B. V. I - Participants in the just concluded Business Plan Writing Workshop on Virgin Gorda are high in praise for the Small Business Bureau for affording them the opportunity to gain knowledge on the subject.The 31 participants received their certificates of completion at a ceremony yesterday which signalled the close of the workshop.
Over the last four weeks, participants were exposed to a number of areas relating to business plan writing including success, market, cash flow, and operations planning.
Head of the Small Business Bureau, Ms. Yvonne Crabbe told the Department of Information and Public Relations that “based on the feedback from the participants, the workshop was a resounding success; they found the information to be relevant, timely, and very useful.”
According to Ms. Crabbe the participants firmly believe the information they received can now be applied to their own businesses. “They have indicated that they feel more empowered and informed and equipped to go off and start to work on their respective business plans, which is a key element when it comes to starting a small business, or even taking an existing business to the next level,” she said.
Although the workshop is over, Ms. Crabbe said the Small Business Bureau is committed to assisting the participants wherever possible in realising their dream of entrepreneurship.
“I look forward to working with them individually in developing their respective business plans for their businesses in Virgin Gorda.”
Ms. Crabbe revealed that the Small Business Bureau is already planning to host more workshops targeted at prospective small business owners and existing operators.
“For example one such workshop the Bureau is working to organize is the ABC’s of Small Business Loans. We hope to offer this on Tortola as well as on Virgin Gorda during the second half of the year. We are also in the process of developing a series of mini workshops which will focus on specific topics such as accounting, finance, marketing and using technology and the internet to promote your business.”
The participants expressed sincere gratitude to the Government for seeing it fit to offer this workshop through the Small Business Bureau and for empowering them with the basic tools necessary to embark on their own small businesses.
The Small Business Bureau which is part of the Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs, functions as an advocate for programmes that address the issues affecting small businesses in the Territory. Its duties include ensuring that businesses obtain the required assistance, training and counselling through extensive training programmes, motivational seminars and workshops designed to empower entrepreneurs to develop better business practices.
British Virgin Islands News