The Anguilla Youth Business Foundation (AYBF), under the auspices of the Department of Youth and Culture, observed Entrepreneur Week from Saturday November 11th to Saturday, November 18th under the theme “Entrepreneurs Strive Here”.
Activities for the week included, among others, a radio broadcast on Radio Anguilla’s Saturday morning programme, Social Solutions; a church service on Sunday, November 12th at the Church of God (Holiness); and the official launch of Global Entrepreneur Week on Monday, November 13th.
Monday’s launch took the form of a Press Conference and was held at Confetti Dust Studio, which is owned and operated by entrepreneurs, Twyla Richardson and Latoya Scarborough. The launch took the form of a panel presentation on the nature of the AYBF. Panelists included the Chairperson of the Foundation, Mr. Clemvio Hodge; Deputy Chairperson, Mrs. Twyla Richardson; and Budgetary Chairperson, Mr. Bren Romney. The moderator was the Clerical Officer of the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ms. Karen Pina.
Mr. Clemvio Hodge said that young entrepreneurs form part of the economic backbone in societies around the globe. “Entrepreneurs are the ones who solve economic problems in societies around the world and present solutions for financial gain. In Anguilla, this is even more significant because business in Anguilla is essentially run by our entrepreneurs. The goods and services that we offer to Anguillians put us in key positions in the society.”
“Entrepreneurs take a lot of risks,” Mr. Hodge said, “when they venture out in uncharted business ventures. This week is our opportunity to say thank you to all of our local entrepreneurs who have put their blood, sweat and tears into creating businesses and have worked tirelessly to be able to accomplish a viable business experience. And, indeed, we would like to welcome all of our entrepreneurs to celebrate with us.”
Mrs. Twyla Richardson-Thomas was one of the very first cohorts of AYBF trainees to benefit from the “Get Set” Programme, which is an initiative that prepares young people to enter into the field of business. She related how she got started in her Confetti Dust business.
“The ‘Get-Set’ Programme offers training in a numbers of areas that are necessary for the running of a successful business, and it provides the opportunity to access financing for business initiatives,” Twyla said.
“I was able to benefit tremendously from the training and financing which the “Get Set” Programme affords, to the extent that I was able to meet my goal in the establishment and operation of this business, Confetti Dust.
“Confetti Dust Studio is a partnership business between my sister-friend, Latoya Scarborough, and myself,” she said. “It had always been our vision to plan and host children’s parties. And it has always been our long-term dream to actually own a physical space.”
“As time went on, some of our goals had to be altered because things shifted. When the pandemic hit in 2020 we saw the need for more content creation. So we adjusted our goals and we created what we are in here today – a studio that offers content creators the opportunity to come in at their leisure and create content for businesses,” she said.
Apart from being the Deputy Chairperson, Twyla is also a member of the Anguilla Youth Business Foundation’s Council. She said that being a council member is not just sitting and serving on the Council, but that she finds fulfillment in encouraging budding entrepreneurs to sign up for the ‘Get Set’ Programme so that they too can eventually benefit from the rewards of a business venture.
Budgetary Chairperson, Mr. Romney, spoke highly of the “Get Set” Programme. “The Anguilla ‘Get Set’ Entrepreneur Training Programme recruits and trains young people who have business ideas.
“The training takes about five weeks,” he said, “and entails educating the entrepreneur-to-be in such areas as What is Entrepreneurship; Characteristics of an Entrepreneur; What Sets Entrepreneurs Apart from Others; The Role of Business in Society; How Government Helps or Hinders Business; Business Accounting and Recordkeeping; Marketing; Brand Development, and a whole range of business related studies provided to benefit the fledgling entrepreneur.”
“To date,” Mr. Romney said, “we have trained 144 young persons. One of the things that is exciting about the programme is that I have never found a cohort or a member of a cohort that has found the training boring or unreliable. We take a young person’s business idea and help to mold it into a successful business.”
Following the presentation, members of the Press posed pertinent questions to the panel.
