The Value

In this technologically advanced world, everything is getting digitalized. For any business to keep up, it has to learn how to efficiently incorporate technology into its processes.    In this episode, digital marketing and e-commerce specialist Keron Rose sits with us as we delve into the world of digital marketing and e-commerce. Keron is also a writer and a podcast host, and his platforms aim to educate Caribbean entrepreneurs about the technology they need to start a business.   Here, Keron discusses the different digital payment platforms available in the Caribbean and the value proposition they offer. He emphasizes the importance of considering the pros and cons of the various digital payment facilitators and choosing the most suitable for your business.   Highlights: Keron’s journey to digital marketing and e-commerce Exploring the different payment platforms and knowing what suits you Digital tools and strategies to enhance your online presence Utilizing digital tools to build your brand: success stories Challenges in adopting digital payment solutions Understanding how various digital payments work Looking into the value proposition of different payment facilitators Republic Bank’s Endcash digital wallet Weighing payment solutions and consumer behaviour Digital payments: A look into the future The importance of legal conversations on fintech   Resources: Digipreneur FM Keron Rose Website

Today, we are with Cherie Williams, an accomplished entrepreneur and visionary. Cherie is the founder of FIRM1040, a tax firm assisting clients in different aspects of their financial lives, and owner of Veekle. Purposely driven, Veekle is a digital peer-to-peer car renting business. She is an experienced accountant holding certifications from the New Jersey Certified Public Accountancy Board, an MBA in Finance, and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting. Having gained valuable experience in corporate leadership roles before starting her own ventures, Cherie is well-positioned for the entrepreneurial journey. She has a deep passion for helping others.    In this insightful episode, Cherie glances at her journey as an entrepreneur venturing into various start-ups. She shares with us the inspiration behind Veekle, how she turned this concept into reality, and how she manages the challenges any self-funding business faces.   Highlights: Cherie's journey to entrepreneurship How the concept of Veekle came to being What is MVP and why utilize it How to keep your sanity through the process How the Veekle platform works Pitch competitions, their benefits, and how to prepare for them Taking the business to the next level Biggest challenges in growing the business Advocating your business, getting feedback, and taking the risk The actuality of running a business Cherie's advice for entrepreneurs   Contact Cherie Williams: LinkedIn: Cherie Williams, CPA, MBA Instagram: @iamcheriewilliams   Find out more about Veekle: LInkedIn: Veekle™ Facebook: facebook.com/justveekle Instagram: @justveekle Twitter: @justveekle

In this episode, we are with the well-known Caribbean media professional Samantha Best. Samantha is widely known as a former prime-time news anchor at CCN TV6, but more than that, she is an accomplished author, content consultant, and insurance agent. It was her ability to connect with the audience and her personal touch that made her one of the most popular media personalities on television and radio. In 2023, she made a career shift as she became a member of the Guardian Group as an insurance agent, making a positive impact on people's lives.   Samantha enjoys empowering people to work smart and make more which is what this episode is about. She shares her journey from her humble beginnings in the media industry to transitioning in different career paths. Moreover, she emphasizes the benefits of insurance and the importance of time management in achieving success.   Key Takeaways: Samantha's life before entering the media industry Finding her path in media and handling the pressures of being a beginner How can you improve your craft You must have different layers and be in different places to build your brand. Learn from your mistakes. Dealing with burnout and negative comments Samantha's journey on rebranding and getting back to her passion Being a woman in media and Samantha's advice to those aiming to get into the media industry Samantha's unique approach to insurance and financial freedom Build a system of content creation that fits your routine. It can be different for everybody. How to manage your time and get organized.   Resources: The Balance Block Method: A Guide to Improved Time Management and Productivity by Samantha Best Transform Your Life With Samantha's Balanced Success Checklist    Watch this video on YouTube here   Contact Samantha Best Website: samanthabest.life Facebook: Samantha Best • Insurance Agent Instagram: @your.personalinsuranceagent YouTube: Samantha Best • Insurance Agent  

In this insightful episode, we are with Ocey Phillips, an expert on digital transformation, focused on assisting companies in keeping up with customer needs in a technologically advanced world. He helps companies grow revenue by matching their perceived value with the problems consumers are looking for solutions to. As an experienced digital consultant with over ten years of successes and failures in the digital, technology, ICT, and telecoms sectors, he is adept at handling various projects and challenges.   As Ocey sits down with us in this episode, we take a deep dive into the Caribbean financial services sector and talk about reinventing the process to adapt to the technologically advanced world. He also shares his insights on managing and adding value to businesses.   Key Takeaways: Defining Digital Darwinism People management through framework and autonomy What inspired Ocey to reinvent himself? Introducing Inifye: A brief overview Key challenges in the Caribbean financial services sector The benefits of reinventing the process and going digital Total customer experience: What determines a value of a company Constantly be proactive with your market research Upscaling your business with a marketplace business model Go into business thoroughly, and understand every aspect. Staying ahead with prompt engineering Business vs. Hobby: What makes a business It is essential to have an understanding of the various business models. Going back to the core business principles Finding value in the Caribbean Fintech sector Challenges in funding within the Caribbean region   Resources: Disrupt You: Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation by Jay Samit   Watch this interview on YouTube here

