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.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Eyeing the Towel
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.
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.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Break a Leg
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
One Cheque Came In
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Cheques Taking Long to Come In
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.
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.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Crime and Business in Jamaica
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.
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?
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!
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!
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