphasize the importance of community-focused investments.

Impact of Crowdfunding on Community Wealth

Bill: Discusses how crowdfunding can serve as a tool for building wealth in low-wealth communities, especially focusing on black and Latino business owners. He shares success stories such as Black Coffee and Roots & Vines.

Crowdfunding Strategies

Bill: Introduces the 'crowdfit' strategy, focusing on the importance of engaging one's closest networks first to hit minimum funding targets. He explains how this strategy works and why it's effective for underserved communities.

International Crowdfunding and Regulation

Bill and Kevin: Discuss the potential for crowdfunding in international markets, particularly the Caribbean. They touch on regulatory challenges and provide insights into making crowdfunding work in these areas.

Future of Crowdfunding

Bill: Shares his vision on the future of crowdfunding. Talks about its growing importance and potential impact on small businesses, real estate, and community projects.

Key Takeaways:

Investment crowdfunding goes beyond financial returns by contributing to community wealth-building.
The 'crowdfit' strategy is effective in helping small businesses hit their initial funding targets by engaging closely with their primary and secondary networks.
There is a big opportunity for crowdfunding in international markets, although regulatory challenges need to be addressed.
Crowdfunding has the potential to democratize access to investment opportunities, making it crucial for economic growth and community development.

Resources Mentioned:

Fund Black Founders
Kickstarter
Indiegogo
WeFunder
Raiseway
Crowdfund Better
10K Project

Highlights:

02:41 Bill Huston's Early Life and Career
07:50 Entrepreneurial Journey Begins
14:14 Crowdfunding Ventures and Challenges
21:15 The Power of Community Capital
31:07 Rewards vs. Investment Crowdfunding
39:22 The Power of Crowdfunding
40:54 Understanding SAFE Agreements
43:12 Challenges in Crowdfunding
43:19 The Role of Raiseway
44:31 Crowdfunding Statistics
45:15 The Importance of Community Support
46:03 Crowdfunding Education and Engagement
51:19 Crowdfit Investment Strategy
55:35 Ideal Products for Crowdfunding
01:01:25 Crowdfunding in the Caribbean
01:11:06 Future of Crowdfunding
01:15:00 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

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In this episode, we converse with Will Greenblatt, an acclaimed author and public speaking coach who has aided founders in raising over $350 million.

The discussion tackles the ever-present issue of stage fright and offers strategies to manage it effectively. Greenblatt shares his upbringing rooted in acting, his experiences as a child star, and overcoming various life challenges that shaped his approach to public speaking and entrepreneurship.

Emphasizing the importance of founder market fit and personal connection to business problems, Greenblatt provides insights into what investors look for, such as credibility and effective communication. He underscores the emotional aspects of pitching and stresses authenticity and passion in delivering compelling pitches.

The episode is filled with actionable advice on improving public speaking skills, building strong investor relationships, and mastering the art of compelling business pitches.

00:00 Overcoming Stage Fright

00:37 Introduction to the Podcast

01:00 Meet Will Greenblatt

02:06 Will's Acting Journey

02:57 Family Legacy and Early Acting Career

06:40 Challenges of Child Acting

14:58 Coping with Grief and Mental Health

30:30 Therapy and Personal Growth

37:17 The Fear of Public Speaking

38:19 Understanding Anxiety and Its Lies

39:58 Personal Experiences with Stage Fright

43:37 Overcoming Stage Fright: Practical Tips

55:18 The Five Acts Framework for Public Speaking

01:02:52 The Importance of Emotional Connection in Pitching

01:10:20 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

References

Watch this interview on YouTube
Transform Your Speaking Skills: Gain Confidence, Captivate Audiences and Advance Your Career by Will Greenblatt

For more of Will

LinkedIn: Will Greenblatt
YouTube: Your Public Speaking Coach

None

This episode features educator and high-performance coach Dr. Shelly-Ann Gajadhar. Dr. Shelly is the founder and Mentor of a women’s mentorship online community of 200+ women called the Go Bravely Mentorship Community and the Author of a daily inspirational book for women entitled Go Bravely: Building Confidence Daily. Having shifted careers from law to business and academia, she blends academic principles with effective management and mindful leadership, delivering rapid results.

In this episode, Dr. Shelly talks about her PhD journey and challenges as a black woman pursuing a PhD. in the UK. She imparts her insights on performance management, a crucial skill for entrepreneurs seeking to excel in their endeavours. Moreover, she also dropped a lot of tips on various topics spanning brand identity, task management, and product launches. Get ready to delve into a wealth of knowledge in this episode as we kickstart our journey toward high performance together.

Highlights:

00:00 Unlocking Self-Leadership and High Performance
00:57 Podcast Introduction: High-Performing Entrepreneurs
02:32 Journey of Transformation: From Law to Leadership
04:48 Navigating Challenges as a Caribbean Academic in the UK
07:05 Activism and Advocacy: Championing Diversity in Academia
19:25 The Genesis of 'Go Bravely': Turning Mantra into Movement
23:20 Mentorship and Building a Community of Empowered Women
33:02 High Performance Coaching: Legacy, Vision, and Systems
39:04 The Power of Staying in Your Lane
39:45 The Impact of Focusing on Your Audience
40:22 Leveraging Influence Over Imitation
40:51 Redefining Success Through Discipline and Inspiration
41:26 Task Management vs. Time Management: A New Approach
45:16 Planning Your Week for Maximum Productivity
51:48 The Magic of Writing Things Down
56:02 Strategies for Successful Product Launches
01:04:39 From Message to Movement: Upcoming Leadership Bootcamp
01:04:51 Vision and Growth: The Future of Alphastute
01:09:38 Innovative Ideas and Personal Projects
01:12:17 Final Thoughts: The Dream Chose You

In this episode, we are with the Managing Director of The Bahamas Development Bank (BDB), Nicholas Higgs. Nicholas was also the Director and Chief Operating Officer for the Access Accelerator Small Business Development Center (SBDC), where he led the business development department. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with deep expertise in development finance, research, and capital raising.

Here we delve into investing and raising funds in the Bahamas. Nicholas discusses his journey as a managing director, sharing insights gained along the way. He also emphasizes the importance of networking, tenacity, and expanding one’s horizons. Join us as we look deeper into the Bahamian economy and explore its investment opportunities.

Highlights:

[02:08] Taking on the role of Managing Director at the age of 31
[05:27] The value of networking and controlling your narrative
[12:36] Overcoming fears and getting out of the box
[19:00] The power of tenacity
[24:43] The art of valuation
[29:23] Nicholas’ insights in raising funds and securing deals
[36:07] The Bahamian economy during the COVID-19 Pandemic
[40:43] The Bahamas Development Bank and its rebranding
[43:05] The Sleeping Giant: Bahamas’ Potential and Opportunities
[48:11] Investing and raising capital in the Bahamas
[51:38] Crowdfunding in the Caribbean
[53:45] The BDB’s vision and goals
[59:22] BDB’s fund allocation
[01:00:39] How do you present your business for financing
[01:05:19] Common misconceptions about investing in the Caribbean
[01:10:57] Nicholas’ upcoming podcast: Mastering Finance

In this technologically advanced world, everything is getting digitalized. For any business to keep up, it has to learn how to efficiently incorporate technology into its processes.

In this episode, digital marketing and e-commerce specialist Keron Rose sits with us as we delve into the world of digital marketing and e-commerce. Keron is also a writer and a podcast host, and his platforms aim to educate Caribbean entrepreneurs about the technology they need to start a business.

Here, Keron discusses the different digital payment platforms available in the Caribbean and the value proposition they offer. He emphasizes the importance of considering the pros and cons of the various digital payment facilitators and choosing the most suitable for your business.

Highlights:

Keron’s journey to digital marketing and e-commerce
Exploring the different payment platforms and knowing what suits you
Digital tools and strategies to enhance your online presence
Utilizing digital tools to build your brand: success stories
Challenges in adopting digital payment solutions
Understanding how various digital payments work
Looking into the value proposition of different payment facilitators
Republic Bank’s Endcash digital wallet
Weighing payment solutions and consumer behaviour
Digital payments: A look into the future
The importance of legal conversations on fintech

Resources:

Digipreneur FM
Keron Rose Website

Today, we are with Cherie Williams, an accomplished entrepreneur and visionary. Cherie is the founder of FIRM1040, a tax firm assisting clients in different aspects of their financial lives, and owner of Veekle.

Purposely driven, Veekle is a digital peer-to-peer car renting business. She is an experienced accountant holding certifications from the New Jersey Certified Public Accountancy Board, an MBA in Finance, and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting. Having gained valuable experience in corporate leadership roles before starting her own ventures, Cherie is well-positioned for the entrepreneurial journey. She has a deep passion for helping others.

In this insightful episode, Cherie glances at her journey as an entrepreneur venturing into various start-ups. She shares with us the inspiration behind Veekle, how she turned this concept into reality, and how she manages the challenges any self-funding business faces.

Highlights:

Cherie's journey to entrepreneurship
How the concept of Veekle came to being
What is MVP and why utilize it
How to keep your sanity through the process
How the Veekle platform works
Pitch competitions, their benefits, and how to prepare for them
Taking the business to the next level
Biggest challenges in growing the business
Advocating your business, getting feedback, and taking the risk
The actuality of running a business
Cherie's advice for entrepreneurs

Contact Cherie Williams:

LinkedIn: Cherie Williams, CPA, MBA

Instagram: @iamcheriewilliams

Find out more about Veekle:

LInkedIn: Veekle™

Facebook: facebook.com/justveekle

Instagram: @justveekle

Twitter: @justveekle

In this episode, we are with the well-known Caribbean media professional Samantha Best. Samantha is widely known as a former prime-time news anchor at CCN TV6, but more than that, she is an accomplished author, content consultant, and insurance agent. It was her ability to connect with the audience and her personal touch that made her one of the most popular media personalities on television and radio. In 2023, she made a career shift as she became a member of the Guardian Group as an insurance agent, making a positive impact on people's lives.

Samantha enjoys empowering people to work smart and make more which is what this episode is about. She shares her journey from her humble beginnings in the media industry to transitioning in different career paths. Moreover, she emphasizes the benefits of insurance and the importance of time management in achieving success.

Key Takeaways:

Samantha's life before entering the media industry
Finding her path in media and handling the pressures of being a beginner
How can you improve your craft
You must have different layers and be in different places to build your brand.
Learn from your mistakes.
Dealing with burnout and negative comments
Samantha's journey on rebranding and getting back to her passion
Being a woman in media and Samantha's advice to those aiming to get into the media industry
Samantha's unique approach to insurance and financial freedom
Build a system of content creation that fits your routine. It can be different for everybody.
How to manage your time and get organized.

Resources:

The Balance Block Method: A Guide to Improved Time Management and Productivity by Samantha Best
Transform Your Life With Samantha's Balanced Success Checklist

Contact Samantha Best

Website: samanthabest.life

Facebook: Samantha Best • Insurance Agent

Instagram: @your.personalinsuranceagent

YouTube: Samantha Best • Insurance Agent

In this insightful episode, we are with Ocey Phillips, an expert on digital transformation, focused on assisting companies in keeping up with customer needs in a technologically advanced world. He helps companies grow revenue by matching their perceived value with the problems consumers are looking for solutions to. As an experienced digital consultant with over ten years of successes and failures in the digital, technology, ICT, and telecoms sectors, he is adept at handling various projects and challenges.

