The Small Business Edition

Kemal Brown is the president and Chief Executive Officer of Digital Global Marketing which is making waves in Jamaica. The company has transformed the digital experiences of several companies in the country.

He is excited about the future of digital sector in Jamaica despite current gaps, especially in the education space. Brown, emphasizing the importance of the digital agenda, suggests that coding should be taught as a language in schools like Spanish and French.

In this episode of Impacting Jamaica with host Andre Jebbinson, the Digital Global Marketing CEO talks about his business, existing gaps in Jamaica’s digital ecosystem, and the role of the sector in education and self-learning.

Randy McLaren has come a long way with his business – Bresheh Enterprises – that produces high quality bags and accessories that are in high demand.

That journey started on a veranda in East Kingston, Jamaica, in 2015 with his brother Davian using “out of pocket funds” and an old sewing machine.

Today Bresheh, which focuses on doing “what is right for people and what is right for the planet”, is a model for those who want to enter the world of small business.

McLaren said his aim on entering business was not to make money. The purpose went beyond the financial value. “For us,” said McLaren, “it is because we really think that every day we go into work we are helping to make individuals, people, families, more purposeful and prepared for success and happiness in life.”

He sits down with host Catherine Goodall, an executive at CaribShopper, to talk about his successes, his challenges and how he’s ready to embark on the next phase with ideas resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is the first episode of a new podcast series – Impacting Jamaica: The Small Business Edition.

Anand Biradar, senior vice-president and head of the international outsourcing firm Hinduja Global Solutions, is upbeat about the BPO sector in Jamaica.

He predicts that within two to three years the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector in the country will be a US$1 billion industry. Everything is on track for this to become a reality, said the Hinduja Global Solutions senior vice-president.

His company, said Biradar, helps clients in various ways, adding that it covers “the entire gamut of enabling our clients to run their businesses a lot more efficiently and also at the same time empowers them to deliver better experiences for their customers”.

Additionally, Biradar was full of praise for the Jamaica workforce, praising his team for their commitment and dedication to duty.

In this repeat 2021 episode with Impacting Jamaica host Mark Titus, the Hinduja Global Solutions senior vice-president spoke about the company’s commitment to its workers and corporate social responsibility initiatives. “Whatever we do, we do it with fun,” he said.

Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) continues to transform its operations to better serve the public, both in Jamaica and diaspora communities.

Its online offerings are vastly improved and public satisfaction has been high, said Courtney Johnson, the taxpayer education officer at the TAJ. “Over 75 per cent of our customers found that using the online platform is convenient, it is safe…,” he said.

Johnson said the TAJ continues to work to ensure it provides the best service possible to all customers. He notes too that the TAJ is already number one in the Caribbean; and the vision is to become a world-class organisation.

In an interview with Impacting Jamaica host Byron Buckley, the TAJ taxpayer education officer spoke about various improved offerings and others to come on stream soon.

For over a decade, Caribbean HR Solutions has been providing seamless human resource and business process support to the members of the investing community entering Jamaica’s commercial space.

They are also a key contributor to the rapid growth in the petroleum and outsourcing sectors, while making its mark through top-class service in other industries, including tourism.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ms. Debra Frazer is proud of the company’s work. “Anything having to do with people management, we have a solution and that’s what we are in the business of providing,” she declared.

Caribbean HR Solutions, with headquarters in Montego Bay, St James, has also been instrumental in the success of start-ups, processing payrolls and other HR support services, Ms. Frazer tells host Mark Titus in this episode of Impacting Jamaica.

Ibex, one of the business process outsourcing (BPO) entities in Jamaica, is making great strides. It has moved its workforce from 120 persons five years ago to 8,500 today.

“It has been quite a journey and a very interesting one,” said Jaime Vergara, senior vice president of operations at the outsourcing powerhouse, who said Ibex is eyeing having additional senior staff positions in Jamaica.

The company provides customer support via phone, chat and email in sectors that include retail, finance, healthcare and telecommunications. These include its online marketing accelerator Ibex Digital, which offers search engine marketing, social media advertising, and lead generation solutions.

Ibex also offers financial services solutions, such as credit and transaction support, and banking from their service centres across Jamaica.

In this episode of Impacting Jamaica, Mr Vergara talks with host Mark Titus about the months ahead and Ibex’s corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) Jamaica is excited about the country and its people. “Jamaica is gifted with talent,” declared the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Anand Biradar.

Hinduja is the first Indian business process management (BPM) firm to operate in Jamaica.

It started in June 2012 with 80 customer service associates, and has since established a reputation for nurturing strong client relationships by making the most of the near-shore advantage and an exciting talent pool. The company now has more than over 5,100 associates working in its four delivery centres across the country.

Anand is upbeat about the future of his company the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector in Jamaica, declaring that in another two to three years it will be a billion-dollar industry.

In this episode of Impacting Jamaica, Anand talks with host Mark Titus about his dedicated and committed employees, the BPO’s future and corporate social responsibility.

Joel Harris was only 27 years old when he came up with the idea of the Shavuot Group of Companies.

He is a trained marketer, but he knew he could also rely on the expertise of his father who had recently retired and had significant experience in agro-processing.

The company specializes in teas, spices, gluten-free flour, powered herbs and oils for personal care.

For Joel and his family, empowering people through nature and social enterprise is critical to the products they currently offer. With the brand seemingly hitting all the right spots, despite, facing tremendous hurdles that include physical and human nature, the company is growing in the number of products and acreage for production.

Joel tells Impacting Jamaica host Andre Jebbinson that he sees Shavuot as his destiny and will continue to “harvest Jamaican goodness”.

Scotch Boyz, the producers of Jamaican BBQ and hot sauces, came about when Drew Gray and his three partners decided to enter a grill-off competition. Based on the positive feedback they received during and after the competition, they decided to bottle, market and sell their production locally and internationally.

They placed considerable effort in ensuring that like their products, their packaging and labeling would be mainstream enough to be viable, while reflecting the authenticity of their ingredients – the chief being the Scotch Bonnet peppers.

The Scotch Boyz journey to where they are now was not easy. However, they have continued to thrive – even during the global COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, one of the highlights of 2021 was their appearance on the US shopping channel, QVC.

Drew Gray and his partners remain optimistic about taking their small business to the next level. They are particularly excited about a new product that they believe will be different and successful with the right amount of spice.

Drew sat down with Impacting Jamaica Small Business Edition host Andre Jebbinson to talk about his business and JAMPRO’s Export Max Programme’s role in the growth of the Scotch Boyz.

The Jamaican construction industry continues to be one of the strongest performing sectors, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have predicted this construction bubble will crash but, according to Rudolph Edwards of R.E. Construction, while he doesn’t see a crash, his company’s model is made to last.

R.E. Construction merges construction and project management to provide value-added services to its clients. The attention to proper planning makes the life of the clients easier, the process simpler, and in many instances, cheaper.

“There is really no room for error,” said the construction boss.

Mr. Edwards said that this client management gives his small business competitive advantage by focusing on design concepts and innovation.

He talks with Impacting Jamaica host Andre Jebbinson how clients can build their home within their financial cap, and finding his niche against the bigger players in the market.