In a world where it has become commonplace for academia and entrepreneurship to be, by no means, strange bedfellows, 20 year- old Reshonah Gordon, is straddling the fence enthusiastically and with a generous measure of enthusiasm. . Simultaneously, she is braving her way through her Third Year at the University of Guyana pursuing a First Degree in Medical Rehabilitation/Psychotherapy whilst piloting ‘Everything Crafty’, her hobby turned entrepreneurial through what, sometimes, can be the choppy waters of entrepreneurship.
Everything Crafty – like so many other small businesses in Guyana – has metamorphosed from being a distraction from the COVID-19 malady for the owner, to becoming a pursuit which, like Reshonah, has ‘survived’ the pandemic. “I started Everything Crafty in August 2020 when I was 16 years old,” Reshonah told the Stabroek Business. These days it exists, not as a distraction but as a vehicle through which she expresses herself, creatively. At a much earlier age she had developed a ‘feel’ for ‘things crafty’, a condition in which she found herself creating beaded bracelets, cards, and decorative frames and offering these as both thoughtful and timely gifts to family members. As the world grappled the COVID malady, Reshonah found a place of ‘escape’ in the bosom of her creative endeavours. At the time there was no notion that her creative pursuits would not only win ‘the hearts’ of family and friends but would, in the fullness of time, become an entrepreneurial venture.
Roshanah concedes that as a University student juggling with a full-time job and active participation in various youth organizations, time management poses a significant challenge. She is, however, sustained that family and friends have rallied ‘round, supporting her in key areas including preparing orders and effecting deliveries when her hands are ‘filled.’ She is by no means unmindful of that support. Asked her opinion on the ongoing demarche of young people into entrepreneurship, Reshonah opines that younger minds infuse fresh perspectives into entrepreneurship, bringing as well both change and enrichment. She champions the cause of the small business. That is where she has begun and, understandably, she has become an advocate for the pursuit. “Small businesses need support, and they deserve grace,” she affirms passionately. “As a society, we must extend grace to these fledgling enterprises, understanding that they may stumble before finding their footing. We must not dismiss them too while remaining loyal to larger establishments some of which that have let us down time and again.”
If she sometimes finds the small business daunting, Reshonah continues to be overwhelmed by the support she continues to receive from those ‘nearest and dearest’ to her. Nor does she allow her confidence in her creativity to cause her to overlook the competitiveness of the market where other fellow small business owners like herself, are ‘looking for it,’ she has found too that there are also pressures deriving from the expectation of customers that micro and small business ventures can compete with the ‘bigger players’ in terms of pricing. Very often too, she says, there is a refusal on the part of some customers to make a distinction between machine-made, mass produced items and the uniqueness of hand-made creations. Reshonah’s circumstances have compelled her to be mindful of time management. She has learnt to plan her day meticulously, in a manner that allows her to be mindful of every aspect of her life. It’s demanding, but she believes that it comes easier when you are “focused and disciplined.” Safespace, the Robb street (opposite the Stabroek News) entrepreneurial testing ground that offers display shelves to small operations like her own has been instrumental in helping her to cultivate a ‘business mindset’ that she will need in the period ahead.
At Safespace, where her products occupy a dedicated shelf, her modus operandi allows for the streamlining of her business operations, a circumstance that allows her to provide product ‘pick up and deliveries and customer drop-ins’. Business, Reshonah says, is an ebb and flow pursuit; it’s seasonal, as well. Holidays and special occasions, (Mothers’ Day is an excellent example of a good day) are among her best days. Like other young persons’, business affords her a knowledge of contemporary product demand. This allows her to determine what she will offer the customer. She is also concerned on leveraging technology to enable more effective networking. Not that she is unmindful of the wisdom afforded by the counsel provided by the seasoned business owners, many of whom, she says, readily offer valuable advice. Roshanah believes, too, that age can “work both ways” in business. Contextually, she concedes that she sometimes finds herself underestimated in pursuit of her entrepreneurial pursuits on account of tender years. It is at junctions like these, she says that you have to “stand your ground.”
Expansion in business is an incremental phenomenon. She appears to feel no pressure. She aspires to, “one day,” own a gift shop of her own. She hopes, too, the “Everything Crafty” can become a household name in the future. Everything Crafty can be reached via WhatsApp at +592 648 7032. You can also follow them on Instagram and Facebook at @everything.crafty. Some Everything Crafty products are available on Reshonah’s shelf space at the Safespace Store, Courtyard Mall, Robb Street (opposite the Stabroek News)
