“Accomplish what you will”

Entrepreneurship was celebrated in Jamaica last week, with the entire week dedicated it. I attended a panel discussion hosted by 18 Degrees North host and former Bloomberg journalist Zahra Burton. The panellists included EduFocal’s Gordon Swaby, Miss Yaneek Page, Melanie Subratie and a fellow from the Musson Group (I didn’t get his name). It was an enlightening and practical discussion about how to succeed as an entrepreneur, how to deal with the emotional highs and lows, how to seek and secure funding and how to attract and retain the right staff. This is a key challenge, apparently, and people must be vetted carefully. It also takes much passion and dedication, for there will be many more rejections than successes. It was one of the best panel discussions I have attended, and as a business journalist, this is saying a lot. It almost inspired me to start a business! Not quite, but it did confirm for me that being a freelance journalist is running your own business in itself, with the marketing and branding aspects, budgeting, pitching, delivering a quality product on deadline and maintaining relationships with clients. I enjoyed these quotes, which are mounted on the walls of JN’s Start-Up Jamaica space. Enjoy your Monday!