Magazine start-ups in South Florida

In the middle of finalizing the articles for this next issue I came across an item in the news that South Florida is enticing for start up magazines. Click here to view.

Well that should bode well for me then. I don’t think the fact that I have switched from print to online makes a difference but I will try to contact some of the folks interviewed for the article and see what they can share about their venture thus far.




www.caribbeanbusinessdigest.com

Broward Caribbean carnival obstacle

Apparently Gillian Smart in her feature article in the CBD was right: we do need our own facilities as Caribbean Americans here in the South Florida community. View article here.

The city of Miramar voted to reject the plan to host the Broward Caribbean carnival in the city that was hoped for on October 7. The amount of people expected to attend the event and parking issues were among the reasons listed. According to the article the carnival has been bounced around various sites in the past and that counted against it. The rejection went ahead despite the obvious economical and cultural benefits.

This is definitely a blow to the community. See the article in the Sun-sentinel here.

Recent Developments and Potential Alliances in the Works

A few recent developments are worth mentioning in regards to the CBD. First, I received a call from the producers of a television show aimed at local Caribbean culture in the South Florida area. Somehow, the CBD came up in discussion due to my involvement with the community. An offer was extended for me to appear on the show and I am currently working on getting the time sorted out. The show I believe will debut later this year. More on that if I am able to nail down the time.

Second, I received another call from the founder of a marketing firm who is building a countrywide network. More on this later but so far this professional business network is getting some really good press and seeking to achieve some really lofty and promising goals. Hopefully, I am able to work out some sort of alliance with these folks as I think that we could be of mutual benefit to each other. This individual thinks the same way and also believes that the connection the CBD is building with the Caribbean American community is valuable.

And thirdly, I am in the process of working out an alliance with a local chamber where a member of this chamber will feature in each issue of the CBD. The details have not been ironed out yet but expect an announcement soon.

The CBD is positioning itself to be of service to the community at large and is being recognized as such. I will make the official announcements once details are finalized.

Independence Message to T&T Diaspora

T&T Diaspora members,

I am sure Trinibagonians are no doubt looking forward to August 31 in anticipation of T&T Independence anniversary. And if my guess is right, the celebrations are probably already underway, not only on the twin island nation, but within its Diaspora as well.

Having had the opportunity to meet and get to know members of the T&T Diaspora personally in the past few months, I know that there will be an air of pride and patriotism. There is much to be thankful for and much accomplishments to be celebrated. Additionally the mobilization of the Diaspora of Trinidad and Tobago (DOTT) here in South Florida no doubt will continue to ensure that the T&T pride is preserved. I celebrate with you and encourage you to continue making your fellow Trinis, Caribbean and Caribbean-American brothers and sisters proud.

So, on behalf of the Caribbean Business Digest and fellow Caribbean Americans here in South Florida, I would like to acknowledge and congratulate Trinibagonians the world over on the milestone.

In closing, I echo the sentiments of your PM Patrick Manning and urge you to maximize your potential at home and abroad. (View the full article here).

Have a happy and safe Independence celebrations T&T.

Mushtaq Maxwell
Caribbean Business Digest
http://www.caribbeanbusinessdigest.com/

Reviewing the current issue

This issue is special because it marks the migration to the new online format. View new format here. Though there are print copies of this issue that has been distributed, it will be the last print copy for the foreseeable future. I am looking forward to the feedback as to the new mode of distribution.

This issue itself featured dialogue with four women each contributing something different to the community they serve. Stella Tokar with the Miramar Pembroke Pines Chamber of Commerce spoke with the CBD as to how her organization seeks to help the community. Of note is that this organization seeks to integrate the larger companies in its membership with the smaller ones so each organization seeks to help others within the Chamber.

Gillian Smart talks enthusiastically about her project The Smart Group. Gillian seeks to actively be involved in community development. Jasmine Calder Esq. of The Calder Law Firm, talks about making the jump from career woman to entrepreneurship while being a wife and mother. She offers some insight into the different roles. I hope to visit back with Jasmine to follow up on how things are with her in the near future.

And there is Nerissa Street of The Artist Initiative. I particularly enjoyed this feature and am intrigued at the work that she does. The bottom line is that she seeks to help people in the pursuit of their dreams. As a side note, in my reading in general I came across the fact that art is now being used as a medium for investing. In the same way that one invests in real estate with a view for property appreciation, more and more people are now doing the same with artwork. If art is viewed as an investment vehicle it could mean more economic benefit for artists. This would add more than just the intrinsic value to Nerissa’s work of course.