In this episode of The Value podcast, host Kevin Valley sits down with Jynynn Edwards and Keron Rose of “The Digital World” radio programme on 106.5FM for an insightful interview about his work as a Chartered Business Valuator and podcaster. The conversation covers a wide range of topics related to business valuation and entrepreneurship, including: Kevin's professional background in business valuation  Understanding what a Chartered Business Valuator does  Basic steps to building an investible business  Why do small businesses fail to access capital from banks & available alternatives  How to value intellectual property and brands Knowing when to choose a business canvas over a business plan  The story behind the Caribbean Power Lunch Podcast and subsequent transition to The Value Show Views on podcasting as a medium in 2023  Throughout the episode, Kevin shares his expertise on these topics and provides practical advice for entrepreneurs and business owners. He also discusses his mission to educate business owners at scale while working with investors to source profitable opportunities. Overall, this episode provides valuable insights into the world of business valuation and entrepreneurship and is a must-listen for anyone interested in building a highly valuable and investible business.   Resources: Unlocking Investment Potential: How Chartered Business Valuators Drive Business Success

Kevin Valley visits his high school alma mater to address the current cohort on the topic “What I Have Learnt”. This series was designed to engage young men in conversations with past students on key lessons they have learnt after leaving the school. The speeches take on a well-rounded perspective on life not limited simply to everyday career advice. In this speech, Kevin leaves the students with three potent lessons: Daydreams are powerful; It’s not about you; your purpose is to serve Resilience wins the long game. Smartly intertwined with stories about his own failures, determination, and success, he drives home the key lesson of listening to your inner voice because it knows you best. Feeling a bit uncertain in your journey? Press play for some inspiration.   Resources: From Daydreams to Purpose: How Environment and Resilience Drive Performance

In this episode, Jarrod Best-Mitchell, a sales consultant with almost two decades of experience, shares his insights on the art of sales. He has worked at several top local and international corporations and has trained hundreds of sales professionals in current sales techniques to improve their performance and achieve their goals. His company, Help Me Sell, offers sales team coaching, sales process auditing, and helps C-level executives optimize their LinkedIn profiles. Jarrod firmly believes that "nothing happens until a sale is made" and has a track record that speaks for itself, having generated over 2 million organic views of his content in the last 22 months. He delves into topics such as the importance of mindset in sales, debunking the myth of the sales personality, the real key to learning how to sell, using content to answer customer questions and reach more people, and the importance of using video content to build trust and authority with strangers. He also touches on how to identify your ideal client and close the sale, understanding your value, and pricing appropriately, as well as the importance of data and insights to solving business problems. This episode is a must-listen for business owners, sales professionals, and service providers, as it is filled with powerful insights that can help improve your sales performance and achieve your goals. With Jarrod's impressive track record, you can be sure that the advice he shares is practical and actionable.   Resources: Sales Success: Why Personality Is Overrated and Process Is Key Maximizing Your Sales Strategy: Targeting Prospects and Solving Customers' Problems with Data-Driven Insights

The Indomitable Tishauna Mullings takes the interview mic on this episode of The Value.   Self-described as a Jamaican “pracademic” who loves to question orthodoxy, Tishauna loves and believes in academia to the extent it can help create real solutions for people’s lives. She is a social entrepreneur who believes the world is full of too many issues for folks to go into business ONLY for profit.   With a resume as long as it is inspiring, Tishauna wears several hats as a youth leader, community builder, and social development practitioner. Her work centres around building community wealth through rural regeneration. She is the founder of the Little Genius programme and NexxStepp Lifelong Educational Services, a social enterprise focused on empowering young people by equipping them with practical skills for employment.   Additionally, Tishauna is a Caribbean 30 under 30 Award recipient, Chevening Scholar, the winner of the 2013/2014 Farm Queen competition, Recipient of the Governor-General’s Award for St. Thomas in 2015, and a delegate for President Barack Obama’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative.   This episode is an inspiring and informative conversation on: How to tap into your potential to make change in the space you live in Tishauna’s testimony of how life coaching impacted her life and how she has used her experience to empower others A brief introduction to her Ready-Set-Go Coaching Model and How it works The Little Genius programme and NexxStepp Lifelong Educational Services and their respective social impacts Understanding the value of social enterprises How entrepreneurs can use the cross-subsidization model to meet profit goals while investing in social enterprises Differentiating between Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Entrepreneurship How profit-led businesses can better serve social causes Tune in to this episode as we learn how to build community wealth with Tishauna Mullings.   Resources: Building Community Wealth Through Social Entrepreneurship

