Entrepreneurs and prospective business people across Barbados will shortly be receiving valuable information to help them understand the new COVID-19 business landscape, and be armed with the tools needed to excel in their endeavours.
The Barbados Trust Fund Limited (BTFL) will launch a Let’s Talk Entrepreneurship Talk Series & Online Forum, on Tuesday, March 15, which will be held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. This first season will run for four months.
The programmes will be streamed live via YouTube: Trust Loans Barbados; Instagram@barbadostrustfundltd and Facebook@Trust Loans Barbados. Persons may also WhatsApp their questions to 228-3275.
Giving the rationale for the series, the BTFL’s Business Development Consultant, Nicole Forde, said COVID-19 had brought a wave of change across the world, and the global impact of the virus was felt tremendously in the business sector.
“This was evident by the closure of longstanding monopolies, and revealed cracks in the foundation of many former business giants. Local and international companies all felt the effects, with closures, budget cuts, buyouts and bailouts occurring en masse.
“Conversely, the pandemic also brought many new opportunities to companies that were flexible, responsive and willing to quickly change the way they did business to thrive in the new economy,” Ms. Forde noted.
Therefore, she continued, it was necessary to introduce the talk series to help entrepreneurs focus on how they should rebuild, reimagine and recover, so they could thrive.
“The series seeks to give insight, guidance and learning opportunities to the local business community, aspiring entrepreneurs and the like. The educational programme will therefore assist a new wave of MSMEs (micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises) to increase their business’ resilience and stimulate broader discussion on national level business issues affecting the growth and development of the sector.
“Let’s Talk Entrepreneurship will be presented as a set of chaired panel discussions to engage a range of well-versed business owners and panelists from a bevy of local support organisations,” Ms. Forde explained.
She listed them as including the Barbados Revenue Authority; the Barbados National Standards Institute; the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office, and the Barbados Manufacturers’ Association.
Each forum will focus on Management; Financial Management; Marketing, and Customer Service, and there will be series segments on Future Tech; Chasing Your Dreams, and success stories will be highlighted.
The show will be complemented by several marketing and supporting initiatives, including an extensive digital content component, to further engage the business community. They include providing “Explainers and How-tos” on various business concepts, and sharing practical insight into doing business in Barbados.