Among the things I learnt from Nerissa is that there can be no bounds on willingness to build alliances. She seeks to do that as part of her firm’s effort to satisfy clients. The key of course is to work with others who share your ethics and vision. Another point worth mentioning is the need for individuals to take the “initiative” for their future and own well being. My favorite quote from her is that “your 401-K can easily become your 401-bye”. And that is no exaggeration. We can all point to news items that bear testimony to this.

This issue is insightful, informative and interesting and I hope my readers enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed bringing these stories to light. Further, I hope you all enjoy learning more about the different people that are a part of our Caribbean American community.

Jamaican Diaspora Consulate General Hurricane Aid Information

Here is the letter from the Diaspora representative Marlon Hill, Esq about Hurricane aid for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Thanks to the Diaspora and Consulate General for taking the initiative.


Jamaican Diaspora Southern US Organizes Hurricane Aid (for Jamaica/Cayman Islands)

The Jamaica Consulate General and the Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States Advisory Board are coordinating emergency preparations for Jamaica in light of Hurricane Dean now approaching the Western Caribbean region. A hurricane warning has been issued for Jamaica.

Several drop off points have been set up at designated churches and central points of community contact have been identified, including the following:

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD COUNTY

Tortuga Imports,Inc.
14202 SW 142 Avenue
Miami, FL. 33186
305-378-6668

Holy Family Episcopal Church
18501 NW 7th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL
305-652-6797

Kendall Community Church of God
8795 SW 112 ST. , Kendall-Miami, FL
(305) 274-3072

Holy Sacrament Episcopal Church
2801 N University Dr, Hollywood -Pembroke Pines, FL
(954) 432-8686

City of Lauderhill Fire Stations (open 24 hours)
Most central - 1181 NW 42 Way
Phone: 954-739-0100
Situated just behind De Jamaica Shop south of the Lauderhill Mall


PALM BEACHES

Karline's of the Palm Beaches
4047 Okeechobee Blvd.
Suite 230, West Palm Beach 33409
Tel: 561-932-0103
Contact" Karline Ricketts

MDI Racing
10351 Southern Blvd.
Royal Palm Beach. FL 33411
Tel: 561-798-2433
Contact: Michael Clark

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Quick Ship Caribbean Services
2153 W. Colonial Dr. (In the Magic Mall)
Orlando, Fl. 32804
Tel: (407) 999-9501

FiWe Caribbean Cuisine,
6601 Old Winter Garden Rd.
Orlando, Florida
(corner of Hiawassee Rd. & Old Winter Garden Rd (by Walgreens)
Tel: (407) 293-6393

ARIZONA/NEW MEXICO/TEXAS
Jamaica Foundation of Houston - Andy Adams
andr2@wt.net
E-Mail: JamaicaFoundation@earthlink.net
Telephone: 713-772-4456

ARKANSAS/OKLAHOMA/TENNESSEE
Jamaican Diaspora Tennessee - Janeth Simpson-Brown
615 -0595-1454
jeromejaneth@aol.com

GEORGIA
United For Jamaica - Jason Walker
Website: http://www.unitedforjamaica.org
Email: info@unitedforjamaica.org
jason55555@gmail.com
Phone: 404-533-1248

Atlanta Jamaican Association - Allan Alberga
407-523-6300
allanalberga@aol.com

CAROLINAS
Jamaica National Assoc. - Ms. Jennifer Edwards
336-643-5813
8003 Goldenrod Drive
Greensboro, NC 27455

In the interim, persons interested in making donations can make checks payable to the Jamaica Consulate General (Hurricane Relief) and mailed to the office at 25 Southeast Second Avenue, Suite 609, Miami, FL 33131.

Donations of any items should include a list of critically needed items such as non-perishable food items, batteries, flashlights, first aid kits, battery operated radios and bottled water.

For further information, persons can call the Consulate office at 305-374-8431, extensions 223 and 232.

Diaspora Advisory Board member, Marlon Hill, has urged other Jamaican communities as well as members of community organizations throughout the Diaspora to be on the alert in their specific communities to collaborate effectively as preparations are coordinated. All flights into and out of the island are cancelled tomorrow.
_____________________________________________________________________

For media inquiries or other communications, please call:

Marlon A. Hill, Esq.
Advisory Board Member
Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States
305-244-4456 or info@marlonhill.com

Hurricane Dean

On the Weather Channel right now, I am watching highlights and updates of people getting ready for Hurricane Dean in Jamaica. It is nice to see that for the most part people are taking this seriously. Somehow I am getting a bad feeling here but will continue to pray for my fellow Jamaicans of my island home. I can't help but to think that with this major catastrophe seemingly hours away from the shores and elections due a little over a week away that this will have major implications on the island.