As Ocey sits down with us in this episode, we take a deep dive into the Caribbean financial services sector and talk about reinventing the process to adapt to the technologically advanced world. He also shares his insights on managing and adding value to businesses.

Key Takeaways:

Defining Digital Darwinism
People management through framework and autonomy
What inspired Ocey to reinvent himself?
Introducing Inifye: A brief overview
Key challenges in the Caribbean financial services sector
The benefits of reinventing the process and going digital
Total customer experience: What determines a value of a company
Constantly be proactive with your market research
Upscaling your business with a marketplace business model
Go into business thoroughly, and understand every aspect.
Staying ahead with prompt engineering
Business vs. Hobby: What makes a business
It is essential to have an understanding of the various business models.
Going back to the core business principles
Finding value in the Caribbean Fintech sector
Challenges in funding within the Caribbean region

Resources:

Disrupt You: Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation by Jay Samit

Watch this interview on YouTube here

Disrupt You!: Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation

In this episode of The Value podcast, host Kevin Valley sits down with Jynynn Edwards and Keron Rose of “The Digital World” radio programme on 106.5FM for an insightful interview about his work as a Chartered Business Valuator and podcaster. The conversation covers a wide range of topics related to business valuation and entrepreneurship, including:

Kevin's professional background in business valuation
Understanding what a Chartered Business Valuator does
Basic steps to building an investible business
Why do small businesses fail to access capital from banks & available alternatives
How to value intellectual property and brands (
Knowing when to choose a business canvas over a business plan
The story behind the Caribbean Power Lunch Podcast and subsequent transition to The Value Show
Views on podcasting as a medium in 2023

Throughout the episode, Kevin shares his expertise on these topics and provides practical advice for entrepreneurs and business owners. He also discusses his mission to educate business owners at scale while working with investors to source profitable opportunities.

Overall, this episode provides valuable insights into the world of business valuation and entrepreneurship and is a must-listen for anyone interested in building a highly valuable and investible business.

Kevin Valley visits his high school alma mater to address the current cohort on the topic “What I Have Learnt”. This series was designed to engage young men in conversations with past students on key lessons they have learnt after leaving the school. The speeches take on a well-rounded perspective on life not limited simply to everyday career advice.

In this speech, Kevin leaves the students with three potent lessons:

Daydreams are powerful;
It’s not about you; your purpose is to serve
Resilience wins the long game.

Smartly intertwined with stories about his own failures, determination, and success, he drives home the key lesson of listening to your inner voice because it knows you best.

Feeling a bit uncertain in your journey? Press play for some inspiration.

In this episode, Jarrod Best-Mitchell, a sales consultant with almost two decades of experience, shares his insights on the art of sales. He has worked at several top local and international corporations and has trained hundreds of sales professionals in current sales techniques to improve their performance and achieve their goals. His company, Help Me Sell, offers sales team coaching, sales process auditing, and helps C-level executives optimize their LinkedIn profiles.

Jarrod firmly believes that "nothing happens until a sale is made" and has a track record that speaks for itself, having generated over 2 million organic views of his content in the last 22 months. He delves into topics such as the importance of mindset in sales, debunking the myth of the sales personality, the real key to learning how to sell, using content to answer customer questions and reach more people, and the importance of using video content to build trust and authority with strangers. He also touches on how to identify your ideal client and close the sale, understanding your value, and pricing appropriately, as well as the importance of data and insights to solving business problems.

This episode is a must-listen for business owners, sales professionals, and service providers, as it is filled with powerful insights that can help improve your sales performance and achieve your goals. With Jarrod's impressive track record, you can be sure that the advice he shares is practical and actionable.

The Indomitable Tishauna P. Mullings takes the interview mic on this episode of The Value.

Self-described as a Jamaican “pracademic” who loves to question orthodoxy, Tishauna loves and believes in academia to the extent it can help create real solutions for people’s lives. She is a social entrepreneur who believes the world is full of too many issues for folks to go into business ONLY for profit.

With a resume as long as it is inspiring, Tishauna wears several hats as a youth leader, community builder, and social development practitioner. Her work centres around building community wealth through rural regeneration. She is the founder of the Little Genius programme and NexxStepp Lifelong Educational Services, a social enterprise focused on empowering young people by equipping them with practical skills for employment.

Additionally, Tishauna is a Caribbean 30 under 30 Award recipient, Chevening Scholar, the winner of the 2013/2014 Farm Queen competition, Recipient of the Governor-General’s Award for St. Thomas in 2015, and a delegate for President Barack Obama’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative.

This episode is an inspiring and informative conversation on:

How to tap into your potential to make change in the space you live in
Tishauna’s testimony of how life coaching impacted her life and how she has used her experience to empower others
A brief introduction to her Ready-Set-Go Coaching Model and How it works
The Little Genius programme and NexxStepp Lifelong Educational Services and their respective social impacts
Understanding the value of social enterprises
How entrepreneurs can use the cross-subsidization model to meet profit goals while investing in social enterprises
Differentiating between Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Entrepreneurship
How profit-led businesses can better serve social causes

Tune in to this episode as we learn how to build community wealth with Tishauna P. Mullings.

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

Operating at the intersection of technology and business analytics, Jason Valley has spent over 2 decades using technology to add value to businesses.

His exemplary career spans the finance, oil & gas, and telecommunications sectors where his projects improved turnaround time on business processes. His unwavering commitment to efficiency and excellence earned him the honour of ‘Employee of the Year’ in 1998 and 2010 while his team was recognized as Best-in-Class globally for process optimization.

Following these successes, he ventured into the rewarding world of entrepreneurship seeking to help small to medium-sized businesses optimize their operations.

This interview is jampacked with stories, lessons, and advice on:

Opening doors for emerging talent using tech
The Importance of Passion and Profits in deciding whether to pivot or scale
The difference between being "One in a million" vs "One of a million" and what that means for your value
The importance of market research and testing seemingly good ideas to identify the right business opportunity
Using free trials to sell your Value proposition
The importance of a database of leads to build brand awareness and facilitate new business development
How to generate client trust with technology
How Caribbean service providers can use tech to maximize time and money.

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

Steven Jasmin recognized Guyana’s investment potential back when he first arrived in June 2017. The stark similarities between Guyana and Louisiana; the off-shore centre for oil & gas production in the US; made him a believer in Guyana‘s investibility.

5 years after settling in, Steven and his team have a clear understanding of the Guyanese people as well as the opportunities that lie ahead for the "land of many waters". What he brings to the table and offers to multi-generational blue-collar business owners hoping to have a piece of the oil & gas pie, is his ability to speak the language of Fortune 500 companies.

He bridges the gap between local businesses seeking to work with large energy conglomerates by overseeing investments and handling key operational tasks required for big business collaborations.

This episode explores the realities of Guyana’s investibility including

Key challenges faced by foreign and local investors;
Opportunities for wealth building, investment and economic growth;
Capital solutions for investment; Guyana’s diversification options; and
The impact of technology on sector development.

Tap in to hear more on Guyana’s investment climate and how Steven and his team are working to create greater opportunities for Investment.

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

Jay Harris is the Founder of the W3 Podcasts, which produces audio shows to educate and encourage Web3 communities. Jay describes himself as an artist who uses podcasts as a medium for sharing his creativity with the world.

Jay is also an engaging public speaker who is able to connect with the needs of his audience to inspire performance, collaboration, and change. Many of Jay’s listeners credit him with providing the motivation they needed to launch their Web3 projects.

In the corporate world, Jay is known as a creative thinker with a proven track record of designing robust technology solutions for complex business problems. His passion for life-long learning drives his problem-solving ability, and these two attributes are his most powerful assets.

Our conversation sheds light on some important themes in Web 3 and instructs listeners on the key differences between these digital platforms & technologies.

We discuss:

Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Ethereum, NFTs and the Metaverse (what they are and how they are used)
The first step in building a crypto wallet
Mitigating risk in an unregulated market
How businesses can capitalize on these digital platforms

Plug into this week’s episode to learn more about the next generation of digital platforms.

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

Every year, I see top talent leaving the country to go live and work somewhere else. And every year it stings - the loss of opportunity. If you are in a developing country, you've most likely felt this as well, and if you are in a developed country you've probably benefitted from this - the Brain Drain. Here are my thoughts on how to fix this.

Click here to join the conversation on LinkedIn.

In this episode, I touch base with Kimberly Ofori, a digital entrepreneur and growth step strategist who transformed lessons learnt from her eye-opening entrepreneurial journey into a personal leadership brand.

Kimberly serves as the Managing Director at Ofori & Co. - A Strategy Innovation Agency where she helps scale-ups and corporations to innovate their business models and overall strategic positioning in their respective markets.

Thanks to her rather unconventional corporate and entrepreneurial career; from climbing up the career ladder starting at a very young age to working and living in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe where she founded and sold two companies - she has amassed a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience on what it takes to choose to be in the lead of your own life, in your career and on leading others. This is why she has been coaching leaders and leadership teams on personal leadership using The Lead method, a personal leadership methodology developed by Kimberly herself.

Kimberly deep dives into critical business lessons learnt from various ventures and provides brilliant insight into reasons companies fail, selecting the right business model, value chain positioning and the importance of innovation to remaining resilient.

Our rich discussion reaches a climax as Kimberly shares a Five Factor Model for scaling a business.

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

Have you ever taken the time to develop a business plan, and pitch your idea to investors?

Raise a virtual hand.

Awesome, were you able to win the investment?

Have you ever developed a business idea that needed funding to get off the ground, but never got around to meeting with potential investors? Maybe you were unsure of how to present it, maybe you were afraid, or maybe you just didn’t know where to find investors to fund your idea.

Ok, let’s cast a bigger net – have you ever wanted to become an entrepreneur but hit a mental wall when you think “How on earth am I going to get the money to do this?”

If none of this applies to you, I appreciate you for clicking through anyway 😊.

If you did raise a virtual hand, I am one of you - here's my story.

Articles for reference:

Failing to Raise Money Can be the Greatest Thing That Ever Happened
How To De-Risk Your Startup For Investors

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

Milène Paul has been motivating millennial audiences since 2010 on YouTube. Encouraging them to stand up and speak up. What started as a selfless act to share her journey to self-acceptance surpassed 2 million views a decade later.

In 2017, she released her book as a self-published author “Now, it's time to live my best life”. Each word was chosen to empower anyone who has found themselves in a rut, hitting rock bottom. Milène helps them make the transition from confusion to decision with a practical step-by-step strategic decision-making process.

Rooted in her 10+ years of experience in project management, grants compliance and international development strategy for SMEs in the Caribbean, she has met hundreds of business owners and entrepreneurs. It is where she learned a valuable truth in business: “If they don’t get it, you won’t get it”.

Valuable projects have failed to receive financial support because of a lack of clarity and confidence. Convinced that she could do something about it, Milène decided to turn her experience into profitable expertise to fill this void. Now, as a business strategist for female entrepreneurs in the coaching and consultancy industry, she helps her clients pitch, profit and impact with more confidence.

