With the challenges associated with direct marketing these days extending beyond operating costs (which include staff and premises and the high cost of marketing utilising conventional marketing methods) increasing numbers of small, emerging businesses are seeking to find ways of reducing the costs of product promotion and by extension, broadening their market base. For small companies in Guyana, particularly, the challenge of broadening their market base has been further compounded by the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic and the health considerations associated with physical exposure.Recently, four Guyanese entrepreneurs, Miguel Gurchuran, Sandra Craig, Rodeik-ah DeFrietas, and Govinda Singh, joined fellow entrepreneurs from across the Caribbean to participate in a three-week virtual programme under the theme ‘Migrating Your Business On-Line’ hosted by the International Visitor Leadership Programme of the United States Department of Trade. A release issued by the United States Embassy in Georgetown, said that over the course of the exercise the participants “examined strategies for refining their business goals; explored e-learning tools and resources to help their continuing education in marketing and business development; and discussed practical issues needed to bring their businesses online.”