My prayers are that we can bring out the truth in the popular expression "wi likkle but tallawah" and come through this period stronger.

Along the same lines, I received an email yesterday from the Jamaican Diaspora representative Marlon Hill, Esq with information about Hurricane aid for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. I will post this letter here in a separate post for anyone who wants to offer help.

Thanks to Marlon and the Diaspora movement as well as the Jamaican Consulate General for being proactive about this situation.

Final thought on JA Independence

So the 45th anniversary of Jamaica's independence is gone and the celebrations that follow have tapered off. But, there are still some issues that will remain for a while for the Diaspora. This is evidenced by the comments and reaction stemming from a Sun Sentinel article written by Alva James Johnson. View article here.

After reading view comments here.

I will choose not to comment much except to say that for us in the Diaspora we have to concern ourselves with affairs in the home country and also issues in the communities that we live in.

More importantly, much recognition must go to Jerk Machine for the part that they are playing in the community. From the celebration that was referred to in the article to various events involving the Jamaica USA Chamber of Commerce that I have attended on occasion, Jerk Machine seems to be heavily involved in community affairs and much love go out to them for this.

True example of a business looking to be involved in the community it serves.

Jamaica's 45th Anniversary

August is a special month for two of the largest Caribbean diaspora groups. On August 6th Jamaica celebrates its 45th year of Independence (T&T celebrates later this month). Already, Emancipation Day is behind us and much has already been written about the significance of this date. (See the Jamaican Prime Minister's Emancipation Day message here).

Jamaica and Jamaicans worldwide should now put the upcoming elections on the back burner as we have another significant date to commemorate. The Diaspora already has a host of events underway to mark this occasion. Of note is the fact that the Bank of America Tower in Miami will be draped in the black, green and gold of Jamaica (see article here).

And, on the eve of Jamaica's independence, I hope that the Jamaican Diaspora the world over will continue to take note of the various achievements by their countrymen and always realize the impact that Jamaica has made globally. I also hope that the Jamaican culture is never taken for granted and is continually preserved within the Diaspora. To those who have been instrumental in the preservation of the Jamaican culture here in the South Florida area, I say thank you and please continue to keep up the fine work.

Local newspapers Caribbean Contact and Caribbean Today in particular had special issues dedicated to Jamaica's Independence. I enjoyed the reading and the recognition that was paid to the Jamaicans making a difference here. Jamaicans in various fields were recognized from politics to sports and business. Clearly we have a great heritage and have much to celebrate. However, we still have more to contribute and we still have a long way to go. Yes, we are little but tallawah (strong).

In closing I would like to wish every member of the Jamaican Diaspora a safe 45th Independence celebration and that we continue to make our mark away from home.

Current Issue now available

The new issue is now available online. Visit Caribbean Business Digest and follow the link to the current issue.

This issue features artist entrepreneur Nerissa Street as she talks about her firm The Artist Initiative, how she got started and the influence that led her to help fellow artist-entrepreneurs.
Attorney Jasmine Calder, Esq talks about being a wife and mother and what drove her to start her own firm, Calder Law Firm, P.L.

Trinbagonian Gillian Smart is also featured as she talks about her project The Smart Group; and a question and answer article with Stella Tokar of the Miramar Pembroke Pines Regional Chamber of Commerce rounds out this issue.

Enjoy your reading.

Jamaica's Election 2007 Forum

Jamaica elections 2007 made its stop in South Florida with the two parties being represented for a debate/question and answer from the Jamaican Diaspora living in the area. I will not comment on the debate itself but I will make a few observations.
Jamaica is right up there with the technologically advanced what with the proceedings being made available on Youtube and viewers having the ability to join in via the Internet courtesy of Jamaicans.com.
Also, no matter who wins the elections come August 27th the Jamaican Diaspora will play a huge role in the Jamaican economy. And I say this without consideration to what both representatives may have said at the forum. With a huge amount of remittances being sent to the island, the Diaspora influence will be there. Now, it remains to be seen how this cash source can be translated into direct investment in the Jamaican economy.
Here are a few articles that I found that covered the event: the Sun-Sentinel, Miami Herald and South Florida Caribbean News. If I come across any more, I will post.