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

I am proud to announce the rebranding of the Caribbean Power Lunch podcast to The Value and what to expect in future episodes!

This episode covers:

The origin of the Caribbean Power Lunch podcast
My decision to dive fully into entrepreneurship
Become Investible, the brand
What Value means to me
The legacy I want to build
An introduction of my framework for a valued business

To determine if you are building a business which is ready to scale, investible, and highly valuable, take the Business Value Scorecard assessment at kevinvalue.com/scorecard.

In this episode, I talk to global keynote speaker, resilience expert and author Michael K. Jackson.

Having overcome significant challenges on his own personal and professional life, Michael walks us through what it takes to Build Back Stronger.

This episode is a much needed lesson on resilience, adversity, and hope as well as uncovering Michael’s P-L-A-N framework: a method for dealing with problems, difficulties, and conflicts on the journey to success.

In his time, Platinum Album selling and Grammy Award-Winning musician, Peter Tosh was well-known for his advocacy for equal rights and the legalization of cannabis. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1987 but his legacy lives on.

“You can talk about things till you're blue in the face, but sometimes you just got to go through it,” says Niambe McIntosh, the youngest daughter of the legend on this episode of Caribbean Power Lunch.

In our discussion, Niambe shares the tumultuous learning curve, challenges, victories, and growth she experienced as the administrator of her father’s brand and legacy.

As a formidable businesswoman and visionary, Niambe serves as the head of the Peter Tosh Legacy and Brand; Managing Member of Tosh Holdings LLC (IP); Board Chairperson for the Peter Tosh Foundation Ltd.; and the President of PT Capital LLC (Cannabis).

Listen in as she shares the thought-provoking realities of:

Crafting the direction of a legacy brand,
Understanding the importance of dedicating time and resources to “fixing the past” to create a sustainable future, and
Why she needed to fire her entire team and the journey of building a new strategic team through networking.

The first thing you need to know is that it is NOT all about your pitch.

Preparing to speak to investors is about a lot more than a polished pitch deck. Business owners should also understand how to outline what makes their companies Investible, including how to identify who your customers are, what they need, and how are you are solving their problems.

In this episode, Zahra Alleyne walks through the process of developing an Investible business model and what to consider when preparing to present to potential investors.

Founding team Brian and Ingrid Jahra discuss the evolution of CinemaONE, the Caribbean’s first IMAX experience, the pioneering step of becoming the first SME IPO in T&T, and the challenges of building a sustainable, wealth-generating business, while also focusing on future growth and possibilities.

In this conversation, we unpacked:

Importance of the IPO for SMEs
How to get to the IPO? What Is the Process?
What the Business Valuation process entails
Marketing the IPO
Evolution of CinemaOne
Growth of the Brand/Success Story
How to Develop the Customer Experience

At one point or another, we’ve all experienced the great inconvenience of car troubles. From car accidents to a blown tire or stalled battery - each one of these scenarios can seriously change the course of your day...right?

So how do you turn this everyday occurrence into a multimillion-dollar business? In this “Become Investible” feature, we take a closer look at Total Convenience Management Ltd… from a startup leasing and rental company to the group of companies it manages to date.

Every business has the potential to “become investible” - TCM grew its company through understanding the demand for their services and continuing to push the envelope in satisfying its customers. TCM is only one of many stories found right here in the Caribbean.

Can your business survive without you?

Did you know that 85% of failed business transitions occur because of poor communication, mistrust, and lack of planning?

Rochelle Clarke is a business advisor who specializes in keeping businesses in business with business continuity planning and transition preparation. Through her company, she ensures that retiring leaders, their incoming successors, and the businesses that support them are ready to move successfully to the next stage of their business’ lifecycle whether by succession or sale.

If the words: "Planning for the Unplanned'' ring clearly when she speaks, then "Be ready" echoes her sentiment.

Transitions may need to occur on any occasion and businesses must be adequately prepared for the change.

The Founder of Succession Strength, and the platform Continuity Strength, International keynote speaker, lecturer, and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Rochelle is also the author of "The 5 Critical Succession Conversations: A Comprehensive Guide for the Family Business".

In this episode, we discuss:

Business Continuity Planning,
Business Transition,
Succession Planning and Preparation,
The difference between the entrepreneur and the family business owner, and
6 tips for working with family and friends.

Succession Strength - Keeping businesses in business for generations.

Conferences, Cannabis, and Mushrooms. These seem disconnected, right? Well, actually, there’s one common factor…

“Five or six years down the line, if I do nothing… have I really been a good Caribbean citizen?” – Douglas K. Gordon.

Douglas is the founder of CanEx Jamaica Business Conference and Expo, an annual business event that connects top cannabis industry experts, and CEO of Silo Wellness, an alternative, and holistic health company focused on functional mushroom and psychedelic opportunities.

In this episode, Kevin Valley speaks with Douglas K. Gordon about the business of natural medicine business while addressing misconceptions and misinformation about cannabis and functional mushrooms.

Controversial? Perhaps. Informative? Yes!

This conversation uncovers:

Strategies used to create, maneuver challenges and expand a premier Caribbean event.
The story behind the legacy collaboration with the Marley brand.
The mind, body, and soul… Rest, resetting, and restoration through nature.

"Pain will find you, but you determine the length of its visit" - Jay Blessed.

Jay Blessed is an award-winning content creator and host of the In My Head Podcast which focuses on mental health.

In this timely episode, Kevin Valley and Jay Blessed have an open and frank discussion around:

Silent suffering, especially among men,
Dealing with pain, and
The 12-step healing process.

When everyone you know is having the same problem, the solution might be a successful business.

Kadion Preston, Co-Founder, and CEO of CaribShopper saw an opportunity to solve a common problem among Caribbean merchants and consumers by providing an easier way to buy goods from the United States.

When the original business model ran into challenges, the founders pivoted to solve another problem for their customers, now giving Caribbean merchants the opportunity to sell to overseas consumers. This shift, and the drive to find the investment capital to support it, came just before 2020, forcing even further innovation and evolution.

Kadion's journey is an example of the importance of embracing the opportunities presented, overcoming tragedy, and understanding that failure is a big part of the formula for success.

To assess the investibility of your business in under 6 minutes, go to becomeinvestible.com/scorecard

Unless a valuation can withstand intense scrutiny - it is just a number.

Defensibility is everything. ‍ Whether you are seeking to raise capital, negotiate investment terms, or sell your business - a defensible valuation is your starting point.

In this episode, Chartered Business Valuator, Kevin Valley discusses how a valuation engagement is conducted and what determines the value of your business.

For many entrepreneurs hoping to grow or scale their business, successfully sourcing investment capital is a major pain point. What investors are looking for can be a mystery.

This episode features a panel discussion with expert investors and finance professionals who give insight into why businesses succeed or fail to attract investment and outline what business owners can do to become more Investible.

Panelists include:

Chris Williams of PROVEN Investments,
Beresford Grey of SYGNUS Capital,
Karrian Hepburn-Malcolm of The Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corporation,
Kriss Marcus of Aspire Fund Management Company Limited, and
Vashtie Dookiesingh of The Inter-American Development Bank.

In this episode, we discuss how to increase the investibility of your business, create your own wealth engine, and how to protect, extract, diversify, and smoothly transfer that wealth to the next generation.

This episode features Zahra Alleyne from Become Investible and Tennille Whiskey from the Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corporation.

Topics covered include:

Building an Investible Business
Risk Management
Wealth Extraction
Diversification of Income Streams
Wealth Transfer

Can we become investible?

I recently sat down with Dike Rostant at TTT News station to discuss the professional services I offer; from business valuations to working with businesses to attract investment.

I also offered my perspectives on what is needed to foster a favourable environment for business, how to fortify our private sector, and what drives me to do all that I do.

It is not always about doing things better, but sometimes we simply need to do better things.

This belief is near and dear to the heart of Sian Cuffy-Young, a social entrepreneur who is driven by the need for environmental change and waste management education.

In this episode, we discuss:

Sian's journey and reason for becoming an environmental entrepreneur,
Reframing her mindset from student and employee to business owner,
Social Entrepreneurship: Environment and Business Case,
How to get started without funding,
An introduction to landfilling, and
What's next for Siel Environmental.

Sian recently launched her book "Ky's Magical Adventures" to teach children about waste management and awaken the Eco-Hero within them.

Let's talk about Serial Entrepreneurship.

From music to catering to tech to events, Osei Wright-Alexis has brought his business start-up formula to bear on numerous ventures over the last 15 years. Hear him explain how he knows which idea is going to be next, and when it's time to move on.

Once the challenge is gone, serial entrepreneurs are always looking for the next business spark to develop. Bringing an idea to fruition is exciting, but making sure a business is ready before you move takes focus, patience, a thorough understanding of the market, and then sometimes tedious formulation of the systems and processes that underlie successful operation.

Osei walks us through his successes, failures, and lessons, and drops some serious wisdom for those of you who have too many ideas and don't know where to start.

Mind. Your. Business.

When breaking out on your own, there is no such thing as being overprepared.

If you want to start a business and you think you are either too young or too inexperienced, this conversation with Kyle Maloney will show you that none of that matters as much as knowing your business better than anyone else.

His research-based borderline obsessive approach impressed investors who may have been skeptical of investing in a few 20-somethings and underpinned his ability to learn from mistakes to grow a series of better, stronger, successful businesses.

In this vault episode of Caribbean Power Lunch featuring Kyle Maloney, we discussed how ChefMade works, the value of being over-prepared, the Tech Beach Retreat conference series, the future landscape of tech in the Caribbean, the plight of F1RST, and harnessing the power of fear.

Leading an active lifestyle from a young age, fighting early-onset diabetes, becoming an academic scholar – Kerrie-Kim Kirton left his secure corporate job in December 2015, to turn his passion for lifestyle fitness into the business known today as All In Fitness.

In this episode, we discussed:

Why Kerrie is called the ‘fittest diabetic’
Kerrie’s 9-month search for employment after successfully completing 2 degrees in Economics
Leaving the ‘safety-net’ of the corporate world to pursue your passion
Building customer loyalty & repeat clientele
The philosophy behind the All In Fitness brand
Practical advice for those who believe they are “too busy” to exercise. Yes, YOU.
An update on what Kerrie is up to now, and
Top Tip for entrepreneurs.

What does the word “recession” bring to mind? For many, it evokes saving, shrinking, and worrying about job loss and rising debt. After listening to this conversation with finance professional Maria Daniel and business owner Gerard Edwards, though, you will have a different understanding of the possibilities that a financial downturn can bring for business growth and transformation. In accepting that life in the “new normal” will not be the same, business owners can be empowered to adapt intelligently, making decisions that create opportunities instead of obstacles.

You will learn strategies to reach new customers, how to identify your customers’ problems, and how to understand your numbers in a way that puts you in control of your business’ future.

This is a long one, but it is worth every minute. Terri-Karelle graciously sat with us for over three hours and shared her wisdom and experience on turning failures into opportunities, the importance of being genuine, and how to find power in being your authentic self. From immersing herself in an academic program taught in a language she did not speak in order to pursue her dream, to overcoming the opinions and criticisms of others by standing in her own confidence, Terri's path has at times been far from what was expected, but it has definitely been inspiring.

