Blog

Pounding the Pavement: Real Stories of Financing Struggles of Early-Stage Entrepreneurs

*Originally published in the Branson Centre’s B:Inspired eZine Issue 10. Mervin Kerr, CEO of Island Integrators, was using three credit cards to fund his business’ growing operations – a personal credit card that attracted a 49% interest rate, a business card at 22% interest, and a credit card in an employee’s name, also at 49% […]

Seascape Caribbean: From Donor Funding to Sustainable Profits

*Originally published in the Branson Centre’s B:Inspired eZine Issue 4. When you consider the phrase “environmental rehabilitation and restoration” or “social entrepreneur” you may automatically think of treehuggers, people who work for a cause and are not motivated by money. You would be wrong. Well, partially wrong. Restoring damaged sections of our ecological landscape is […]

A Review of Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In.

“Integrating professional and personal aspirations proved far more challenging than we had imagined. During the same years that our careers demanded maximum time investment, our biology demanded that we have children. Our partners did not share the housework and child rearing, so we found ourselves with two full-time jobs. The workplace did not evolve to […]

Carb Cycling for Carnival

We are one and a half weeks away from carnival! At this point, I’ve built as much muscle as I can from going to the gym; how toned I look on carnival day will depend on how I eat. From what I’ve read, the best way to shed some flab in two weeks is by carbohydrate cycling. Carb cycling […]

Interview with Chris John Farley of the Wall Street Journal

This interview with Christopher John Farley first appeared in the Kingston Book Festival supplement in the Jamaica Observer on March 3, 2013. Background Christopher John Farley is a Jamaican-born writer who has had a significant impact on music journalism in the United States. After graduating from Harvard University in 1988, Christopher started writing for Time […]

Branson Center Orientation

On Monday and Tuesday this week, seventeen enthusiastic entrepreneurs met each other for the first time as Branson Center Cohort 4. Out of a pool of sixty applicants, these seventeen made it through three selection rounds. The next step is a twelve-week training program that is meant to help them structure their businesses to be […]

A Book Festival in Kingston

I’m a huge reader. The biggest piece of furniture in my home is a bookshelf filled with my books. When Kellie Magnus of the Book Industry Association of Jamaica asked me to join the planning committee of the Kingston Book Festival, I said, “sure!” One of the cool things I get to do is interview […]

The Shark Tank Obsession

Shark Tank has sparked a craze amongst people in the entrepreneurship and venture capital world. The reality show features a panel of uber-successful entrepreneurs and executives, like Mark Cuban, who consider offers from start-ups seeking investments in their businesses. Jamaica too has caught on to the hype and panels of “investors” are popping up everywhere […]