DOTT Meeting

As has been made clear numerous times on this blog and at the various meetings by the Diaspora of Trinidad and Tobago (DOTT) that I have attended, I think this group is capable of wonderful things that will serve to be of immense benefit to the Caribbean American climate. If the activities of the Jamaican Diaspora can serve as a model, the DOTT seems to be emulating this with what I believe to be good effect. As has been pointed out at the meeting on the 25th of July, there is still a lot of work to be done, and as radio personality Mike Andrews pointed out there now needs to be a structure and a plan put in place. And I believe that is where the individuals in the forefront of this movement are moving next. The plan seems simple: build awareness, decided on a structure and put objectives in place, create a road map on how to get there and put the plan in to action. Still a long way off but interest is there and the foundation for this endeavor is being set where it is most vital: at the grassroots level.

There is so much I could opine on the meeting but I choose to focus instead on the two guests that were invited: Sylvia Henry and Arthur Joseph. Both guests were there for very different reasons but both served to illustrate what a movement like this is all about.

Joseph was a recent contestant on the television game show Deal or No Deal and from all the reports brought a bit of the Caribbean to the audience. Steel band and limbo were in evidence and T&T certainly gained some good exposure from his involvement. What was more remarkable here is that Joseph passed on an opportunity to win one million dollars in favor of a package worth just over seventy thousand including tickets to his beloved Miami Heat. But the clincher was that his native T&T got a new basketball court courtesy of the Miami Heat where the youths of the island can aspire to compete in competitions like the Olympics. In his speech at the meeting, he pointed out that the press T&T received from this was, to quote a popular commercial, priceless. This very charismatic individual with a bright smile talked for a bit about his experience and encouraged his fellow T&T family to unite in furtherance of great things. {I found two blogs that talked about his involvement with the show one by Carnival (how fitting that he works for Carnival and is from T&T, the land of Carnival) and another by a T&T blogger}.

Sylvia Henry on the other hand was invited to the meeting because her daughter Stepha is missing for quite some time. In reaching out to be of assistance a few of the leaders of this movement asked her to come and speak. She is trying to raise additional funds to increase the reward being offered for any information leading to the whereabouts of her daughter. Anyone wishing to donate to help in the search for Stepha can do so at Banco Popular where there is a special Stepha Henry Fund. (Click here to read the Sun Sentinel article concerning the disappearance of Ms Henry) As the article points out other Caribbean Diaspora groups are also seeking to help.

Just as much as a Diaspora movement is there to celebrate the successes of its members as in the case of Joseph, it must also be there when members of the community needs it, as it is now for Sylvia Henry. I applaud DOTT for the foresight in recognizing this and the attempt to help even though the organization is in its infancy. The invitation of these two individuals no doubt epitomizes what is at the heart of this endeavour.

JA Elections 07

Below is the reminder about the Town Hall meeting before the elections in Jamaica. It looks like both parties are taking it seriously. I think it is interesting who are being sent as representatives. Mr. Paulwell is the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Science and Technology and Mr. Bartlett is the Opposition Spokesperson on Diaspora Affairs and Tourism.

I am not advocating either party but am glad to see there is an emphasis on commerce related matters judging from the representatives chosen. A wide cross section of the diaspora are interested in business linkages with JA and hopefully these gentlemen can expand on that.

Other hot button topics are sure to be crime and education. Should be interesting to see what weight the diaspora will have if any. I do think it is admirable that both groups are seeking to dialogue with the diaspora. That can only be a good thing. Hopefully, this is not just a token gesture.



Thursday, July 26, 2007, 6pm -------- MIRAMAR, FLORIDA
Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States
Community Conversation & Town Hall Meeting
“Elections 2007: Our Vision for Jamaica’s Future”
Miramar Town Center Hall
2300 Civic Center Place, Miramar
A conversational town hall meeting to share and discuss any and all issues facing the discourse and decisions for the upcoming elections (August 27th) in Jamaica
Welcoming Party representatives:
Hon. Phillip Paulwell: Minister of Industry, Commerce, Science & Technology and parliamentary representative for East Kingston/Port Royal (People's National Party - www.pnpjamaica.com)
and
Hon. Edmund Bartlett: Ed Bartlett, Opposition Spokesman on Tourism & Diaspora Affairs and parliamentary representative for East Central St. James (Jamaica Labour Party - www.thejlp.org)
Media and community leaders, and THE VOICE and INPUT of Jamaicans in the Diaspora
For more information call: 786-349-2584 or info@marlonhill.com
Live Online Chat Room during the Forum @ http://www.jamaicans.com (Submit your questions or comment today)
Live results of the elections will also be broadcast on News/Talk 1080 AM WTPS - Monday night, August 27th - http://www.wtps1080am.com