Terri's zeal for life, her faith in her purpose and gifts, and her comfort with being uncomfortable, have all contributed to the success she has achieved so far, and with her approach the sky is truly the limit. Get your notebook ready, because the gems are truly overflowing from this one!

“Until Everywhere is Free” is a statement that encapsulates the hope of Muhammad Muwakil, a Trinidadian poet, musician and in some ways, a modern-day renaissance man, Who, with the help of many others, is creating a new sound for calypso music. In today’s episode, Muhammad tells us his story about how he is paving his way in the world on his own terms, along the path of his entrepreneurial journey and self-discovery.

As business owners during these trying times, we are constantly being advised to ‘go digital’ in order to be sustainable and agile. However, putting that into action does not look the same for everyone. Should we start with a website or build an Instagram following? How much does it cost?

In this our first Become Investible RoundTable discussion, we discuss how to utilize different digital tools to manage, market, and grow a business, and analyze and leverage data to make the most of digital investments. Both Shelly-Ann Gajadhar and Keron Rose have built and grown their own businesses using different digital strategies.

Tune in to learn from their experiences and get the information needed to build out an effective digital strategy for any business.

We all have a story to tell and a lot to learn from one another. Technology makes conversations and linkages possible more easily, as long as we are willing to listen.

In this Season 5 finale, we talk to filmmaker, storyteller and digital media specialist Adrena Ifill, about how to share your story, learn from your history and find your own space in the world and in business. Adrena speaks to the importance of engaging and leveraging the power of the diaspora and making history every day.

Get ready to take notes as she shares wisdom for creative entrepreneurs and all business owners on how to determine your worth, price your services, find and interview your clients, and maintain control and power over your professional journey in these more volatile economic times.

Adrena Ifill is an award-winning digital media producer and lecturer. She takes history off the shelf and makes it come alive!

Her firm, Ifill/DoubleBack Global Group, specializes in preserving and producing culture and history projects.

Who are you?

Why are you here?

These were the questions posed to Akosua Edwards by a female-driven collective in rural Uganda, where she had gone to take her knowledge as a successful accountant to give advice and guidance to grow their business. Little did she know she would be the one who ended up learning the most, uncovering new truths about the meaning of success, purpose and self-love.

The answer, she found, was that “You are here to give out the gift the universe put into you.” Identifying her gift has taken Akosua on a journey from unemployed accountant to successful author and award-winning social entrepreneur. Tune in (LINK IN BIO) to hear Akosua speak powerfully about the impact of a strong community, the freedom that comes from releasing those things that do not drive your purpose, and the role that business can play in creating not only commercial success, but also significant social change.

Money may not buy happiness but it sure does give you options!

On this episode, financial planner Melinda Belle reveals simple strategies for debt management, and also shares some tips for budgeting, saving, and giving your money purpose and direction. Find out how to improve your “financial self-esteem”, the power of tracking your spending, and why you should really stop comparing yourself with others.

Ever wondered how you can build a business with zero dollars?

Tune in to find out!

Aldwyn Wayne is the Founder and CEO of WiPay which provides innovative solutions for e-commerce, online payments and facilitating digital transactions for the unbanked.

In this episode, Aldwyn speaks about the need for challenge and competition in the technology space, and the need for input and innovation to elevate the industry in the Caribbean and beyond.

Tune in to hear the challenges faced when making his place in the financial space, the power of knowing your worth, making your own path and always working toward and expecting success and excellence. Don’t miss Aldwyn’s take on leveraging the potential of the Internet for wealth creation, and his inspiring, practical advice for all aspiring entrepreneurs who may see obstacles instead of opportunities.

Keron Rose returns to Caribbean Power Lunch to share his journey from mobile expert to digital entrepreneur and talks with Kevin about why he was driven to start keronrose.com and where his vision will take him next. Keron pulls no punches as he lays out the reasons why many entrepreneurs are not seeing success, the key steps to building the right brand partnerships, and reveals the systems he uses to find his passions and figure out his next moves as a solopreneur.

Learn about the power of “niching down”, getting specific and being consistent. Do you how to identify the correct online platforms to grow your business and the reason why everyone, even students, should and can have a website? Get ready to take notes for this class on building a digital business, making money while you sleep, and making a business idea a reality in the Caribbean.

A Journey to Self through the lens of Angel Joseph - makeup developer and owner of Imagine Makeup - a Trinbagonian beauty company that provides makeup services and products for the Caribbean.

Angel bares her soul and tells her truth in a way that she has never told it before. More than makeup, Angel strives to reveal the beauty of her clients - both on the outside and the inside.

In this episode we delve into an idea crafted by a young black woman, Charielle Plowden. Through her upcoming podcast "Positive Paychecks", Charielle desires to become her audience's financial friend as she helps them navigate their spending, investing and money habits. Her personality can turn a mundane topic like finance and make it fun.

Listen as she uncovers her compelling story of an anxiety-crippled little girl to a powerful presenter as she takes us through her journey to financial education and investment advisory. With four years of experience in the financial services sector and now a licensed TTSEC advisor, Charielle is ready to hit the ground running with her podcast series!

Jessica Alexander is what we call a Lifestyle Curator. Her company Sa Nou St. Lucia sources and packages the very best of Saint Lucia, both in terms of quality and the look of the products. Sa Nou focuses on what the customer not only wants to get but how they want to feel. The boxes are visually invoking as well as emotionally invoking. For Saint Lucians, at home or abroad, they could be a piece of home, evoking memories and nostalgia. For others, the custom, artistic products, and elegant packaging make people feel special and see the variety of high-quality offerings from Saint Lucia.

In this episode we discuss:

How Sa Nou Saint Lucia Started
Quality Assurance
How to Identify and Serve Your Market
Jessica's Story of the Renegade Pitch
What Does Your Support Network Look Like?

Christian Lecorps grew up in Haiti without reliable electricity. He was 4 when his bedroom caught fire during a blackout, and 7 when he almost got electrocuted.

20 years after that fire, powered by the passion of changing the fate of younger “Christian”s” and of anyone who would face the same issues, he got his degree in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute ( Massachusetts, US ).

Atlas Prime NRG was then born from that unstoppable desire to make a difference. Atlas Prime NRG aims at making all the small islands, and developing states, energy independent, assist in reversing climate change, and prevent extreme weather patterns to effectively saving billions of lives.

Atlas' solution is called CARIES which is short for Compressed Air Renewable Integrated Energy Solution. The startup aims to produce drop-in replacement for diesel and natural gas electric generators in developing markets that has negative emissions, the highest capacity factor in the energy industry, and can be scaled up to the size of power plants to power entire cities and islands.

"Appreciate people", these are the sentiments echoed by Gabriel Martino - a phrase he often heard growing up from his father, a tradesman.

On this episode of Caribbean Power Lunch, we hear how an immigrant investment banker bought a granite company in Maryland after flipping houses in then-distressed Baltimore. Gabriel used his storytelling abilities and his most unique attributes as a means of setting himself apart from competitors to win contract negotiations with top hotel chains across America.

His message is "shoot your shot; you can't hit if you don't shoot". Gabriel shares stories of some of the shots he took (business ventures he pursued) and how they worked out for him. He defied all odds and stuck to his guns. His investment strategy when it comes to real estate: buy low in distressed communities, remodel, refurbish then resell high. As he puts it "where people see crisis, I see opportunity".

Kevin Valley dives deep with transformational life and motivational coach / Hollywood actor Darius Marcellin in a compelling interview. Darius is Trinidadian born but moved to New York to chase his dream of becoming a basketball player for the Knicks. That dream was laid to rest when he received a full scholarship and stipend to attend St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York. His passion for entertaining still lingered and he discovered an opportunity to ignite his passion plus get paid through club promotions in the New York City nightlife.

Understanding that building social currency or wealth is important in today's society, Darius sets out to build rapport with some of the hottest celebrities Kanye West, Sean Paul, and Trinidad and Tobago's homegrown Machel Montano. Listen to this interview to learn how Darius moved through the ranks from flipping iPhones on his visits home, to cleaning houses in New Jersey, to an actor in Hollywood and restaurant owner.

In this interview, you will hear how he attributes much of his success to vision boards and vulnerability. Darius and Kevin provide a road map to anyone trying to penetrate the acting industry in NYC or Hollywood and for persons interested in events, specifically nightlife.

Kevin Valley gives a tell-all to Dhano Mc Nicol on the We Are Crayons podcast of his journey from timid dreamer to tenacious podcaster. From a tender age he always had an innate curiosity for human behaviour and applied to study psychology. Little did he know, the University of the West Indies determined his destiny and placed him in a banking and finance major. Growing up in a family of investment banking siblings and a father who was a minister in the ministry in finance it was a "no brainer" to follow in his family's footsteps amassing over 10 years in the financial services sector.

However, Kevin's inquisitiveness and desire to understand people never left him and he ignited that fuel through his podcast Caribbean power lunch. Drawing from the likes of his favourite podcasters Kevin added his own unique flavour to highlight the journeys of black entrepreneurs and business owners throughout the Caribbean.

Kevin tears down the taboo of black-owned businesses and tells us how he transformed grief into a force to propel him towards self-efficacy and opened up new possibilities and opportunities for himself.

Kevin Valley gets interviewed on radio station WPFW 89.3FM in Washington DC by the folks of Timba Republic.

Selwyn is the Founder and Creative Director of TEN Habitat, which is the entrepreneurship hub located in Barbados and producer of the signature event - Caribbean Startup Summit.

The Caribbean Startup Summit is TEN Habitat's flagship annual event. It brings together a global team of startup experts, founders and entrepreneur resource providers to help empower startups in the region. The event is designed to inspire dreamers and empower ideas.

Selwyn's brand development work has been featured on several international campaigns to create new brand identities and increase market penetration and has also been immortalized on the Guyanese $5 coin which he designed.

Turn up the volume and enjoy this discussion as we dissect Selwyn's formula of Mindset | Skillset | Reset as the key to sustainable success in business.

Storm Saulter is a filmmaker and visual artist from Negril, Jamaica, on a mission to create universal stories wrapped in the complex social and cultural dynamics of the Caribbean.

Storm served as writer, director and cinematographer on his award-winning feature film “Better Mus’ Come,” hailed by critics as signaling a fresh new movement of independent filmmaking throughout the Caribbean. His latest movie "Sprinter" is set to release on April 24th.

SPRINTER tells the story of Akeem Sharp (Dale Elliott), who is set to be Jamaica’s next big track-and-field sensation. Akeem hopes a rise in the track-and- field world will take him to the U.S. to reunite him with his mother (Lorraine Toussaint, Orange is the New Black), who has supported the family while living as an illegal resident for over a decade. But Akeem’s rising star is weighed down by turmoil at home: a volatile father, and an unruly older brother who insinuates himself into Akeem’s career as a means of escaping – or perhaps enhancing – his scam artist hustle. Not only does Akeem have to prove to himself and to everyone that he can succeed, but also overcome the struggles that may ultimately bring him down.

