ST. LUCIAN SMALL BUSINESSPERSONS CHALLENGED
May 17, 2007
Edward Harris At Large!
ST. LUCIAN SMALL BUSINESSPERSONS CHALLENGED
TO DO BUSINESS WITH TRINIDAD & TOBAGO!!!
Mr. Jonathan Adams, President/CEO of the Small Enterprising Business Association (SEBA) of Trinidad & Tobago challenged St. Lucian Businesspersons involved in the production of goods and services, and retail distribution to do business with Trinidad & Tobago and stop being intimidated by big businesses. He stressed the point that big businesses are not to be feared, there is room for all to coexist.
Mr. Jonathan Adams was a guest of the St. Lucia Industrial & Small Business Association (SLISBA) from May 12 – 15, 2007. It was his first visit to St. Lucia and he was very impressed with the beauty and potentials (business and otherwise) of the country. He took in some of the activities of St. Lucia Jazz, visited businesses, talked with businesspersons and held a meeting with the general membership of SLISBA. He was very pleased with the offerings in the Dry Goods and Craft Vendors Arcade and noted the courtesy of the vendors and the manner in which they presented their products. Mr. Adams feels that the time has come to get back to basics and reverse the order of things. He feels strongly that the small business sector cannot be ignored by any forward thinking big business planner. He recalled the days when a substantial amount of trading was done in suitcases and feels that even if that is the way it has to be done again, SEBA is ready to collaborate with businesspersons to make it happen.
President of SLISBA, Mr. Patrick Joseph was very pleased with the gesture of goodwill from his counterpart from Trinidad & Tobago and promised to ensure that the collaboration which is being pursued will not be allowed to fail. Everything will be done to ensure that we can trade fairly with Trinidad and Tobago, the wider Caribbean and the world. Messrs Jonathan Adams and Patrick Joseph represent their organizations at the level of the Caribbean Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (CASME) based in Barbados in the capacities of 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents.
Invitations were exchanged by both Presidents for the general membership of their Associations to participate in Trade Exhibitions in St. Lucia and Trinidad in August and November 2007 respectively. These trade Exhibitions will further provide opportunities for expanding the trade relations which began with Mr. Adam’s visit to St. Lucia. The Small Enterprising Business Association boasts a membership of over 5,000 and is growing rapidly. It is with this membership base that Mr. Adams believes he can make a difference. The trading will be done between the two organizations on behalf of their members. This will guarantee that the business succeeds.
Mr. Adams is very excited about the prospects for Joint Ventures especially in the areas of services. He is inviting St. Lucian Entrepreneurs to contact SLISBA’s office with their proposals and SEBA will do the match making with reputable members of their Association in Trinidad and Tobago. ICT companies can benefit substantially from this exercise and Mr. Adams is ready to host an ICT Match Making programme as early as June, 2007.
Through CASME, Small Business Associations throughout the region are now working together and sharing ideas and experiences which can only redound to the benefit of the sector as a whole. Mr. Adams is taking his programme of doing two way business with Trinidad & Tobago the other CSM countries in the region using the Associations as clearing houses. In the short term an effective list of goods being traded would available to small businesspersons throughout the region.
This collaborative effort is being promoted at a time when the St. Lucia Industrial and Small Business Association (SLISBA) is celebrating 25 years of continuous service to the small business sector. The current Board of Directors in February, 2007 sought to strengthen the Secretariat which is located in the American Drywall Building, Vide Boutielle, Castries with the appointment of Management Consultant to implement the Strategic Plan which was provided with the support of CASME and funded by Caribbean Export in the latter part of 2006. August 2007 will witness a number of activities as SLISBA celebrates SMALL BUSINESS MONTH.
The business opportunity being promoted by Mr. Adams on behalf of SEBA is not limited to SLISBA’s members but to all businesspersons in St. Lucia. There is no better time to join SLISBA than NOW! You can find out more by contacting the Secretariat: Tel: 758-452-7616, Fax: 1-758-453-1023, Email: slisbaslu@gmail.com
Keep the Faith, God is in Charge, Expect Miracles in 2007!!!
Edward Harris
Email: eaharrisdestiny@gmail.com Websites: http://www.edwardharris.ws http://www.stluciasimplybeautiful.com http://www.stluciarealtors.com http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/edalharris