Print and Online Debate again

The more I think about it, the more I believe this issue will be the last print issue. I am going to transform the CBD into an online magazine. The form of the online magazine is yet to be determined such as whether it would be a web newsletter, html newsletter or plain text newsletter. Some more specifics still need to be worked out such as how to get ads on the newsletter. But I believe that this is the way to go as I can do monthly issues with no printing costs and if I get the format just right, I can have shorter articles covering a wider range of subject matter. I also will be able to cover a wider geographic area as well.

So the next month or so I aim to come up with a format for the newsletter and contact my writers to work out the arrangements. There is a chance I would be isolating the print readers by going online but the print circulation was low anyway due to cost constraints. And, I think I can gain more online readers than print readers that I will lose.

I guess this is tantamount to reinventing my vision for the magazine and is no different than what companies, big and small do. Upon realizing the limitations with the current status, it is now time to go in a different direction.

So now on to coming up with a strategy for the directional shift.

CBD in the news (again)

Here is the second instance where I found the Caribbean Business Digest referenced. It was in a paper much like the one I blogged on before in regards to the Diaspora conference back in June.



Click here for the article. The CBD is referenced on page 7.



My only clarification here is the the T&T forum that the writer refers to was not on "Crime and Investment" but on broad issues that were of concern to the T&T diaspora here in the South Florida area. Crime and investment were only some of those issues.



Visit http://www.caribbeanbusinessdigest.com/ to learn more about the CBD.

Upcoming activities in the next month

I was supposed to be at the Greater Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce today but had to cancel last minute. Second month in a row I had to for ego this event but this August is a must attend on my calendar. The Let's Talk forum is in August and this is where the Caribbean community in South Florida come together and have a discussion about the progress we are making as a community. All the media houses will be present including the Caribbean print and radio and television media as well as some of the larger newspapers: the Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel. Well, these organizations were represented last time round and I believe they will be again this year. I attended last year and will be curious to see what they dialogue will be like this time round. More and that in the coming weeks.

Before that event will be a litany of activities marking Jamaica' independence. There is already a schedule out with all the activities that I will post here at a later date. I believe T&T also has independence celebrations this year all well. August will be busy and significant. I am looking forward to it.

Sweet Home Jamaica.......... a novel

Found the following story online. Apparently this book written by a Jamaican, Claudette Beckford Brady is getting some rave reviews. I hope to get the book and have a read. Here is the article. The review itself makes me want to get this book asap...............
Nice to see this addition to the Caribbean Diaspora literature creating a buzz.

Forum on National Elections in JA

I recieved this earlier this week about the Jamaican Diaspora meeting in South Floida. Might turn out to be very interesting with elections is JA on the horizon...................