The film is Executive Produced by Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith along with NBA Veteran and NBA Personality Richard Jefferson.

Georgina Terry, FCCA PMP – The Passions to Profitability Expert – is a business and career coach with a difference – a qualified accountant, mentor, change management consultant, local /international inspirational speaker, International Labour Organizational (ILO) certified trainer, Project Management Professional and author of the bestselling book ‘The Amazing Race to Entrepreneurial Freedom’.

Before moving to Trinidad in 2001, she worked for The Economist and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Georgina is also on the following boards:

Youth Business Trinidad and Tobago,
British Caribbean Chamber of Commerce, and
Shift! Caribbean.

Georgina, who is originally from London, England, is MD of Business & People Development Associates Limited (BPD). BPD provides career and business coaching, cost management and business transformation services to aspiring entrepreneurs and established businesses.

In this episode, we discuss:

Georgina's personal journey from Passion to Profitability;
The Amazing Race to Entrepreneurial Freedom;
Sales & Marketing vs. Product Perfecting; and
Remaining Relevant in the rise of Technology.

Keron Bascombe is an Agricultural Journalist and Enthusiast who founded the company Tech4Agri to act as a platform awakening the public to the multitude of technological applications that exist in agriculture, as well as highlighting the work of young "Agripreneurs".

Tech4agri has won numerous awards over the years and has provided Keron the opportunity to travel to over 30 countries across all continents to continue his work; focusing on technology, innovation, and climate change.

In this episode, we discuss:

Food security and sustainability,
The current lack of scale and investment in Agriculture, and what can and must be done to rectify this.

Kerra Denel migrated to Toronto from Trinidad and Tobago at the age of 12. Today, she continues to fly the Caribbean flag high through her event "Caribbean Women's Power Lunch" (not related).

Kerra has integrated her business management expertise with her passion for Caribbean culture to drive marketing, media and promotional campaign strategies reaching millions of people. She has developed a strong reputation for professional quality event production, artiste management, public relations, marketing and consulting in geographically dispersed locations.

In this bonus episode, we discuss: - Identity struggles of a Caribbean person living abroad; - The most authentic way to build a vast network; and - Why "Caribbean Women's Power Lunch"?

Trena De Landro's mission in life is to live better through technology. She is a digital media strategist, innovator, and the founder of Lazy Mas.

Lazy Mas is a digital platform which brings Carnival service providers and masqueraders together making vacation bookings easier, by providing safe and secure transactions with vetted Carnival vendors.

Lazy Mas is an IATA Accredited Travel Agency that helps customers create and customize the Carnival experience they desire.

Trena is also the CEO of Nerdy Accent, a digital media firm that develops and executes effective and measureable, social/mobile/online marketing strategies. Her expertise is in driving profitable consumer engagement and behavior through integrated marketing campaigns.

In this episode, We discuss: - Affiliate marketing; - How digital platforms can make Carnival tourism more efficient; and - Tips on targeting millennials.

Kheston Walkins is a Neuro-Innovator and co-founder of the company Allegori that teaches students how to focus and improve academic outcomes through its Focus Clinic.

Kheston has a background in neurophysiology, cancer informatics, and experimental neuroscience. He studied Medical Neuroscience out of the University of Sussex in Brighton England and is a Ph.D. candidate in Molecular Genetics at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago.

He also has over 7 years' experience in marketing and interactive advertising. He is passionate about Caribbean innovation in technology.

In this episode, we discuss:

The Impetus for Neuro-Innovation in the Caribbean;
The Story Behind CommuniCare; helping stroke patients communicate with doctors and visitors;
How Allegori came about; and
Other Exciting Neuro-Innovative projects that Kheston and his team are working on.

Charles Bobb-Semple is the man behind FUSION ADVENTURE RACE.

FUSION ADVENTURE RACE is an annual physical and intellectually challenging sporting event that demands courage, commitment, fortitude, stamina, and teamwork.

The event, which recognizes three categories, namely Male, Female and Mixed, takes competitors through mountain trails and other terrains, offering the opportunity for persons to discover the veiled treasures of the island from a unique perspective.

Fusion has earned its place as the premier adventure race in Trinidad & Tobago and takes competitors through mountain trails, offering the opportunity for athletes to discover the veiled treasures of the island from a unique perspective. Additionally, it offers intrigue as participants are only informed of what is required of them at each successive stage; emphasis is placed on teamwork, rather than individual achievement.

In this episode, we discuss:

The Genesis behind the creation of Fusion;
The Severe level of logistics and planning that goes into this event; and
Why crossing the finish line will help you learn more about yourself.

Kaylan Bartholomew helps busy people make healthier choices for themselves and their families creating a balanced and joyful life.

She is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and a Hatha Yoga Instructor who uses a holistic approach, recognizing that real food and exercise are only a part of what brings us balance and helps her clients explore all areas of their lives – love, relationships, career, money, spirituality and the environment. She incorporates her training as a yoga instructor to bring mindfulness, breathing techniques, energy awareness, meditation and yoga postures to help relieve stress, a significant contributor to our health. Her clients have been able to boost their energy, lose weight, diminish cravings, improve chronic health conditions, reduce stress, get the kids to eat healthier and overall improve the family connection.

Kaylan graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, the largest nutrition school in the world, where she learned practical lifestyle management techniques and over 100 dietary theories. Kaylan received her hatha yoga certification through Bliss Yoga Trinidad’s 200-hour Teacher Training Program.

Kaylan is also a licensed instructor for the Springboard Women’s Development Programme, a revolutionary personal development program for women.

In this episode, we discuss:

21-Day Detox: Revive, Renew, Restore;
Why True Health Involves the Body, Mind, and Soul; and
Being Clear on Your Health Goals.

The man behind TEDxPortOfSpain.

Keita Demming helps companies identify and implement plausible innovation opportunities. In his line of work, he transforms companies into places and spaces that are idea-driven and people-centered. These companies foster cultures that embrace design, accountability, foresight, strategy, and innovation. High performing organizations have highly engaged and effective employees. They are wonderful places to work, play, and belong.

Keita is also a Partner and Head of Innovation and Development at The Covenant Group (TCG); Keita also founded the Disruptive Conversations podcast, where he unpacks how people who are working to disrupt a sector or system think.

In this episode, we discuss:

Challenging the Status Quo;
The Road-map to Identifying and Catalyzing Plausible Innovation Opportunities; and
2 Things Fundamental to Success in Innovation.

Alian Ollivierre develops dynamic people, enterprises, and winning strategies through consulting, training, and coaching.

As the Director at Gateway International Inc., a training and consultancy agency for professionals and enterprises, Alian systematically develops curriculum and delivers training programmes for regional and international agencies that serve employees, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

In this episode, we discuss:

5 Steps for Business Idea Generation
How Employees and Employers should think about Partnerships; and
Why Identity is Paramount

An engineering professional, award-winning author, globally certified coach, trainer and speaker, Gregory Skeete helps people and organizations of all types and stages achieve peak performance through his company Life Engineer Inc.

In this episode, we discuss:

5 P’s to turbocharge your professional performance,
3 Lessons from Entrepreneurship that can boost job performance,
A different approach to Leadership, and
Living your life by design.

Be sure to share this episode with someone you think can find value in it.

A former state prosecutor, Shelly-Ann Gajadhar is a career and professional development coach who specializes in helping people discover their purpose in life, and walking boldly into that purpose through her company Alphastute.

In this episode, we discuss:

Shelly's key tips for finding purpose in our lives
Shelly's personal journey of finding her own purpose
Education vs. Academics

Be sure to share this episode with someone you think can find value in it.

Who is Toni Thorne?

Entrepreneur who started her first business at age 7.
Self-starter: “If I say I’m going to do something, I find a way I get it done.”
“The hardest thing is to start.”
Pursue what you are interested in and what will energize you: “You have to be very clear in what you want from life.”
Motto: “Be true to yourself.” – you are your own biggest obstacle.

Experience of Business

Pursue Your Interests:
Know Your Business Inside Out
Believe in Yourself
Align Your Interests
Finding a Mentor
Understand and Embrace Failure
Favourite Failure Story.

Black Entrepreneurship

There is a mindset issue which is keeping Caribbean businesses, particularly Black businesses, from growing as they should: “People would rather own 0% of nothing than 5% of something.” – instead of collaborating and supporting one another, they would rather compete.
The Black experience in Barbados, a predominantly Black country, is one in which Black people are treated as minorities and racism is an endemic issue
- Upper financial class does not reflect the racial composition of the country, which affects the level of entrepreneurship and business entry
Experiences of being Black worldwide are unique experiences
- A study on the business loan process conducted by Harvard University revealed Black entrepreneurs in the USA have to deal with much more stringent policies and procedures than White entrepreneurs with similar or lesser qualifying requirements. This experience of different rules for Black business owners and Black entrepreneurs is also true in Barbados and serves as an obstacle which Black entrepreneurs have to determine how to overcome.
Black parents have until recently tended to be more conservative, encouraging children to follow a more secure, traditional path and may not have supported entrepreneurship as it seemed too risky
- This stems partly from a historical experience of oppression and disadvantage which has caused them to be more risk-averse.
- That mindset is slowly changing, which is necessary to spur on generational wealth and generational business growth
- White peers may have a different upbringing and exposure to family businesses and business mindset earlier on
Black entrepreneurs must recognize that although social structures may cause them to be at a disadvantage, they can and must then make their own paths to success, be creative in how they pursue structuring and financing their businesses and set their own goals for measuring success.

Lisa Wickham is an award-winning media producer, director, and television personality. She has an MBA with distinction and is the:

Founder of Imagine Media International Limited – a multi-media production, event management and public relations (PR) enterprise based in Trinidad and Tobago.
Founder and Publisher of E-Zone the Mag! magazine, which is based on a show she co-presented.
Founder of the Caribbean Film and Media Academy.
Co-founder of the health and fitness system "Sokafit".
Author of the book "On A positive note: Words of inspiration".

Lisa has mentored hundreds of young people in:

life skills
public speaking
communication
leadership
film and television
entrepreneurship
marketing
strategy
innovation, and
good citizenship.

Carver Bacchus is the Managing Director of Sustain T&T, a social enterprise producing and exhibiting educational film content in the areas of environment and sustainability. He has over 15 years of professional experience in the areas of Management and Marketing, in both the public and private sectors.

He leads Sustain T&T in providing branding, communications and visibility services to agencies with a public education mandate, informing audiences about issues affecting them, like climate change.

Green Screen - The Environmental Film Series, is Sustain T&T’s marquee event, bringing environmentally themed films and discussions to communities in Trinidad and Tobago on an annual basis.

Ms. McKenzie is the founder and managing consultant of the Caribbean Mindfulness Institute (CMI). She received her mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training from the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine (UCSD), widely considered to be one of the preeminent thought and research leaders in the field of Mindfulness Studies. MBSR uses a combination of mindfulness meditation, body awareness, and yoga to help people calm their mind and body to better cope with stress, illness, and pain.

