Stabroek Business: Could you enlighten us on the history behind Small Business Week?
Evie Kanhai-Gurcharran: The conversation started in 2019. At the time, I was the Co-Chair of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Committee. Dr. Rosh Khan was the Chair. It was Dr. Khan’s idea. He created a working document and gave me to run with. He gave me the creative freedom to do so. COVID-19 stepped in and put a halt to the staging of the event. In 2022, the first Small Business Week was held. We had sixty (60) participants. GTT has stepped in as our Corporate Sponsor this year. We had online webinars but could not have the Council tour so that many businesses in the outlying areas that were not members of the GCCI felt excluded. To become a member of GCCI, you must have a registered business.
SN: As Chair of the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Committee, what is your primary focus?
EKG: My primary focus is to ensure that we create opportunities for our small business members, to have them feel relevant within the organization. The Chamber is seeking to correct the narrative that it is a Big Boys Club. My responsibility is to make it clear that this is not the case, that there are programmes and initiatives tailored for small businesses. We have an initiative called ‘The President’s Reception’, this is a Round Table where new small business owners can directly engage the Chamber’s President and its council members about their concerns on issues that concern them. We also have webcams frequently. We have changed our webinar approach to virtual networking. Small Business Week is about raising visibility for small businesses. We want everyone to know that it is not just a ‘big business’ organization.
Stab Bus: Where are the members located?
EK-G: There may be overlapping of membership. Other Chambers exist in the country though it is normal to find businesses outside of Region Four who are members of GCCI.
Stab Bus: Can you give us a number in terms of the size of the Chamber’s membership?
E K-G: We are almost at eight (800) hundred members.
Stab Bus: A great many small businesses appear to be opening these days. Is this actually the case and how much do you think the Chamber has contributed to the emergence of small businesses?
EK-G: There is definitely an appetite for entrepreneurial independence. That’s the first thing. Secondly, even though a large number of businesses are opening, those new business owners are still, themselves, employees. It is a matter of diversifying your sources of income. I have spoken to many small business owners and they are talking about ‘leaving a legacy.’ I have worked with micro and small companies as well as women who are seeking to create multiple income streams. It also allows for families to work as teams in building multiple businesses. Children, as well, learn from an early age about business and financial independence. You will find a lot of this among the sellers in the municipal markets.
Stab Bus: Where is the money coming from for start-ups?
E K-G: I can refer you to what is known as the ‘Bird in the Hand Principle’. You begin with what you have and where you are. I figured that out when I was fifteen. I had a computer that my father had purchased for the church. He was a Pastor. Some pastors needed their songs typed. I typed for them. I did not monetize the exercise. One day, one of them put money in my hands. It was then that I became aware of the fact that it could be a money-making pursuit. Many businesses have evolved that way. There are, of course, other more conventional ways of starting a business. There are various ways in which businesses evolve. During COVID-19, small businesses emerged because of job losses. A lot of other forms of money-earning initiatives emerged, various types of delivery services, food services, personal shopping services and various others.
Stab. Bus: What about business training?
EKG: Some people may not begin with all of the ‘tools.’ You have to challenge yourself to learn, position yourself in situations where teaching and learning are occurring, situations in which you can benefit from the experience of others. There are media from which we can learn, the University of YouTube’ as we say in Guyana. You have to challenge yourself to get what you want.
SN: Does GCCI offer training?
EK-G: Yes. We offer the ‘Business Develop Forum’ (BDF) annually. It provides advice on business issues. We have monthly webcams on our Facebook page that have to do with various issues, including manufacturing to marketing, with every issue related to business and growth. We have information-sharing and mentorship exercises with our members.
Stabroek Business: Do we have sufficient institutions to provide Business Training?
E K-G: Yes, we do; there are quite a few. There is the Sherry Blair Foundation. The government has a few programmes, including the Small Business Bureau, and the Ministry of Human Services has a project for women. Various organizations are actual and virtual training exercises. The IDB also offers many training programmes. The programmes are there.
