BUILDING SUCCESSFUL WOMEN IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

A contingent from Suriname at last year’s Megamarket.

By Marc Muneal
Trinidad Internet Express, Business, July 14, 2002

The Caribbean Association of Women Entrepreneurs (CAWE), along with Business Connections International, the Ministry of Community Development and Gender Affairs, and the Small Business Development Company (SBDC), will this year host the fifth annual Megamarket exhibition at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Port of Spain.

Founder of CAWE Dolores Hendy is overseeing the two-day event which focuses on promoting woman-owned-or-managed businesses and providing woman entrepreneurs with the know-how, contacts, and exposure necessary for success in today’s business world.

Megamarket gives businesswomen the opportunity to showcase the goods and services provided by their respective companies, but also features workshops and presentations aimed at honing skills facilitating networking. The theme of Megamarket 2002 is “Smart Partnerships: Women Collaborating for success.”

Hendy elaborated on her organisation’s goals: “We are now trying to get women to promote and establish joint ventures so they can further expand what they’re doing. I want to encourage them to not only look at the local market, but the regional and international markets as well.”

CAWE was born four years ago, when Hendy organised the first Megamarket and realised that the concerns of many small businesswomen in Trinidad and the Caribbean were not being met.

“At the time I was working promoting international trade, and I felt there was the need to assist women who needed help to expand and develop their businesses. We needed to have that network of support, the proper environment for people to develop their ideas.

“When we got women together for Megamarket, we decided to make an association where we would help and support each other as women in business before going to outside sources for help. And it’s working.”
Featured at this year’s event, which takes place on July 11 and 12, will be Dr Basil Springer of Barbados, one of the pioneers of smart partnership concept, who will speak on “The Challenge of Smart Partnerships for Business Growth” on the first day. Also on July 11 will be a presentation by Denise Gwyette on “The Expanding Concept of the Human Element in a Technological Environment.” Activities on the second day include Jocelyn Dow talking about “Exploring Practical Partnership Opportunities.”

Rosemary Stone, public relations co-ordinator of CAWE and owner of The Chocolate House, believes that the knowledge shared at Megamarket is invaluable to the Caribbean Businesswoman. Her own experience running The Chocolate House, which she bought eight years ago, speaks for itself.

“I have run the gamut. I had a product, a very good product, but I had to make it more interesting and more marketable. So we experimented with ponche-de-creme-centre chocolates, mango-centre chocolates... Then you have to find the right market, or you’re spinning top in mud. We’re trying to help these ladies. People think that if you have a good product, it’s very easy to sell it. Not true. You also have to have the right packaging, and the right marketing. And CAWE and Megamarket are helping to provide that type of knowledge.”

So far 16 booths have been confirmed for Megamarket 2002. Among them are Keemi’s Garments, Excel Service Ltd, Manzanare Design Solutions, Allison's Cake and Pastry, The Craft Zone, and Simple Elegant Modern Jewellery. CAWE members from other Caribbean countries including Suriname, St Lucia and Barbados are expected to attend.

Also displaying her wares at the exhibition will be Teresa Ferreira, manager of Ferreira Furniture. Her booth will showcase the upholstered custom-made and Indonesian furniture sold at the store.

“Every year when Megamarket is staged, we all hope for increased sales. It gives the business exposure, not only here, but there are people from around the Caribbean too. This is my third year participating.”

Annette Callender of Trumph Luxury Tours Rental and Taxi Service is running a booth that will give attendees a more in-dep

“I’m joining a few other businesswomen and we’re doing up a guest room, showing what the Trinidadian hotel room is like. And I’m going to do a bit about Trumph tours, tours here in Trinidad and what the country has to offer as well as social and cultural events.”

Callender speaks highly of CAWE and Megamarket: “They have opened my eyes as a woman in business to recognise how much I can do for myself and what being a woman entrepreneur means. They’ve been very supportive. CAWE really uplifts the businesswoman; it’s an excellent network not only for Trinidad women, but for women all over the Caribbean.”

Hendy contends that although equality and women’s rights are overplayed sound-bytes in today’s business world, the reality is that women still have a harder time trying to get their businesses off the ground.

“Women still have a harder time getting started, getting credit and so on, most definitely. But we have made women less afraid of growing beyond operating in little corners.”