JAMAICAN DIASPORA SOUTHERN U.S. TO HOST
FORUM ON NATIONAL ELECTIONS IN JAMAICA

The Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States will host a Community Conversation and Town Hall Meeting, titled “Elections 2007: Our Vision for Jamaica’s Future”, on Thursday, July 26, 2007, 6pm to 8:30pm, at the City of Miramar City Hall, 2300 Civic Center Place in Miramar. The Town Hall meeting will welcome a community conversation with invited representatives from Jamaica’s two main political parties, the People’s National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), local media and community leaders, and the voice and input of Jamaicans in the Diaspora.
“Jamaicans in the Diaspora are not constitutionally eligible to vote in national elections, but our ongoing voice and contributions to the development of Jamaica should certainly be embraced in the national discourse of the choice of leadership and issues related to the future direction of the nation . We intend to approach our civic engagement in a proactive manner,” stated Marlon Hill, Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board Member for the Southern United States.
On Sunday night, July 8, 2007, at a mass rally in Half-Way Tree, Kingston, after announcing all parliamentary candidates, Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller announced that nominations will take place on Tuesday, August 7, 2007 and national elections officially on Monday, August 27, 2007.
Print, radio, and internet media partners in the local South Florida community are expected to play an integral role in facilitating the format and content of the forum. The public is welcome to participate.
“The engagement of the citizens of any nation is the bedrock of the democratic process. For Jamaicans, this is just as important for those who are on island and those living overseas. We hope that this town hall meeting will open the dialogue of the elections in Jamaica,” stated Winston Barnes, Commissioner, City of Miramar and renowned broadcaster with WAVS 1170AM and formerly with RJR Jamaica.
"I believe this town hall meeting will be a great opportunity for the online users in the Jamaica diaspora to ask the representatives of both parties questions in an informal setting and to discuss issues of importance to all Jamaicans wherever they may reside," stated Xavier Murphy, webmaster of Jamaicans.Com, a website community for Jamaicans worldwide.
Community Partners include the City of Miramar, Air Jamaica, Infinite Markets, My Virtual Office, HOT 105, News/Talk 1080AM WTPS, WAVS 1170AM, Mystik 1400AM, Jamaicans.com, SouthFloridaCaribbeanNews.Com, Caribbean National Weekly, Caribbean Today, Caribbean-American Commentary, The Miami Herald, Miami Gardens Observer, Sun-Sentinel, among others. For more information on the Town Hall Meeting on the upcoming national elections at the Miramar Town Center, call 786-349-2584 or email info@marlonhill.com.
The Jamaican Diaspora includes all Jamaican nationals and persons of Jamaican heritage (their family and friends) who reside overseas around the world, including the Southern United States. The Jamaican Diaspora Movement is a historic opportunity to unite and galvanize all Jamaicans, their talents, resources, and potential throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and around the world for the benefit of their local communities and the future development and support of Jamaica. For more information on the Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States, call 786-349-2584 (U.S.) ● 876-621-0102 (Jamaica) ● Facsimile: 786-551-0785 or email: info@marlonhill.com.

Promises, Promises, empty promises

The latest issue of the CBD is in its review stage and will go to print early next week. And as I look back, I remember a couple of situation where I was promised fervently promised advertising by at least two business owners but both fell through. At the time speaking with both men, it was all great and seemed like a slam dunk. It was like "yes yes, this is great I am in call me next week though!" Next week became the following week and then a myriad of excuses as to why it won't happen. Of course, in my budgeting I was counting on those ad revenue to take care of some promotional expense.

One even promised to introduce the magazine to other business owners he is friends with. I believe he did but in the end it was all promises and nothing concrete. Lesson learned: a promise is not worth the paper it is written on; nothing is certain until the deal is closed. In my case that means getting a check the signals the contract is confirmed.

CBD in the news

This is a paper that was written for the Diaspora conference by Dennis Jones referenced the Caribbean Business Digest. This is the first instance of the CBD being in the news that I can think of. The CBD was referenced on page 11 of the document. I need to read this in more detail and offer my reaction to Mr Jones...............

In the link in the last post, I listened to Dennis speak and he talked about who will have responsibility for the action plans or goals that were outlined. This is real important or we will be have the same discussion next year.

Diaspora Conference in Washington cont'd

This is a link to the wrap up session of the Diaspora conference earlier this month. The clip is about one and a half hours long but the first 15 or so minutes is a good summary of some of the main points.

I like the fact that there is talk about creating political action committee to lobby Washington. And of course there is more talk about a common database of skilled Caribbean nationals here in the US. We will have to wait and see what the effects of these talks are. It was pointed out that carnival plays a huge part of Caribbean Americans' lives and the effect that it can have in terms of reaching out to people. It is possible the best tool that we have in bringing the Caribbean diaspora together at this point. Hopefully we can build on this and have a strong community that is friendly to the Caribbean owned businesses here (in keeping with the aims of the CBD).

Diaspora Conference in Washington

I have come across a few articles talking about the Diaspora Forum for the Caribbean in Washington DC. This article quotes various Diaspora members talking about the Conference. My favorite quote comes from Grenadian Roy Hastick who stated that the talks should yield "something tangible". I echo these sentiments as I fear this annual conference will become just an annual rhetoric. Glenn Joseph in the same article had something interesting to say as well. If the conference is indeed scripted then the whole exercise would be a joke.

There are two aspects to this event. I feel that there is the relationship between US and the Caribbean itself and there is the relationship between the US and the Caribbean Diaspora here in the US. Both groups have common interests of course but there are subtle differences.

I believe the Caribbean Diaspora here must strengthen itself here first before being in a position to exert an influence in Washington. Only then will they (the Caribbean Diaspora) be able to help the Caribbean itself. After all there are elements of the Caribbean Diaspora here that may need help too. That strength must come in political and economic terms. And as Portia Simpson Miller said in the same article "organize yourselves".

