GIRL ON TOP

Almost two years hence

2010-01-13T03:48:00.000-08:00

It has been that long since my previous post. I had no idea people were reading this blog so I concentrated on my personal one. Furthermore, I had taken up an opportunity for a paid job and no longer considered myself in the realm of the entrepreneur, at least for as long as someone else was paying me. Now I am back.

I have since moved two countries, and am now based in the Middle East... and I am back to scruffing it out on my own- in albeit very different ways.

It's an entirely new market... and we are strangers. I do not speak Arabic, and do not hold a university degree from the US, Canada, UK or Australia, which seem to be the preferred spots for my field. Apparently you can't learn media and communication anywhere else. So have I been looking for a job again? Yes. But why?

I came here to get married to my partner and set up our new life together. I invested heavily in pro photography gear and am positioning myself as a freelance photog. But, the thing is I haven't sold one photo or booked a paid photo session since my arrival in Sept 2009. So as it stands, I am a photographer-writer-broadcaster-MarComms exec who is fully supported by her hubby. It's not a bad place to be in, but I do crave more stimulation since y brain is actually used to tackling problems greater than those related to household.

So hubby has decided to buy me a photo printer so that I can print and frame for sale. I also need to get on the list of wedding photogs. I finally worked on my website... and I have even updated it to fit this market.

There is a rainbow... I see it. I just need to use this time wisely. Get shots that are "sellable" and get people to recommend me for some gigs.

I also have my masters thesis to complete... and this will be a joy as my supervisor has agreed to let me submit it as a photo book.

New Developments

2008-04-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Business is taking me overseas.

It has been a pretty hectic period but I am grateful for the possibilities.

I have given up producing the morning time show to make time to get everything else in order.

The operation is downsizing in an effort to expand at a later date.

That's all for now, till next time.

Cable & Wireless Sucks- BIG Time!

2008-04-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

I am having very evil thoughts about that patty shop named Cable and Wireless that operates in Jamaica. These blood sucking transnationals operating in the Caribbean without regard for their customers makes me sick. Even worse is that I have shares in the company.

I wanted to add a international calling feature to my business line and they cannot because they dont have an id on the system for me even though they copied it with my application.

I originally called to get the service over the weekend but was told they dont deal with business customers over the weekend and after hours.

I just despise them.

Wholly and totally.

I wish some efficient company would buy them out so that my shares would have some real value.

Project Incubator

2008-03-03T14:52:00.000-08:00

Things are developing nicely.

I spent the weekend steeped in the research and I was up until 2am this morning writing the treatment. I plan to finish the first draft tonight.

I have been getting good feedback.

It turns out that at least two other entities have similar ideas but I am maintaining my faith that my idea will stand out and will be a huge success financially and professionally.

I believe very strongly in this project. The idea came out of a personal need I have in my newfound situation as a business owner. I am confident that others will find it extremely beneficial. Its very close to my heart.

For once, I will be working on a project that I dont have to put a PR spin to convince myself that I like.

It's good to be able to make money off something that is meaningful. This is how work was meant to be. As Gibran wrote, "work is love made visible."

A Luta Continua

2008-02-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

These are most interesting times.

We landed a gig to produce and handle the marketing communication of an event that is projected to be on the annual national calendar.

It is a significant undertaking on the part of our client and it requires a lot of work from us. Securing this contract means that the company will be able to make a greater mark locally, regionally, and globally.

Things may be tight now, but they will get better soon.

We are also looking to pitch at some new and emerging business prospects. I have identified a partner I can trust to help us make the connections in a market that runs primarily on connections.

I have also decided to fast track our website development. It's so ironic that even though the website was registered before the company started, we still haven't done anything with it yet. This results in me repeating myself ad nauseam when asked "so what is it that your company does." In addition to that, it looks really bad when people see that we have our own email and web server and say "oh you have a website.." and I have to let them know otherwise. Word to the wise, "Under Construction" cannot be an indefinite status.

I am also going to the drawing board to craft an idea for a programme geared towards small businesses. I will reserve details until all things are in place and the project has launched successfully.

If I have learnt anything as a new entrepreneur, it is that great ideas are best reserved until they have been made reality. I have seen so many of my own ideas stolen that it makes no sense to let the cat out of the bag. Research is necessary, but broadcast in the preliminary stages will compromise a venture. Even innocent conversation among equals can result in having someone beat to the finish line on something that YOU engineered.

