Ten clients of the Small Business Bureau (SBB) have started A week-long ‘Start and Improve Your Own Business (SIYB)’, in collaboration with Cerulean Incorporated.
The SIYB programme is one of the training packages offered by the International Labour Organization to stimulate job creation in developing countries.
Cerulean’s Managing Director, Lyndel Danzie-Black, said the training is held in 106 countries worldwide. The training is part of observations for Global Entrepreneurship Week.
“Every year, we celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week because every day we get calls from small businesses trying to get ahead; people who are either intentionally wanting to be small business owners or because of situations they had to [become] small business owners. So, we see this Week as a week to celebrate them all and to say to them that you can do what you have set out to do,” Danzie-Black said.
Usually, she said, Cerulean would host a services symposium to bring clients together to network as part of the observances, but the restrictions imposed by the pandemic have pared down plans.
“It is curtailed for new start-ups, as well as people who have started their business already but are a little shaky, so they want to improve that business. So, we will go through the entire manual with them as well as the small business plan that we have. It basically has lots of tools where they will be able to fill out based on their individual business,” she said.
The programme will help participants develop their own businesses in a different way with an international standard business plan, the Managing Director said. The SBB nominated participants for the training from among its clientele.
Entrepreneur, Lionel Fullerton, the proprietor of Poultry Boss, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the training will help him to improve his business.
“My expectations are to establish myself as a young entrepreneur to enhance my abilities and also in my development as a manager within the entrepreneurship field. As a start-up business, I hope to gather extensive knowledge from our instructors and through this training session, I hope to expand my newly established business,” he said.
Another participant, Keisha Jennings, who owns Cafe Fae is optimistic that the training will give her added skills to improve her business.
“By registering with the Small Business Bureau, this has enlightened me with the various opportunities that are available to the young entrepreneurs of Guyana and, this training session to me, is a wonderous advantage for the knowledge in marketing, which is many businesses strong points that you need,” she explained. (DPI)