In this episode we discuss:

Makeda's Journey to Mindfulness;
Meditation;
The Science of Happiness;
The Power of the Pause;
Class: 5 Weeks to Peace;
Mental Body Scanning & Self-Awareness;
Making Mindfulness a Business;
Winning Business: Turning "NO" into "YES"; and
Next Steps for the Caribbean Mindfulness Institute.

Learn more at:

Makeda McKenzie on LinkedIn
Caribbean Mindfulness Institute on Facebook
Caribbean Mindfulness Institute on Instagram
Insight Timer: Free Meditation App
Episode 023: Much More than a Host with Hans Des Vignes
Episode 026: Doing What You MUST with Nicole Greene

Check out our brand new podcast: Become Investible. [https://becomeinvestible.com]

In this episode, we talk to Kerwyn Valley; CEO and majority owner of KCL Capital Market Brokers Limited, and Founder and Managing Director of Aspire Fund Management Company Limited. Aspire is a small-cap private equity management company focused on growth-stage private sector investments throughout the Caribbean.

In 2004, Kerwyn joined AIC Financial Group in Trinidad and Tobago to develop the Group ’s regional Trade Finance Division. In 2008, Kerwyn became CEO of AIC Finance Limited and in 2010 he was also appointed CEO of AIC Capital Market Brokers Limited. In February 2011, he led the successful management buy-out of AIC Capital Market Brokers which has been rebranded as KCL Capital Market Brokers Limited.

Episode Flow:

Moving from Employee to Owner
Weighing the Risks
Building Generational Wealth
Creating Wealth in the Caribbean
Overcoming Fear
How to Identify a Good Business
The Importance of Providing the Money in the Middle (Putting Professional Capital to Work)
Questions From Social Media

Nicole Greene is the founder and owner of Dream Life Distributors where she sells exquisite 18K fashion jewellery and genuine sterling silver for the sophisticated and fashion-forward lady.

She has been in business since 2003 and has been able to drive its evolution within that 15-year period. Nicole often draws from her natural talent of sincerely connecting with people to ensure they look and feel absolutely fabulous.

A proud mother of 3, Nicole also provides coaching and guidance to fellow Mompreneurs, and as discussed in this episode; a budding author.

In this episode, we discuss:

The "Ah ha!" moment that led to Nicole's entrepreneurial endeavours;
How work ethic can trump formal education;
The gap filled by Dream Life;
Genius Innovation in selling - Wine & WhatsApp; and
Advice for entrepreneurs - doing what you M.U.S.T.

Links:

Nicole Greene on LinkedIn
Dream Life Website
Dream Life Jewellery on Facebook
Dream Life Jewellery on Instagram

Related Episodes:

Listen to Episode 005: Building a Luxury Cosmetics Brand with Kathryn Nurse
Listen to Episode 010: Make It POP! Event Management 101 with Brendon Braithwaite
Listen to Episode 011: #TechBae with Elena Dyer

Here we take a deep dive into Social Innovation in the Creative Sector with Candice Lela Rolingson.

Candice is an accomplished innovator and business developer who’s always been passionate about tourism, creative industries, and technology. She has successfully launched ventures in film, fashion, beauty, wellness & lifestyle, in addition to facilitating business model development and branding strategies to various business products and individuals.

An international award-winning Executive Producer with a talent for research methods, Candice has developed exceptional skills in project managing the production of documentaries, feature films and commercially-branded entertainment for web & television advertisements, events, media and motion pictures. Moreover, she specializes in Caribbean Film Locations and Tourist Destination Management for international productions.

In this episode, we discuss:

The concept of Social Innovation;
Why Social?;
The vision, creation and production process, and impact of the film "Positive and Pregnant";
Rollywood;
Location Management;
"Our Ethiopia" short film series;
Building awareness of local creative projects; and
The Caribbean's role in Global Diversity.

Links:

Candice's Production Reel - on YouTube.
Trailers for "Our Ethiopia" Series
Candice's thesis on Behavior Change
Candice on LinkedIn
Candice on Twitter
Candice on Instagram

Related Episodes:

Listen to Episode 020: Social Entrepreneurship with Sian Cuffy-Young
Listen to Episode 013: Rankin Morgan - Dazzle Magazine

Subscribe To This Podcast:

iTunes
Stitcher
Castbox
RSS Feed

Kyle Lequay is a Sports Marketing and Business Development Specialist with over eleven years' experience in the industry.

As President of the Beach Soccer Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Kyle is responsible for the development and promotion of beach soccer in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Beach soccer has made significant advancements with Kyle at the helm, including generating sport tourism activities such as the annual Tobago Beach Soccer Championship, which has brought in players from more than twenty countries since inception.

As Strategic Marketing Manager for WI Sports Limited, Kyle envisioned, developed and implemented concepts to increase viewership and audience engagement, strategies that significantly and positively impacted the Company’s presence. Kyle also held the position of Marketing Manager for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), concurrently with the post of Project Manager for FIFA’s Income Generation Program. Under his stewardship, the FIFA Program successfully implemented its deliverables and acquired significant public and private sector sponsorships, an activity that has contributed to cultivating critical relationships for the TTFA.

Kyle boasts of an impressive list of significant sporting contributions locally and internationally including:

Sponsorship Manager for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL);
Marketing Manager for the Local Organising Committee for the FIFA Women’s U17 World Cup 2010;
Program Coordinator for the DC Scores, Washington, D.C.; and
Sport Marketing Officer for Digital Sports DC/Kimsey Foundation, Washington DC.

He is also a Certified Arena Operator for the U.S. Indoor Sports Association, a Member of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and a Member for the Sport Marketing Association.

Kyle is also a graduate of Howard University, School of Business, Washington D.C.

In this episode, we discuss:

The origin of Beach Football (Soccer) in Trinidad and Tobago
The Sports Tourism model and its impact on a country's athletics
The transition into Cheerleading - Cheer in the Sun
Finding opportunities in Sports Entertainment
A lesson in Resilience - how Kyle acquired the World of Dance Franchise; and
What you learn from managing a Sports Bar

Links:

Lequay Edge on Facebook

Related Episodes:

Listen to Episode 001: Osei Wright-Alexis - Why Not Try?
Listen to Episode 003: You Have to be "All In" with Kerrie-Kim Kirton
Listen to Episode 010: Make It POP! Event Management 101 with Brendon Braithwaite
Listen to Episode 022: Proper Talent Management with Andre Jeffers

In this episode, Kevin is joined by specially invited co-host Osei Wright-Alexis, and our featured guest; Hans Des Vignes, Owner of Hand-to-Hand Productions.

As a radio and television presenter Hans Des Vignes is one of the most respected personalities in media in Trinidad and Tobago.

He has produced and worked on some of the top shows that promote soca in Trinidad and Tobago from hosting TV broadcasts for Soca Monarch and Machel Monday, as well as hosting and even producing Carnival Acoustic, Promenade Countdown, Synergy TV's De Scene and Synergy TV Soca Star.

As an event host/hype man he has also been featured in some of the biggest events in Trinidad and Tobago and has also been hired throughout the region and the world.

As a manager of artists and promoter of music he has worked with the HD family as well as helped nurture and promote the next-generation of soca artists.

He is also respected as an individual that knows a hit when he hears it.

Hans can be heard daily on Trinidad and Tobago's #1 radio station Boom Champions 94.1fm and seen during the Secondary School's football league regionally on Sportsmax and CNC3.

Topics Discussed:

Awareness and presence of mind
Perspective and growth
Becoming the greatest version of yourself
Ownership, and
Building structure in our lives.

Links:

Hans on Facebook
Hans on Instagram
Listen to Episode 014 - Toni Thorne - Just Do It!
Subscribe to this Podcast

How do you go from looking at spreadsheets the whole day at your desk job, to traveling the world touring as the business manager for your favourite recording artists?

In this episode, Kevin is joined by specially invited co-host Emma Charles, and our featured guest; Andre Jeffers, Director & Co-Founder of Perception Management.

Andre is a graduate of Howard University (Washington DC) with a Bachelors Degree in Finance. Upon graduating at the top of his class, Andre began forging a career on Wall Street where he worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital, focusing on Mergers & Acquisitions.

Following these stints, Andre was then recruited by world-renowned Private Equity firm The Carlyle Group where he functioned as an Investment Associate, focusing on making controlling equity investments in companies within Aerospace and Defense Sector and managing the entire transaction project cycle.

Andre returned to Trinidad in 2013 to begin his own business ventures, including the formation of Perception Management with best friend Andrew Bailey. Together, they manage soca icons Iwer George & Alison Hinds as well as rising host & entertainer "Rome".

Perception Management is a full-service management company that provides holistic management services across the entertainment spectrum including – talent management, club management, event management, bar management, booking administration and ticketing/gate management. Founded in 2013, Perception has already made waves in the entertainment industry with a deliberate focus on high-end events and clientele, where quality and customer service is most important.

In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Andre is a Strategy & Finance consultant who lists many of the region's top companies among his clients.

Links:

Perception Management on Facebook
Perception Management on Instagram
Listen to Episode 004 - Jerome Precilla - How I Became a Multipreneur
Subscribe to this Podcast

Today is all about CASH FLOW - based on the famous Rich Dad, Poor Dad - authored by Robert Kiyosaki.

In this episode, Kevin is joined by specially invited co-host Emma Charles, and our featured guest; Roger Moore.

Roger Moore is a serial entrepreneur and investor with a passion for franchises that generate high monthly cash flows. Since 2005, Roger has embarked upon a personal mission to educate the masses through a technique known as simulation-based learning. He does this through his entrepreneurial endeavours such as:

Cashflow Club (Trinidad and Tobago), which uses the six-time New York Times Bestseller “Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ to demonstrate the simplicity of the CASH FLOW concept which has proven to be highly successful worldwide;
Mad Science – Eastern Caribbean, a leading science enrichment provider that delivers unique, hands-on science experiences for children that are as entertaining as they are educational; and
RE/MAX Caribbean, part of an international Real Estate Franchise with over 6,700 independently owned and operated offices across the globe.

In this episode, we discuss:

The nexus between athletics and business strategy;
Simulation-based learning vs. classroom learning;
The need for proper financial training;
The value in the franchise model;
Reframing how we look at assets and liabilities; and
The business case for legalizing Marijuana.

Links:

Roger Moore on LinkedIn
Cashflow Club's YouTube channel
Cashflow Club on Facebook
Listen to Episode 018 - Emma Charles - Small Business 101
Subscribe to this Podcast

Sian Cuffy-Young has worked in the environmental field for over 13 years in two of the most challenging sectors in our industry - waste management and mining and have gained a wealth of experience there.

In this feature, Kevin is joined by co-host Zahra Alleyne, and location sponsor Irvin Davis of Davis Ecolife, as we discuss Social Entrepreneurship with Sian, through her company Siel Environmental Limited.

This innovative, education-centered company provides clients with products and services that protect the environment.

The core of the business focuses on Environmental Education Campaigns, Solid Waste Management Consulting, Land Rehabilitation services specific to quarries and mines, and the sale and distribution of VegwareTM compostable/biodegradable products.

The company caters to the following clients:

Quarry Operators,
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs),
Businesses,
Schools, and
Environmental-based companies.

The company's mission is to foster partnerships that will create positive behavioural change towards environmental issues through environmental education and consulting.