Have to rush out to do some work for my professional organisation and attend to some family matters. Also have a meeting with my charity organisation late afternoon.

More later.

Eyeing the Towel

2008-02-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

You know that phrase "throwing in the towel?" Well, to be totally honest with you, I have had my eye on it for a likkle while now. I mean... you know... just looking...at the towel... at the laundry basket...at the towel...

You get the point.

But I haven't decided to do away with the business of entrepreneurship, its just that setting up a company can be so hard in Jamaica. There are so many unnecessary obstacles that sometimes, you just eye that damn towel and grovel. But I guess that is life in general right?

I could find easier ways to earn a living and trade my dreams for a pay cheque, but having been that route, I know for certain that money does not fulfill. Not to say that I couldn't finds goals to attain with a lot of chi ching, you understand ;) - you know... the travel, real estate, and all the Indonesian furniture one trailer from Bali could hold. And still.... there is more.

I need significant capital investment in my company that has so much promise, not only for me, but for my countrymen, but the reality is that I have to concentrate on day-to-day bottom lines and that limits the ability to not only dream but actively pursue those dreams.

So I am caught between a rock and a hard place. But again, such is life.

Jamaicans are said to be many things, many of which are not true. But as a people, we have an amazing resilience in our spirit. If it tek Anancy and Brer Goat together, I will press on and find a way out.

God never give we more than we can bear.

Break a Leg

2008-01-24T06:21:00.000-08:00

My company is contracted to produce the morning magazine show on one of the major free to air networks in Jamaica. The show went very well this morning.

It's such a blessing to be able to meaningfully touch people's lives. Viewers have been calling the station with great interest about some of the topics and interviews that I have arranged and it's good to know that I am connecting with my audience.

Today is a good day. When I have a good show, my days shines with bliss.

One Cheque Came In

2008-01-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

Thank heavens for journeying mercies.

At least I can pay back my friend for paying my electricity bill, my mother, my father and my little brother.

And I dont have to worry about the bank repossesing my car. And my insurances policies lapsing. Or losing my self-employed pension.

Listen, I am applying for a job!

It's a short-medium term consultancy in my field and and it will allow me to pay off some of my debt so that when business is slow or cheques are late, I wont have to smoke a pack a day or worry myself into a tizick.

I feel good about it.

The day has been going well.

Give thanks.

Cheques Taking Long to Come In

2008-01-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

So we finally have monthly income. But the billing cycle seems to be 60 days instead of 30. This turns out to be the case because cheques have been late for December and January.

At this point, we are operating on good faith and promises.

Thank heavens for friends.

I am thinking of applying for a full time short term consultancy to help to offset some of my personal expenses so that I dont drain the company or ruin my credit.

It is definitely a hard road to travel. Winding, narrow and steep. But I am growing significantly in the process.

Crime and Business in Jamaica

2007-12-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

This is my rant about the crap that perpetuates in this land we love as it relates to the lack of political and social will to make this place truly remarkable.

Jamaica has a complex social problem. 47 people dead in 7 days is only the surface. Unsubstantiated reports are that the police have been holding down the figures to the media by half. That means on avg, closer to 100 lives lost in 7 due to violent crimes. And what happens in this island paradise?

Life goes on.

We wake up, and those of us who can afford blue mountain coffee or expensive imported blended teas sip away while people die around us.

The cost of the lives of poor innocent people piles up on our heads while we go about, simply because the poor are killing themselves. Innocence means nothing.

Security costs hike for people conducting business, insurance escalates, and the price of everything goes up as a result of Bush's quest for Iraqi oil, while wages remain the same and the pay cheques for those earning an honest minimum wage is less than a speeding ticket.

But why change it? The owners of security companies have become mutli-millionaires and those who can afford to buy under-priced stocks and real estate buy, buy, buy while the market is down, accumulating significant cash cows for when things get better.

Those with university degrees cannot afford to buy their own homes, as the pittance they earn brings them nowhere closer to that elusive dream. When they do buy, they have to settle for subdivision housing schemes that will run down in 10-15 years as the space provided is too small to sustain middle class lifestyles. Their children have no park or playground, no community centre, no green area, and are confined. And when many leave high school and university, the jobs that they will get will cost them more to be in because the expenses incurred come out higher than their wages. They will live with their parents longer, having their own children in the same tiny homes. The space that was too small for two adults will then house at least three generations, because no struggling middle class family can afford separate housing or nursing homes for their elderly.

