| By Zena HenryAre you young, innovative, industrious and have a knack for business? Then you may very well be eligible to manage your own firm and make your contribution to the country’s economic development. You could grow, have a chain of businesses or go international, depending on your drive and passion. All you need is the right people offering the right opportunities.If that is the case, then the Guyana Youth Business Trust (GYBT) may be the place for you. Promoting youth entrepreneurship by empowering local young people, GYBT offers up to $800,000 in loans to qualified persons between the ages of 18-35. If you are unemployed, have a business idea, able to apply personal skills and unable to access financial sources, then GYBT will accommodate you.GYBT’s main office on South RoadTheir mission is, “to promote young business persons in the establishment and growth of enterprises to create jobs for business owners and others.”The objective is to encourage youth initiative businesses by providing affordable access to start-up assistance in offering services such as financial assistance loans, business monitoring, business training, insurance coverage, business counseling and supervision and technical assistance.On February 24, 2000, HMS Charles, Prince of Wales; Dr. Yesu Persaud and the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED), established the non-governmental organization, GYBT, with the vision of, “developing and promoting youth entrepreneurship as a sustainable mechanism to overcome unemployment/under-employment by disadvantaged youths.”The dignitaries wanted to provide easy opportunities for young persons who do not have access to traditional financing. These persons would have a chance to attain cash for micro-businesses without the need for collateral or guarantors.From 2000 to now, GYBT has been working passionately to have its objectives realized. There have been various programmes organized to reach more young persons, while there are many success stories to complement the hard work.GYBT has over time announced some successful business people related to the entity such as Benjamin Williams, owner of LW’s Production Enterprise which deals with the production of leather items,Cheap Jerseys For Sale, Melissa Barnwell of Savory Products which produces sauces and seasonings and Joanna Khan who owns a Photo Studio.Most notable are the successes of 29-year-old Kwesi Barclay and 31-year-old Viola Andrews. Barclay acquired Ultra Graphics Creative Imagination in 2008 and with products such as Graphic Designs, Screen Printing, documentation Services. Barclay has so far been able to access four financial loans.As a Young Entrepreneur,Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys, he has been able to maintain a working relationship with GYBT by maintaining his financial obligations in a timely and efficient manner. He has done this while successfully sustaining his business for four years to date,NFL Jerseys China, and has since provided employment for one person.Barclay was featured in the Youth Business International Annual Reports and Accounts 2009 for his outstanding work as an entrepreneur. He started off by offering simple scanning and photocopying but has since responded to the corporate market by providing other services such as graphic designing and screen printing.Andrews on the other hand, started her business in 2007 and she was able to access 13 loans. Viola’s Arcade Fashion (Garment Manufacturing and Retail Trade) has been able to produce Hammocks, Garment Manufacturing, Mosquito Nets, and Poultry Broilers.Andrews operates her million-dollar business with a true entrepreneurial spirit of persistence and has recently expanded in reaction to customer needs by providing more products and opening more locations for her GYBT boosted business. She has two successful firms in Region Seven and San Martin and San Antonio on the Guyana-Venezuelan border.The woman began her business with a $96,000 loan and has gained a maximum of $800,000 since. The business has not only benefitted her but has provided employment for fifteen persons. In 2009 she successfully completed a Certificate in Small Business Management and Development and Needlework; offered by the European Union/ Low Income Housing Project in Partnership with the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED).Andrews was applauded by the organization and described as a committed person when it came to the management of her business. Reacting to the needs of her consumers, she sought to provide products that would benefit the community she lives in.To ensure success through monitoring, GYBT also provides for its clients qualified and dedicated business mentors, some of whom, volunteer to work hand in hand with these entrepreneurs. They specialize in areas of marketing, Customer Relations, Managing Personal Finance and economic development among other things.Apart from the contributions and assistance that GYBT offers to these young people, they have always urged for a positive attitude from these persons. They have advocated for upbeat and serious persons who are passionate about what they want to achieve. The term entrepreneur, the organization said, comes from the word to undertake. Anyone who undertakes the organization and management of an enterprise involving independent and risk while seeking the opportunity for profit can be seen as an entrepreneur.In that light, they said that dedicated potential business owners must be able to work long hours. They must be open-minded, flexible and able to respond to new ideas. They must be prepared to deal with unforeseen problems and know that there is a solution. They should be able to learn from the mistakes, change if one venture fails, and most of all, never give up.GYBT’s strategic partners who offer their assistance are IPED, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Inter-American Development Bank, among others.For those persons who are interested and are thinking about visiting the organization, GYBT offers financing for as many as 30 business areas. These include agro-processing, auto electrician, barbers, carpenters,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, car washes, cosmetology, day care facilities, fishing, furniture manufacturing, hairdressers, masons, private schools,Cheap NFL Jerseys, restaurants and vulcanizing shops.GYBT is located at 253-254 South Road, Bourda ,Georgetown,Cheap Jerseys From China, and can be reached on telephone numbers 226-4675, 225-8949. GYBT’s provisions have been lauded by some as “golden opportunities” not to be taken for granted. The organization said it is always open and acceptant of new, innovative and progress business persons. |
