BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AN innovative approach to connecting 21st century business tools with small and medium enterprises was realised last night (Oct. 27) in the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s (ECCB’s) Business Connect seminar.
The small business symposium attracted well over 80 individuals either eager to transform business ideas into thriving enterprises or ready to enhance the operations of their existing businesses.
It was organized by the central bank in conjunction with the UWI Open Campus and the private sector to expose businesspersons to creative business improvement methods.
Participants were given enthralling presentations by representatives of some of the nation’s leading telecommunications and internet-related companies. Presentations not only addressed common concerns for small business, such as financing business ideas, but they also provided much food for thought in the area of maximizing new technology solutions.
LIME’s Rigel Warner presented on Mobile and other Communication Solutions for Small Business, and discussed how small businesses can implement mobile and internet packages to increase efficiency.
Stachio Williams, Chief Financial Officer of SKNVibes, gave an eye-opening presentation on the opportunities in e-Marketing, while Russell Williams of the IT Facility aroused the interest of the attendees by showing how their business’ productivity can be improve if emerging technology solutions are utilized.
Another key presentation came from General Manager of e-Caribbean Ltd., Rodney Browne, who gave an insightful approach to developing a business idea, translating it into a business plan and finding ways to finance it.
Participant evaluation sheets reflected that the sessions were “very informative and the information was timely and relevant”, while others claimed that the “exercise proved worthwhile” and put them in “a better position in starting my business”.
Deputy Director of Corporate Communications at the ECCB, Sybil Welsh noted her satisfaction with the high quality of presentations and the interaction between facilitators and participants. She informed that the session served as a precursor to a second module on small business to be introduced in the central bank’s Savings and Investment Course.
“By itself, it is not enough; it’s to start people thinking. The small business module would serve to build on this foundation and create that strong structure on which businesses and budding enterprises can improve their businesses,” Welsh said.
The ECCB official added that the central bank would continue guiding small businesses in order to give them practical tools that strengthen their businesses “from a platform of information, skills development and new techniques”.
