The consequence of this change in attitude by the Elders of Excellence is that the younger generation has an opportunity to share knowledge and experience with their elders for longer than may have previously been the case. Put others second and yourself last and may an abundance of joy attend your life.
A SUMMIT every November and a FORUM every month – that is indicative of the new volunteer thrust which emanates from the Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation’s (BEF) engine.
Kingston BETA observed that “The Caribbean and the Americas are on the cusp of a new era of dramatic growth in the start-up sector.
In order to qualify to be part of the Bimventures family an entrepreneur has to demonstrate that his product/service has the “DNA of an Elephant”. If the business is Information and Communications Technology (ICT) focused, the service will reach the consumer via the Internet giving the entrepreneur instant access to the global market.
The existing SMEs need mentoring and timely access to appropriate finance to really take off. Start-up businesses need the CBET Shepherding Model to mitigate the risk of failure, where the focus is on new businesses with the “DNA of an Elephant”.
My argument is that no party in power will change this behaviour because it will be seen as putting the political survival of the party in power at risk. I personally do not see why this is such a big deal, since no party is normally given more than three terms, as failure to address some other risks will take them out of power anyhow.
Even though today Barbados is said to punch above its weight, there is something missing in terms of the drive to achieve this exponential growth. I reminded Professor Welch of the current activities of the E team which is a group of local and international volunteers with an interest in the development of Barbados.
The Caribbean region’s economic crisis is usually blamed on a combination of adverse external events emanating from the global financial crisis. The solution is not to wait patiently for conditions to improve but to get up off our haunches, innovate and implement – easier said than done. Economists cannot do it alone. We need to mobilise technical talent (in a myriad of fields), business management resources and financiers. Entrepreneurial development is the answer.
We must recognise the value of shepherding the enterprise to reduce the risk of business failure. We must leverage this concept where financial angels fear to tread and to mobilise access to finance from traditional financial organisations.The plan must come together and each enterprise must seek to be #1 in what they do.
If we convert this Biblical Shepherding concept in the context of Bimventures we might end up with a first pass lyrical shift which goes something like this: “While shepherds and business advisers continually assist their enterprises in every aspect of their business, The blessings of the Lord will come down and the Mission targets will be systematically bowled over one after the other in a world of continual improvement guided by a beacon of excellence.”