At this point, 90% of crimes go unpunished. It is said that it is because we have an understaffed police force and inefficient just system. I say something else. I say that crimes continue to go unpunished because it suits a lot of high profiled officials for things to stay just as bad as they are. Whose orders are these henchmen carrying out? How do they afford guns and ammunition when they cannot afford bread?

And yet the new government sits idly by, wearing newly acquired suits and posits as though it is still in opposition. Maybe they were in the cold so long that they have no clue as to how to implement forceful intervention policies, much less to be proactive. While people die, they talk, and talk and talk and talk.

But there is hope.

If I didn't believes so, I wouldn't be here. Who am I fooling, I dont like being away from this little rock for too long. By the time the calendar strikes two weeks, I am pining for Jamrock. So maybe I am a selfish little patriot. And why the hell shouldn't I be?

I proudly write "Jamaican" in the "nationality" box on forms because, the fact is, I would be a second class immigrant anywhere else. This is my blood, my soil, my rock and I'll be damned before I go out searching for a land of milk and honey.

I want my right to live in a peaceful society and to offer my children a stable home.

People. That is what makes Jamaica so different. Our people. If we continue to pay scant regard for their well-being and safety and proffer some as more equal than some, dog eat we supper.

I sick and tired of the long talking. I want action, not a bag a mouth. Tough decisions, and punishment for all, no matter what station, who are involved in criminality. No sin is greater than another, no sinner worse. Let justice be served.

How Long Has it Been?

2007-12-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

Really now, whoever said that it would be hard work to run an under capitalised start-up alone lied. It's SLAVE work. Only good thing about it, is that I get to be both slave and master.

But seriously, I dont believe I have worked this hard in my entire life! And its not only the hours but the stress! I dont dwell on it and I seem to get through the days somehow, but trust me, it aint easy.

I moved (cant even remember if I mentioned that I have moved down the road from my Ma in the hills. Translation? Mosquitoes galore, but plenty bush cool breeze, and calm.
Real Deal? No time to go in to do any administrative crap with inefficient utilities which means no land line, no internet, no cable.

OK, maybe I should make the time. Yeah Yeah Yeah i know. But truly the line does get mawga somewhere and whereeversopart it get mawga, it pop off. And for the past 4 weeks, that is exactly wherepart it pop off.

I spoke with yet another Cable and Wireless person, or in this case, someone who has a CW connection and maybe I will be presented with a much more efficient alternative to going into their lousy customer warehouse centre and join a line as if I am waiting for free health service in a third world health clinic.

Oh how I miss this space to rant! And gloat. And ponder. And dream.

It seems that every waking moment is filled with work that has to be done or should have been done and I struggle to stay pon top a things.

I realise that I have to modify my present system to make it more efficient. I have to get a dedicated assistant.

Well...if nothing else, I am certainly learning!

Yardie in farin (foreign)

2007-10-19T20:57:00.001-07:00

I am in Tampa for the 2007 IABC Southern Regional Conference. Best decision I could have made (in attending). I cannot believe that IABC provides so much support for people who work in the profession. Its a great feeling to know that there is this vast networking (spannig over 70 countries) right at my fingertips. Who needs a tough big brother when you've got IABC?

Filling in the gap

2007-10-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

It just dawned on me that I did not post on how the major event in August went. It turned out that we had over 45,000 people in attendance and it was an overwhelming success...at least so said the client and the media.

Have successfully built a good relationship with the client. Likely to work together again in the future.

Since then, things were slow. I moved. Lost my equilibrium, internet access and mac laptop. Well...that was actually stolen, not lost.

I have to move again. And while I am happy that I did not put my address on my business cards, it is a little more than annoying.

But hey... give thanks. I'd rather be accused of not having moss than look back in regret about never exploring my options.

Shifting Gears

2007-08-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

I am now officially going through the very first "down period" since I set up shop. It has the potential to unnerve me and distract me from focusing on what is truly important but I will not let it.

The project I had earmarked to work on now has been postponed so I hve found myself with a lot of time and no project pressing me right up to it. So what do I do?

I have to learn how to work smart. I have to discipline myself to get into the habit of creating work not wait around to execute other people's ideas. Otherwise, all I am is a conduit, merely executing stuff on behalf of others who are brave enough to create.

