Athalyah Yisrael is part of a fast-growing group of Guyanese women who are embracing self-employment. For most of these women working for themselves is about following their hearts, giving expression to what they believe are their real strengths and, most importantly, opting for what they believe is their best route to economic independence.
In Yisrael’s case, the upcoming first anniversary of the creation of Fun Park Rentals on April 1, serves as a sharp reminder of her own decision to part company with salaried employment. As an employee of Demerara Distillers Ltd for four years, beginning in 2010, she had not been disinterested in working for herself. The critical decision to take the plunge was made in February 2014 when she had embarked on a one-off Mashramani Day ‘lunch’ venture. As fate would have it her stall was positioned virtually adjacent to the ‘bouncy castle ride’ of another vendor. The steady stream of children getting on and off the ‘castle’ excited her own innate business instincts.
She says little about her amicable parting of company with DDL except that the circumstances of her departure allowed her to invest $500,000 in the