In this feature, we discuss:

Sian's journey and reason for becoming an environmental entrepreneur,
Reframing her mindset from student and employee to business owner,
Social Entrepreneurship: Environment and Business Case,
How to get started without funding #IdeaToAction,
An introduction to landfilling, and
What's next for Siel Environmental.

Reach Sian and Siel Environmental On:

LinkedIn
Instagram
Website
Facebook

Related Episodes:

Listen to Episode 008: Irvin Davis - Renewable Energy: A Low-Hanging Fruit
Listen to Quick Bite 1: Kerrie-Kim Kirton - Making Environmental Cleanliness FUN

Subscribe to this Podcast

In part 2 of this feature with Keron Mc Leish of Droid Island, we discuss:

Caribbean Smartphone Economics,
The importance of passion,
The future of Caribbean Mobile,
Content Factory,
The Shutterbug Smartphone Photography Movement, and
Advice for Creatives.

Links:

Keron Mc Leish on LinkedIn
Droid Island on Instagram
Droid Island Website
The Shutterbug Movement
Content Factory Website

Related Episodes:

Listen to Episode 016: Kyle Maloney - Bringing Silicon Valley to The Caribbean

Subscribe to this Podcast

More and more, IP and content-based businesses have been popping up as alternatives to conventional brick and mortar businesses.

In this 2-part feature, Kevin is joined by specially invited co-host Osei-Wright Alexis of Incentivize Networks, and our featured guest; Keron Mc Leish, Mobile Expert and Founder of Droid Island.

Droid Island is a Caribbean based retail company that also provides the latest in tech news, reviews, discussions through its various mediums.

In this day in age, nobody buys smartphones based off commercials or brand ambassadors. When new tech comes out, we all run to our favorite tech reviewers to hear their thoughts and get an informed decision on whether we should buy.

Droid Island is the fusion between tech reviewer and retailer. The Caribbean now has their own experts that can identify with our unique market and help us make informed decisions on the tech we love.

In part 1 of this feature, we discuss:

Keron's journey from being a smartphone salesman in Canada for over a decade to being a Mobile Authority in the Caribbean,
Content Marketing: its value and how it works, and
How to assess value for money when purchasing smartphones in the Caribbean.

Links:

Keron Mc Leish on LinkedIn
Droid Island on Instagram
Droid Island Website

Related Episodes:

Listen to Episode 016: Kyle Maloney - Bringing Silicon Valley to The Caribbean

On Caribbean Power Lunch Podcast, we love to talk about going from #IdeaToAction. The inspirational (and sometimes transformational) entrepreneurs we interview always advise budding business owners to JUST GET STARTED.

But what about after we have started and proven our concept and want to go official?

How do we go about incorporating our business?

What measures do we need to put in place to stay out of legal trouble?

How do we protect our company's intellectual property from lazy thieves?

What about taxes? 😫

Consultants? Freelancers?

Today, Kevin is joined by Emma Charles, Attorney and Small Business Coach as we discuss:

Small Business Simplified - How it works,
Why incorporate a limited company versus being a sole trader,
How to register as a limited company,
Important legal contracts to protect your business,
Protecting yourself as a freelancer or consultant,
Protecting your intellectual property,
Emma's secret to success, and
One World, One Legal System?

Links:

Ready to be a Start-up? Tired of working a 9 to 5?
Emma J Charles - Website
Emma's FAQ
Contact Emma via email at hello@emmajcharles.com
Subscribe To This Podcast

Related Episodes:

Listen to Episode 007: Jamila Bannister - Build Your Branding Ecosystem

Today, Kevin is joined by Salene Griffith as we sit and have a laugh with comedian Keevan "KEEVO" Lewis who has built his fame from the ground up by strategically using social media as a platform to not only showcase his comedic wit, but also to create a business in and of himself.

In this episode, we discuss:

Couple Up TT: Keevo's new romance web series;
The mission behind Keevo's comedy and why he keeps it clean;
Content creation inspiration and process;
Recovering from a bad day on stage;
BLAC Sheep Barbershop: Business, Leadership, Awareness and Charity;
PUMP: Business Networking Events and Boat Rides :D
How to build a following - organically;
Event Hosting;
Aligning with the right brands; and
Practical advice for listeners.

Links:

Keevo's YouTube channel
Keevo on Instagram
PUMP on Instagram
Keevo on Facebook
Listen to Episode 004: Jerome Precilla - Systems For Success
Subscribe to this Podcast

Today we talk about bringing Silicon Valley to the Caribbean.

In this episode, Kevin is joined by specially invited co-host Osei-Wright Alexis of Incentivize Networks, and our featured guest; Kyle Maloney - Co-Founder of Tech Beach Retreat, ChefMade, Nous Tech, and F1RST Media.

Technology and Entrepreneurship have the power to catapult the Caribbean Region. Tech Beach is bridging the gap between the Global Technology Leaders and the Caribbean; empowering more people and companies in the Caribbean to act locally, but think globally.

ChefMade is a healthy and delicious food service company in Trinidad & Tobago that focuses on making well balanced meals at an affordable price.

In this episode, we cover:

How ChefMade works;
Kyle's relationship with his brother Nicolas;
Entrepreneurial mindset from a young age;
Novus Tech Limited - Sustainable Energy;
The value of being over-prepared;
The reality of the Silicon Valley Boys' Club;
Tech Beach Retreat conference series;
The power of having a strong "Why";
The future landscape of tech in the Caribbean;
The rise, fall, and reincarnation of F1RST; and
Harnessing the power of fear.

Links:

Kyle Maloney on LinkedIn
Kyle on Instagram
Tech Beach Website
Tech Beach on Facebook
Tech Beach on Instagram
Tech Beach on Twitter
Tech Beach on LinkedIn
ChefMade Website
ChefMade on Facebook
ChefMade on Instagram

Related Episodes:

Listen to Episode 001: Osei Wright-Alexis - Why Not Try?
Listen to Episode 010: Elena Dyer - #TechBae

In this episode, Kevin is joined by guest host Zahra Alleyne, and our featured guests - Gregory Sydney (Founder) and Carissa Daniel (Consultant Team Lead) of Quick Delivery SLU.

Quick Delivery specializes in saving customers time and providing them with convenience through the delivery of:

Restaurant Food,
Groceries,
Medication,
Bill Payment & Courier Services.

Today we discuss:

How the Quick Delivery service works,
How the Quick Delivery platform was built,
How the company manages the logistics,
Why you need a Business Coach,
Fostering a customer service culture,
World domination, and
Why you should always listen to your customers.

Links:

Quick Delivery on Facebook
Quick Delivery on Instagram
Subscribe to this Podcast

Today, Kevin is rejoined by Branding Consultant, Jamila Bannister as we discuss:

Her new website and branding academy,
Getting the most value out of your website,
Going from being invisible to being influential,
The Sponsorship Environment and how it has changed,
Methods of collecting data on potential customers, and
How to be consistent with your social media engagement without being annoying.

Links:

J. Bannister Branding Website
Jamila Bannister on Instagram
J. Bannister Branding Consultancy on Facebook
Subscribe To This Podcast

Related Episode:

Listen to Episode 007: Jamila Bannister - Build Your Branding Ecosystem

Today we get straight to the point.

In this episode, Kevin is joined by Toni Thorne, founder, and host of The Toni Thorne Show, which is broadcast in over 30 countries as well as on social media.

She is an award-winning young entrepreneur & Barbados National Youth Awardee with degrees in Economics, Accounting and Law.

She was the first person of African or Caribbean descent to sit on the Global Youth Leader’s Summit in Europe and qualified for World Debating Championships at the age of 18.

Toni was a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and traveled from South America to Asia representing the region's youth at various WEF events.

As a shaper, she was handpicked from more than two thousand of the world's youth to interview the President of Coca-Cola and the President of Panama.

A former clothing designer, Toni now designs handmade sandals for what has now been referred to as "The Caribbean's sweetest sandal", Sweetheart Sandals.

She is also the owner of the lifestyle curation magazine, Pompasette.

She is the current Vice president of Variety The Children's Charity - Barbados' largest charity dedicated to children.

In this episode, we discuss:

Magazines: Paper vs. Digital;
Why content is evergreen;
The importance of asking for help;
Quality vs authenticity;
Embracing challenges;
Building and trusting your team;
Walking in your own shoes;
Creating, Innovating, and Making It Happen; and
Avoiding analysis paralysis.

Links:

The Toni Thorne Show - on Youtube.
The Toni Thorne Show on Facebook
Toni Thorne on Instagram
Pompasette on Instagram

Related Episodes:

Listen to Episode 004: Jerome Precilla - Systemize Your Success
Listen to Episode 013: Rankin Morgan - Dazzle Magazine

Subscribe To This Podcast:

iTunes
Stitcher
Castbox (Recommended)
RSS Feed

Today, we spread love to the St. Lucian family as Kevin is joined by guest host Salene Griffith and our featured guest - Rankin Morgan, widely known as the award-winning founder and publisher of DAZZLE Magazine.

The Dazzle Magazine is a free bi-monthly publication that features young professionals and entrepreneurs. The magazine aims to inspire and empower St.Lucian and Caribbean youth.

The magazine caters to a demographic that ranges between ages 18 – 50 with an island-wide reach of 36,000 and a digital reach of 57,080 St. Lucians, and has franchised out to neighbouring islands St. Vincent and Barbados.

In this episode, we discuss Rankin's exciting entrepreneurship journey including:

Life in London
The origin story behind Dazzle Magazine
Branding vs. Naming
Getting buy-in from the masses
Paper vs. Digital
The content creation and publication process
Rankin's other ventures, and
The St. Lucian Government & Entrepreneurship.

Links:

Get Castbox Audio Player for Podcasts
Dazzle Magazine St. Lucia
Dazzle Magazine Barbados
Dazzle Magazine's YouTube channel
Dazzle Magazine on Facebook
Dazzle Magazine on Instagram
Listen to Episode 004: Jerome Precilla - Systemize Your Success
Listen to Episode 010: Brendon Brathwaite - Make It Pop! Event Management 101
Listen to Episode 011: Elena Dyer - #Techbae

Subscribe to this Podcast:

Apple Podcasts
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RSS Feed

Today we talk about the future landscape of the cashless economy.

In this episode, Kevin is joined by guest host Salene Griffith and featured guests - Dunstan Lodge Jr. and Jo-Anne Lodge; the husband and wife team of Barter plus.

Barter plus is the first cashless trade exchange platform in T&T, with a mission to establish and grow the cashless trade exchange business in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean region.

Episode Highlights:

What is reciprocal trading?
Converting spare capacity into savings
Making uncertainty your friend.
Why Barter?
Getting started with Barter plus
The cashless economy
Barter income is taxable just like cash.

See more at https://caribbeanpowerlunch.com/012

Today we talk tech.

In this episode, Kevin is joined by Elena Dyer, a serial entrepreneur and founder of #TechBae.

TechBae is a conference series that showcases women who have used technology in their diverse industries, as a vehicle for disruption and innovation.