In the meantime, I hope we come up with quantifiable action plans for both the Caribbean and for the Caribbean Diaspora. And hopefully those plans will have measurable steps that we can evaluate at periodic intervals to gauge progress. That way, come next year we can measure the effects and not just spin our wheels. Anything less will be laughable.

Diaspora of Trinidad and Tobago gets off the ground

Well Caribbean Heritage month is half way completed and the activities are in full swing. Today is especially important as this is the first day of the conference in Washington. I am anxiously awaiting what the results and action plan of these talks will be as Caribbean Americans talk with this country's leaders.

In the meantime on the local scene here in the South Florida area there is a significant development taking place. The T&T Diaspora movement is underway. This past week was the second meeting and I had the privilege of attending. Granted it is still in the baby stages but I can't help but feel that the Diaspora of Trinidad and Tobago (DOTT) is tantamount to a sleeping giant and I told that to the point person of the movement, Andy Ansola.

There is much work to be especially as compared to the Jamaican Diaspora but here is what I am particularly excited about: DOTT is actively seeking help from their Jamaican counterparts. As Andy told me, he is getting bits of advice from Marlon Hill, Esq. who is this area's Jamaican Diaspora representative. Of course, I am especially pleased that there is some harmony between both groups. I hope this spirit continue as there is no point in reinventing the wheel and both groups can benefit from each other.

I also think it is appropriate that DOTT is gaining some momentum around this time of year. It is truly a testament to the spirit of June which is Caribbean Heritage month and as they grow from strength to strength, the climate of the Caribbean community in South Florida should change; for the better.

Some areas that DOTT wants to groom itself for include politics, business and culture. But as the group starts the process of organizing itself, those within the Caribbean community must lend their support to this worthwhile endeavour whether we are Trinibagonians or not! I had a couple of minutes to address the audience and aside from introducing them to the CBD, I also implore them not to let this movement wither out. I also informed them of an alliance that is underway in T&T and Jamaica that is being pioneered by a fellow blogger and Management Consultant Francis Wade. His Trinijam movement has promise and I feel if it can extend to South Florida then there are benefits all around. Let's see how this angle develops.

Visit http://www.caribbeanbusinessdigest.com/ to view latest copy of Caribbean Business Digest.

Article on resources for raising capital

This article contains links about raising capital for small business owners. Maybe one day I will need the info contained here. Click here to view article.

Article about marketing your business.

The attached article talks about new ways of marketing your company especially for small business owners. Some of these ideas are low cost but important enough for all business owners and professionals to consider. Click here to view article.

Selling out or viable alternative?

After speaking with the owner of a restaurant (Mama's Kitchen) down in the Sunrise area in Broward, I was left feeling a little bit reflective. It became clear that it is time to take the CBD to the next level. By this I mean expanding to other areas outside of South Florida, improve on the product and increase production and distribution so that the magazine becomes a viable alternative for advertising dollars and subscription. Of course the issue is finding a way to fund the growth. It is difficult to secure advertising commitments because the magazine is very young. So the plan is to stick around long enough, build contacts that can be tapped into at a later date. But in the here and now some progress must take place even if only marginally.

So after the above mentioned discussion I remembered another conversation I had with a former journalist who is trying to revamp another magazine. That gentleman offered a proposal: His magazine which will be about 5 times the size of mine, will focus on community and religious issues. He proposes that my magazine would be incorporated into his. I would be responsible for submitting the articles and other content and the design and layout would be completed by his team. I would have to secure my own sales. And of course we would have to work out some fee for the "rent" of space in the larger magazine.

There are pros and cons to this. Notably, it would give me more reach and a wide distribution and lower production cost per issue while simultaneously I would be putting the identity of the CBD at risk. I could lose autonomy over the CBD. Admittedly, I have to weigh both sides and this is what business is all out. Making tough choices. I am not leaning toward this option however, because as one person pointed out: that arrangement could be tantamount to selling out.

Caribbean Heritage Month

We are right in the middle of Caribbean Heritage month. June is chock full of activities here in the South Florida area and across the US. Recently there was Unifest which is basically a festival of Caribbean nations designed to celebrate our heritage. This is one of the sweet moments when people from different Caribbean nations come together.

Later this month, there will be a Caribbean forum in Washington DC where Caribbean Diaspora representatives will talk with various leaders here in the United States about issues affecting the Diaspora. This is wonderful and I look forward to learning more about what the outcomes of these discussions are.