Operating at the intersection of technology and business analytics, Jason Valley has spent over 2 decades using technology to add value to businesses.  His exemplary career spans the finance, oil & gas, and telecommunications sectors where his projects improved turnaround time on business processes. His unwavering commitment to efficiency and excellence earned him the honour of ‘Employee of the Year’ in 1998 and 2010 while his team was recognized as Best-in-Class globally for process optimization. Following these successes, he ventured into the rewarding world of entrepreneurship seeking to help small to medium-sized businesses optimize their operations. This interview is jampacked with stories, lessons, and advice on: Opening doors for emerging talent using tech The Importance of Passion and Profits in deciding whether to pivot or scale The difference between being "One in a million" vs "One of a million" and what that means for your value The importance of market research and testing seemingly good ideas to identify the right business opportunity Using free trials to sell your Value proposition The importance of a database of leads to build brand awareness and facilitate new business development How to generate client trust with technology How Caribbean service providers can use tech to maximize time and money. Resources: From Accountant to Tech Trailblazer

Steven Jasmin recognized Guyana’s investment potential back when he first arrived in June 2017. The stark similarities between Guyana and Louisiana; the off-shore centre for oil & gas production in the US; made him a believer in Guyana‘s investibility.   5 years after settling in, Steven and his team have a clear understanding of the Guyanese people as well as the opportunities that lie ahead for the "land of many waters". What he brings to the table and offers to multi-generational blue-collar business owners hoping to have a piece of the oil & gas pie, is his ability to speak the language of Fortune 500 companies.    He bridges the gap between local businesses seeking to work with large energy conglomerates by overseeing investments and handling key operational tasks required for big business collaborations.    This episode explores the realities of Guyana’s investibility including Key challenges faced by foreign and local investors; Opportunities for wealth building, investment and economic growth; Capital solutions for investment; Guyana’s diversification options; and The impact of technology on sector development.   Tap in to hear more on Guyana’s investment climate and how Steven and his team are working to create greater opportunities for Investment.    Resources: Investing in Guyana

Jay Harris makes an appearance on the podcast to discuss the exciting world of Web 3.  Web 3 or Web 3.0 is referred to as the next generation of the internet’s technical, legal and payment infrastructure. Its focus is on ownership and incorporates technologies and concepts such as decentralization, token-based economies and blockchain.  Our conversation sheds light on some important themes in Web 3 and instructs listeners on the key differences between these digital platforms & technologies.    We discuss: Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Ethereum, NFTs and the Metaverse (what they are and how they are used)  The first step in building a crypto wallet Mitigating risk in an unregulated market How businesses can capitalize on these digital platforms   Jay Harris is the Founder of the W3 Podcasts (Digital Leaders, Web 3 Leaders & World Tech Forum); audio shows aimed at educating and encouraging Web 3 communities.  The tech expert is an engaging speaker who effortlessly connects with the needs of his audience, inspiring performance, collaboration and change. In fact, many of Jay’s listeners credit him with providing the motivation they needed to launch their Web 3 projects.  In the corporate world, he is known as a creative thinker and provider of robust tech solutions for complex business problems.  Plug into this episode to learn more about the next generation of digital platforms.   Resources Web3 for Business

Every year, I see top talent leaving the country to go live and work somewhere else. And every year it stings - the loss of opportunity. If you are in a developing country, you've most likely felt this as well, and if you are in a developed country you've probably benefitted from this - the Brain Drain. Here are my thoughts on how to fix this. Click here to join the conversation on LinkedIn.

Kimberly Ofori is a digital entrepreneur and growth step strategist who transformed lessons learnt from her eye-opening entrepreneurial journey into a personal leadership brand.  She serves as the Managing Director at Ofori & Co. - A Strategy Innovation Agency where she helps scale-ups and corporations to innovate their business models and overall strategic positioning in their respective markets. Thanks to her rather unconventional corporate and entrepreneurial career; from climbing the career ladder starting at a very young age to working and living in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe where she founded and sold two companies - she has amassed a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience on what it takes to choose to be in the lead of your own life, in your career and on leading others. This is why she has been coaching leaders and leadership teams on personal leadership using The Lead method, a personal leadership methodology developed by Kimberly herself. Kimberly deep dives into critical business lessons learnt from various ventures and provides brilliant insight into reasons companies fail, selecting the right business model, value chain positioning, and the importance of innovation to remaining resilient.  Kimberly also shared a Five-Factor Model for scaling your business.   Watch this interview on YouTube here   Resources Should I Sell My Business?

