The drive to encourage entrepreneurial dynamism has received a big boost from Unicomer (Trinidad) Limited through the Courts Broadening Horizons Entrepreneurship Programme that concluded its 2019 edition at the company’s Freeport Campus last week. According to Unicomer’s Corporate Social Responsibility Regional Officer, Nicole Loney-Mills, “We started this programme in 2017 as yet another mechanism to give back to our loyal customer base. We carefully evaluated customers who are also entrepreneurs and after careful selection, we facilitated in-depth training through Business Clinic Limited in order to prepare them to establish sustainable businesses. To date, this programme has had 60 successful participants and has been expanded to our operations in Belize and Guyana with Jamaica and St. Lucia coming on board soon.” “This developmental programme is focused on changing the lives of enterprising persons by empowering them to achieve their personal visions for operating a successful business. Among the myriad benefits is the bolstering of an economy driven by an engine-room of innovation, employment and stability based on successful entrepreneurs. In fact, as a testament to the success of this programme, one of our past participants, A & J Homemade Ice Cream, was awarded the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Authority’s Manufacturer of the Year Award 2018 in the small business category,” Loney-Mills added.
Hosted over a 12-week period starting in September, the 2019 edition of Broadening Horizon’s was a transformational experience for 13 budding entrepreneurs from all corners of Trinidad and Tobago. According to Akeel Thomas who is looking to expand his ‘Harvest 2 Home Premium Produce’ business, “Apart from the business tools that we were given, the training was about changing our mindsets to see beyond a ‘small business’ mentality. We were encouraged to grow on a personal level and with that personal growth, envision taking our businesses to the next levels of national, regional and even international reach. The entire programme is exceptionally relevant and the financial management module was especially significant to me. I’m really grateful to have been selected by Courts for this programme and I have been empowered and energised to broaden my horizons.”
Participants were provided with comprehensive training delivered by Business Clinic Limited; with focus placed on aspects of business such as creating a customer-centric framework, product-market fit, making financial sense, business model innovation and business pitch design. The budding entrepreneurs were also provided with additional insights into tax compliance, legal obligations and retirement planning.
Explaining the approach was Charmaine Nedd, LEAP Training Coordinator, Business Clinic Limited, “We realised Unicomer’s objective through the use of a proprietary blend of workshops, learning activities and practical tools based around our thematic focus on Life skills, Entrepreneurship And Problem solving (LEAP). The tools we imparted aim to enhance participants’ self-awareness and connect them with 2 unique opportunities to reshape existing resources, problem solve and think beyond traditional solutions, including conventional employment channels.” Loney-Mills also stressed that the relationship with Business Clinic had enhanced the programme: “Since our partnership with the Business Clinic becoming a realisation this year, I can confidentially say that they have delivered much needed structure and assistance to entrepreneurs which has improved their overall competence and market viability. They helped make this initiative a successful one in the Unicomer Group’s wider corporate social responsibility programmes, which focus on the improvement of the quality of life of its employees and communities in economic, social and environmental areas.”
Following the comprehensive training, each participating business had to prepare a business pitch, which was evaluated by a highly qualified panel featuring Devon Romero, Director, Consumer Finance, Unicomer; Michelle Thompson, Regional Manager, Courts; and Carol Pitt-Brathwaite, Senior Lecturer, College of Science Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT).
“This programme is an exemplary model of how a company can have far-reaching impact through pragmatic corporate social responsibility investments. As a lecturer in entrepreneurship, it was encouraging to see the quality of the pitches made by the Broadening Horizon’s participants. Apart from their confidence and demonstrated competencies derived from the training they received, these are examples of viable businesses that can add to the national drive for economic diversification and sustainability. It is proven that in order to fully develop an economy, entrepreneurship must be encouraged to flourish. Unicomer is playing a vital role in providing the capital to reinforce a stable economy based on grassroots entrepreneurship,” Pitt-Brathwaite effused.