This episode features a discussion of Elena's past technology-inspired entrepreneurial ventures including:

Futech Services Co Limited - the only English-speaking Training Center in the Caribbean; and
Diembox - a Caribbean lifestyle subscription box of specially-selected products of Caribbean brands as well as international brands that appeal to the Caribbean diaspora.

Other Episode Highlights:

About #TechBae
From Economics to Tech
Is entrepreneurship a cure for boredom?
Dealing with negative feedback
TechBae Coding Camp
Going from #IdeaToAction

Links:

TechBae on Facebook
TechBae on Instagram

Subscribe to this Podcast:

Apple Podcasts
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Few of us can really appreciate the amount of planning, hard work, and science that goes into producing a truly memorable event - be it a Sports Day, Christmas Gala, Party, etc.

In this Season 1 finale, Kevin is joined by guest host Salene Griffith and Brendon Brathwaite - Founder and Managing Director of BUZZ Concepts Ltd, as he schools us on everything that goes into providing positive, long-lasting experiences for his patrons and how he has been able to build a strong base of corporate clientele.

Brendon has over fifteen years of experience in marketing and event management, and BUZZ Concepts is a full-service experiential event planning agency. BUZZ solves problems with its first-class party rental service and converts the mundane to the memorable, with its engaging suite of signature events in Trinidad & Tobago, NYC, and Barbados.

Episode Highlights:

The origin story behind BUZZ Concepts Ltd.
Overcoming and being empowered by disabilities.
Managing business and personal relationships.
How to run a lean, efficient and scalable event management company.
A run-through of the event management process from pre-planning, actual coordination and post-production.
A public service announcement to all clientele.
How to break into the event management industry.

Links:

BUZZ Concepts Website
BUZZ Concepts on Facebook
BUZZ Concepts on Instagram
Eventtipstt on Instagram

Subscribe to this Podcast:

Apple Podcasts
Stitcher
RSS Feed

Today we talk about renewable energy and how we can get started on reducing our carbon footprint and saving on our electricity bills.

In this episode, I am joined by guest hosts Zahra Alleyne and Kamilah Evans, and our featured guest Mr. Irvin Davis of Davis Ecolife.

Davis Ecolife sees embracing renewable energy as the way forward for upcoming generations. The company is of the view that the region has an abundance of wind, sunshine, water and in some places geothermal energy, and these resources are underutilized. The company plans to use these resources in a manner that would lessen the region's dependency on fossil fuels.

Currently, the company provides innovative products and solutions aimed at creating a cleaner, more sustainable and cost-effective future for residents and businesses across the Caribbean.

Episode Highlights:

From Jamaica to Trinidad
Davis Ecolife's Vision
Getting Clients on board
Running a renewable energy business in an oil and gas economy
The Eco Pod and the Super Pod
How Davis Ecolife can save you in excess of 30% on your electricity bill
Government regulatory environment & limitations
Renewable energy opportunities within the region

Links:

Davis Ecolife Website
Davis Ecolife on Facebook

Subscribe to this Podcast:

iTunes
Stitcher
RSS Feed

Today, we map out the architecture of personal and business branding with our featured guest - Jamila Bannister, Lead Consultant and Founder of J Bannister Branding Consultancy ("JBBC").

JBBC is a branding service company offering training and workshops on branding and strategy. Here, Jamila coaches clients on how to manage all forms of personal output to align with life goals and how to use this output strategically to realize desired outcomes. Available services include brand auditing, goal identification, strategic planning, image consulting, communication and leadership skills, marketing and specialized workshops.

Episode Highlights:

Jamila's background in communications and business strategy.
Recognizing your mentors/guardian angels.
The Law of Attraction
Streamlining your business operations
The Ideal Customer
Importance of managing expectations
Sip N Strategise - The Working Dinner Edition
How to build your brand into a household name.
How to start your own consultancy - tomorrow.

Links:

Jamila Bannister on Instagram
J. Bannister Branding Consultancy on Facebook
Sip n' Strategise - The Working Dinner Edition

Subscribe to this Podcast:

iTunes
Stitcher
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Today, we talk about the business of fruit wine and how to develop a wine that tastes like home.

In this episode, I am joined by guest host Alicia Cooper - my colleague at Aspire Fund Management Company Limited, and our featured guest - Laura Superville, Owner and Founder of 11 Degrees North Boutique Wines.

11 Degrees North is a boutique winery which produces tropical fruit wines. As a boutique winery the focus is on quality; therefore, only a small number of bottles are produced annually. It is estate bottled, the fruits are hand-picked and carefully selected, as only the best fruit are used to produce these sophisticated fruit wines.

Available flavours include sorrel, pommerac, starfruit (five finger), cashew and jamun.

Episode Highlights:

What inspired Laura to want to turn fruits into wine.
Gaining knowledge in the field - winemaking for beginners.
Logistics behind scaling production and bottling capabilities, transportation and storage.
The story behind the name 11 Degrees North.
Kevin attempts to recite the fruit wine making process.
The importance of help and support in Business.
The roller coaster ride of entrepreneurship and being a niche player in a relatively small local industry.
How to get started in producing and selling your own wines.
How to get started in other capital-intensive businesses.

Links:

11 Degrees North on Facebook
WineBusiness.com - Home Page For The Wine Industry.
Wine Industry Network - THE Business Resource For The Wine Industry
Great Wine Capitals - Industry Resources
Wine Institute - Wine Associations and Related Organizations
First Steps in WineMaking - on Amazon

First Steps in Winemaking: A Complete Month-by-Month Guide to Winemaking in Your Home

Today, we talk about building a luxury brand in the cosmetics industry.

In this episode, I am joined by guest host Zahra Alleyne, audience member Kieran Valley-Gordon, and our featured guest - Kathryn Nurse, Creative Director and CEO of Immortelle Beauty. Kathryn is on a mission of creating beauty products of a luxurious and international standard for Caribbean Women

Topics Discussed:

From Biologist to Cosmetic Chemist
From Biology to MBA in Luxury Brand Management
Origin of Immortelle Beauty
The stigma that luxury products are unlikely to be locally produced
The conceptualization, branding and packaging process
Power struggle between manufacturers and retailers
Importance of writing things down on paper
Scotiabank Vision Achiever Business Class Programme
How to start your own luxury brand

Links:

Kathryn Nurse on Instagram
Immortelle Beauty's website
Immortelle Beauty on Instagram

See more at https://caribbeanpowerlunch.com/005

Today, we talk about how to systemize your way into a successful and stress-free life - both personally and professionally.

In this episode, I am joined by guest host Salene Griffith and our featured guest - Jerome "ROME" Precilla, known for his various ventures including: - Event Management, - Event Hosting, - Soca, Parang, and Chutney Soca, and - Quik Slice Pizza.

All while being a full-time Mechanical Engineer Superintendent overseeing 20+ staff members.

In this episode, we discuss:

Building a solid foundation through a good education.
Rome's passion for music from a young age.
How to run an award-winning food joint without being able to cook - the secret recipe.
How to get your songs played on the radio as a new Artiste - think outside the box.
Speaking your goals into existence.
Why you should get a professional to host your wedding.
Effective time management skills to make you more productive and socially present, and less stressed out.
Importance of team support.
Staying humble in the midst of success.
Practical advice for listeners.

Links:

Rome's YouTube channel including all of his music videos and performances
Rome on Instagram
Quik Slice Pizza on Facebook
Perception Management - For bookings.

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We get it. It's Saturday and we don't want to take up too much of your time.

That's why today is Quick Bite Saturday!

Here we feature 20-minute conversations with entrepreneurs and their passion projects.

Today, I am rejoined by guest host Kamilah Evans as we continue our conversation with Kerrie-Kim Kirton about marrying his knack for event management with his burning desire to improve our environment.

Cheat Sheet:

Kerrie's quest for environmental cleanliness. (0:45)
The origin of The Open Circle - an extension of Kerrie's personality. (9:05)
Kerrie's long-term goals. (14:54)
Building a life that you don't need a vacation from. (16:23)
BONUS: The story behind the name "Blaq Phabiyo"

Links:

The Green Circle on Facebook
The Open Circle on Facebook

Subscribe To This Podcast:

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This is what it sounds like when you catch up with an old friend over drinks on a Friday night!

Leading an active lifestyle from a young age, fighting early onset diabetes, becoming an academic scholar - Kerrie-Kim Kirton left his secure corporate job on December 21, 2015, to turn his passion for lifestyle fitness into the business known today as All-In Fitness.

In this episode, I am joined by guest host Kamilah Evans, as we heartily discuss:

Why Kerrie is called the 'fittest diabetic' (1:00)
Kerrie's 9-month search for employment after successfully completing 2 degrees in Economics (16:56)
Leaving the 'safety-net' of the corporate world to pursue your passion (30:00)
Building customer loyalty & repeat clientele (35:50)
The philosophy behind the brand "All-In Fitness" (40:25)
Practical advice for those who believe they are "too busy" to exercise. Yes, you (46:50)
More practical advice for listeners. (52:30)

See more at https://caribbeanpowerlunch.com/003

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Brace yourself! This one will make your pores raise!

In this episode, I am joined by guest host Zahra Alleyne and renowned fashion designer Dominic Hutch, as we discuss personal transformation, maintaining quality relationships, standing out in a crowded marketplace, and of course - fashion design!

Cheat Sheet:

The transformation from being a bad-boy on the block (his words) to a well-travelled fashion designer (1:17)
What it took for him to finally accept himself as a designer (21:30)
Trinidad Carnival Monday-Wear (27:11)
Navigating and standing out in a crowded marketplace (39:25)
Dominic's goals, challenges, and long-term strategy (44:23)
The importance of quality in products and relationships (47:26)
Practical advice for listeners (53:06)

Links:

Dominic Hutch on Twitter
Dominic Hutch on Instagram
Contact Dominic at dominichutchtt@gmail.com
GPaul Sewing Machines Sales, Service & Appliances Ltd - Where Dominic gets his sewing supplies.

Subscribe:

iTunes
Stitcher
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Podcast World!

What's a better way to ring in your birthday than being midway through recording your first podcast episode ever? I call it a great 31st birthday present to myself.

In this episode, I am joined by guest host Kamilah Evans and my good friend and serial entrepreneur, Osei Wright-Alexis. Osei has always been an entrepreneurial-minded individual who has never hesitated to take action on a business idea he conceptualized.

His current business, Incentivize Network Limited, provides Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) based solutions including corporate rewards and electronic guest management solutions for corporate clientele. Current clientele includes some of the largest institutions and multinationals operating in Trinidad and Tobago.

In this episode, we discuss:

Osei's mantra of "Why Not Try?"
His journey through various ventures, challenges and failures.
How he was able to relieve his single mother's financial burden by supporting himself during University through his own business venture.
Using your full-time job as a tool to finance your entrepreneurial passions.
The corporate culture of employee recognition.
Event Guest Management made simple through IN Events.
Practical advice for potential entrepreneurs.
BONUS: Osei's bout with stand-up comedy. Why not?

Links:

Vibe Rewards - Employee Rewards and Recognition Platform.

IN Events Caribbean - The Ultimate Guest Management Platform For Your Events

Osei's First Stand-Up Comedy Skit

Contact Osei via Email