Have you ever taken the time to develop a business plan, and pitch your idea to investors? Raise a virtual hand. Awesome, were you able to win the investment? Have you ever developed a business idea that needed funding to get off the ground, but never got around to meeting with potential investors? Maybe you were unsure of how to present it, maybe you were afraid, or maybe you just didn’t know where to find investors to fund your idea. Ok, let’s cast a bigger net – have you ever wanted to become an entrepreneur but hit a mental wall when you think “How on earth am I going to get the money to do this?” If none of this applies to you, I appreciate you for clicking through anyway 😊. If you did raise a virtual hand, I am one of you - here's my story.   Articles for reference: Failing to Raise Money Can be the Greatest Thing That Ever Happened How To De-Risk Your Startup For Investors

Milène Paul is a business strategy coach and author of “Now It’s Time to Live My Best Life”,  Her mantra “If they don’t get it, you won’t get it”, pointedly reminds business owners that if you aren’t clear on your value, prospective customers won’t buy into your service. It’s about making sure that your audience gets the message so you can get the business.   We discuss three types of value; absolute, relative and added; and Milène offers 5 steps you should use to effectively pitch your value with more confidence. Rooted in her 10+ years of experience in project management, grants compliance and international development strategy for SMEs in the Caribbean, she has met hundreds of business owners and entrepreneurs. It is where she learned a valuable truth in business: “If they don’t get it, you won’t get it”. Valuable projects have failed to receive financial support because of a lack of clarity and confidence. Convinced that she could do something about it, Milène decided to turn her experience into profitable expertise to fill this void. Now, as a business strategist for female entrepreneurs in the coaching and consultancy industry, she helps her clients pitch, profit and impact with more confidence.   Resources: The Best Way to Communicate Your Value Milène Paul YouTube Channel

I am proud to announce the rebranding of the Caribbean Power Lunch podcast to The Value and what to expect in future episodes!   This episode covers: The origin of the Caribbean Power Lunch podcast My decision to dive fully into entrepreneurship Become Investible, the brand What Value means to me The legacy I want to build An introduction of my framework for a valued business

Michael K. Jackson is a global keynote speaker, resilience expert and author. Having overcome significant challenges in his own personal and professional life, Michael walks us through what it takes to Build Back Stronger. This episode is a much-needed lesson on resilience, adversity, and hope as well as uncovering Michael’s P-L-A-N framework: a method for dealing with problems, difficulties, and conflicts on the journey to success.

In his time, Platinum Album selling and Grammy Award-Winning musician, Peter Tosh was well-known for his advocacy for equal rights and the legalization of cannabis. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1987 but his legacy lives on.  “You can talk about things till you're blue in the face, but sometimes you just got to go through it,” says Niambe McIntosh, the youngest daughter of the legend on this episode of Caribbean Power Lunch.  In our discussion, Niambe shares the tumultuous learning curve, challenges, victories, and growth she experienced as the administrator of her father’s brand and legacy.   As a formidable businesswoman and visionary, Niambe serves as - The head of the Peter Tosh Legacy and Brand; - Managing Member of Tosh Holdings LLC (IP); - Board Chairperson for the Peter Tosh Foundation Ltd.; and - The President of PT Capital LLC (Cannabis).   Listen in as she shares the thought-provoking realities of:  - Crafting the direction of a legacy brand, - Understanding the importance of dedicating time and resources to “fixing the past” to create a sustainable future, and  - Why she needed to fire her entire team and the journey of building a new strategic team through networking. A video of this interview is available here.

When it comes to raising capital for your venture, the first thing you need to know is that it is NOT all about your pitch.  Preparing to speak to investors is about a lot more than a polished pitch deck. Business owners should also understand how to outline what makes their companies Investible, including how to identify who your customers are, what they need, and how are you are solving their problems. In this episode, Zahra Alleyne walks through the process of developing an Investible business model and what to consider when preparing to present to potential investors.

Founding team Brian and Ingrid Jahra discuss the evolution of CinemaONE, the Caribbean’s first IMAX experience, the pioneering step of becoming the first SME IPO in T&T, and the challenges of building a sustainable, wealth-generating business, while also focusing on future growth and possibilities. In this conversation, we unpacked: Importance of IPOs for SMEs How to get to the IPO? What Is the Process? What the Business Valuation process entails Marketing the IPO Evolution of CinemaOne Growth of the Brand/Success Story How to Develop the Customer Experience For further insights, check out https://kevinvalue.com/are-you-ready-to-take-your-company-public