Creation is where the money is. There is a lovely piece of land in the Blue Mountains waiting for me to come up with an idea good enough so that my name can be written on the land title. There are millions of dollars waiting to be directed to my bank account if only I come up with an idea worth it's worth in cash.

God gave us talents for us to invest and earn from. I need to be planting good stuff instead of sitting and looking on my lot and waiting for it to get bigger all on its own. It's the proverbial story of the talents.

So I am going into 1st gear... I am shifting down to increase compression to build the foundation to get off speedily. I am working with my brain and tapping the networks I have.

Who said business is not for creatives? To survive, one has to be nothing but creative (well balanced with some sound business sense).

A Ten Minute Reprieve

2007-08-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

I am sitting on a huge verandah on a lovely beachfront vacation home in Discovery Bay (one of my favourite cool out towns in Jamaica) and taking a few minutes just to breathe in the middle of the most hectic period since I have opened shop.

My biggest event to date is on this weekend (tomorrow in fact) and I am just sitting and watching the rain as it challenges my calm. It is in fact an outdoor event and several millions are invested in this project.

I have to check the way that I work. I need staff on a regular basis, not just intermittently. I dont want to get used to working alone and doing all the work by myself. There is nothing to be gained from sole proprietorship but heart attacks and vacationless existence. I want to build an enterprise that can stand up on its own without me. The way I see it, I have a few years to hire and train some people and getting a sustainable system in place.

I have three temp team members with me here. One is my brother who begins university in the fall and the other two are assistants from a previous job. It is my hope that I will be able to hire them one day.

I just turned 27. My birthday came and went as I worked my ass off as a business owner. I drove in pissing rain for 5 hours and almost went over a precipice with my brother and two assistants in the car. Not exactly a happy birthday. But I am one year closer to achieving dreams I have had for a very long time. Give thanks.

So, with a sense of peace, I sign out, in the midst of a lot of chaos around me. God is good. All the time.

All's Well that Ends Well

2007-07-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

I have never been busier, but in the same breath, I will add that I have never been happier professionally.

It just seems as though all things have worked together for good. I have made some INCREDIBLY friends in my life and as the Jamaican saying goes, "Good friend better than pocket money." I am now believing that when you are a good person, and are good to people an do your work well, blessings follow.

I have a LOT to give thanks for this year. Starting a company aint easy. Especially when the start up capital is every dollar you have to your name... and with a penniless, plebeian surname like mine, that aint much. However, I have to say that I have truly seen God work through other people to make way for me.

I really love my work. Maybe it because for the very first time, I define that word for myself. You know what? It feels damn good!

Selah.

Day number how much?

2007-07-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

OK... I have discovered that entrepreneurs work harder that farmers' horses.

I haven't even found time to sit and breathe.

I am currently pitching for two additional projects, one of which coincides badly with a current deadline. I must be suicidal huh? Well, I figure it may be famine any of these days so I better take the work if I can get it. Plus, its a GREAT job to have in my portfolio. Have to build substance for the company website to attract other great projects.

So... needless to say, I am bowing out tonight in utter exhaustion.

Selah.

Day 4

2007-07-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have been having a flutter belly since yesterday evening. It seems the reality of what I have done is finally settling and somehow my fear of failure seems to be fighting my determination to succeed.

I know that I am right about what I have done deep down. There was no other way. Entrepreneurship is the only way for self-actualisation. I make the rules. But whoa... I feel like there are so many things to do and not enough time to do them.

Things are not working out with someone I contracted to work on the project and I just cannot find the time to send her a letter. I wrote it but I cant really send that out in an email. It just doesnt make sense to continue an arrangement that is simply not working out.

My car is in the garage (finally) so now I am stuck at home too. This is not so bad because I need to tie up some loose ends.

In the midst of all this, I also have to move sometime soon.

What is life without constant change?

Starting out...on day 3

2007-07-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

So why start a blog on day 3 and not day 1?

Well... I never woke up scared shitless from a nap on day 1 with such anxiety that my stomach hurt and had an overwhelming need for expression.

So why entrepreneurship?

Read my profile, that's where I am coming from. It was either this or hours upon hours of psychotherapy and even more drastic treatments.

Why now?

What else do we have but right now? If you know the secret for guaranteeing tomorrow, please ask God permission to pass it on to me.

Why "Girl On Top?"

Is there any other way really? The pun is clearly intended.