By Shamar Blunt
Six local entrepreneurs along with four other regional business owners became the lucky recipients of much needed financial and mentorship support on Wednesday, as Goddard Enterprises (GEL) officially completed the first leg of its 100th Anniversary Entrepreneurship Awards Initiative.
The entrepreneurship programme will see 10 participants locally and within the region being awarded US$5,000 for their successful business pitch to the company, with these small businesses then needing to submit a report in October of 2022 to be judged.
The best three will then be awarded US$25, 000 to then go on to the final phase of the programme that will eventually lead
to a winner.
During his brief address to the winning entrants, GEL Chief Executive Officer Anthony Ali congratulated attendees on their winning entries, and challenged them to think outside the box and be passionate about their products, if they wish to build successful ventures.
“Being successful all comes down to personal passion. Ideas, I tell my executive team, are a dime a dozen, there are lots of people with really good ideas.
“The ones that are successful are the ones that are driven by people with passion, who are willing to sacrifice and make things happen, rather than sitting back and waiting [for] things to hopefully happen and fall into their lap.
“Our commitment at Goddard Enterprises is to support you with our coaches and mentors [and] our financial contribution,” he said.
The 10 winners of the first phase will now move on to the second phase of the three-year programme to find the ultimate winner, who will carry the title of the GEL 100th Anniversary Entrepreneur.
The winning local entries include Alluhwi Comics – creator of virtual comic books; BB’s Mushrooms – a mushroom farmer; Jem’s Gourmet Chocolate Barbados – a gourmet chocolatier; MedRegis – an electronic health records system; Mike’s Bajan Beverages – a manufacturer of rum punches; and Cool Comfortz Frozen Delights – a manufacturer of artisanal frozen desserts.
Owner of Mike’s Bajan Beverages, Michael Thornton, graciously thanked GEL during the presentation of his winning cheque, and said more support like this was needed for entrepreneurs as these small businesses often are tasked with developing brand new products with little to no backing.
“As an entrepreneur, only you know the difficulties that you will encounter on a daily basis trying to find funds, no one seems to pat you on your back and encourage you.
“It’s only really friends, family and so on, so to be part of this and get a pat on the back from Goddard Enterprises is truly amazing. It’s a dream come true.
“Now I can try to grow my business with the help of the mentors,” he said.