Also, below is the letter by Hill to Caribbean Americans. I think it is heart-warming and a call to action for us Caribbean Americans to realize our potential and economic, political and social terms. Read on:

Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States
CELEBRATING CARIBBEAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH


Dear Fellow Caribbean-Americans and friends of the Caribbean:

In this second year of the commemoration of Caribbean-American Heritage Month, we have much to be thankful for and so much more to work towards. With the population of Americans of Caribbean descent on the rise exponentially, what do we do with all this energy and positive vibes?

Our time has arrived to take full advantage of our rightful place in the social fabric of America. Neither our color, religious affinity, dialect, language nor heritage should preclude us from continuing to make a significant contribution to the prosperity of America. We must pay homage to those Caribbean-American immigrants who traveled to America in numbers at the turn of the century and laid the table for others to feast on the bounties of hard labor. We must pay homage to other Americans, whose path may not have stopped temporarily in the Caribbean, that helped us to receive some of the blessings of a life in the United States.

This common bond of our Caribbean-American heritage should not be taken for granted. We must ensure that the next generation of Caribbean-Americans has an intimate understanding of their self-identity. They must know more about those individuals and organizations that have sacrificed and excelled in the areas of academia, education, healthcare, public service, arts & entertainment, and other aspects of life in America.

Most importantly, the time has come for all Caribbean-Americans to individually take up the torch of citizenship and to be more actively engaged in our democracy. We cannot afford to be grandstand spectators. It is time! It is time that we call on our Congress to deliver a comprehensive immigration bill that will preserve the foundation of keeping our families together and be fair to status of working Caribbean-Americans.

I hope that you will find time to celebrate the month with friends and family at the numerous scheduled events attached.

Connect! Strengthen! Act! and
Celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month!
Vier Caribisch Amerikaans Erfgoed Maand!
¡Celebre Mes Americano Caribe de Herencia!
Viens Célébrer le Mois de l'Héritage Antillais-Américain!
Ann fete mwa selebrasyon patrimwàn Karayibeyen Ameriken!


Marlon A. Hill, Esq.
Advisory Board Member
Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States
786-349-2584; 876-621-0102 (Jamaica) ● Facsimile: 786-551-0785
info@marlonhill.com

Hurricane season

As is well documented it is the start of the hurricane season. And everyone here in South Florida is looking toward the season with bated breath. With the past hurricane seasons causing homeowner losses and insurance rates what they are here, everyone is hoping that there is no hurricane activity this year. Some small business owners flat out told me that their businesses will not survive an overly active season. With property taxes out of control, homeowners insurance a fiasco, the real estate market in a downturn, hurricane damage is the last thing we need.

Well, already I heard we just had some tropical storm. Hopefully that is not an indication of what is to come.

Interestingly, the first issue of the magazine had a couple articles geared toward hurricane preparedness. Check out the first issue here.

JA USA Chamber Business Expo

It has been a while since I made a blog post but that was due to a weekend getaway in Jamaica where I stayed at the Grand Bahia Principe hotel in Runaway Bay in St. Ann. I had a wonderful time and it was a beautiful hotel. I encourage everyone to consider it as an option when staying in Jamaica. And even though it rained, there was enough to do.

My last post I said I would talk about the Jamaica USA Chamber business expo. It seemed to be well organized and supported. I had a quick chat with a couple of exhibitors there and they were pleased with the turnout. And so was chamber president Marie Gill. I hope to have her comments as a part of an upcoming article in the next magazine issue. But she was pleased with the turnout and I am happy for her. I can remember talking with a few folks who mentioned that past events resulted in a low turnout. But that did not appear to be the case here.

I ran into Rovan Locke of the Caribbean Commentary newspaper. He gave me some feedback on the magazine and one thing he said was not to give it way free. He seems to favor establishing a cost for subscription or otherwise selling the publication. And I suppose he is right. That will let you add value to the publication. Rovan also offered to talk with me a little about the magazine so let's see what I can learn from this long time servant of the Caribbean community here in South Florida.

I also ran into Irvine Headley of Bilmor Advertising. Headley is also past president of the T&T USA chamber of commerce. I mentioned to him that the various Diasporas here need to do things more together and he agreed. We are trying to accomplish a lot of the same things after all. So it was nice to see him there at the Jamaican business expo.

David Muir of the law firm Wright Muir PA as always took the time to chat for a little bit. As it turns out, he produces a newsletter for the law firm which is quite well put together. So his connections with printers and designers may be useful. And he also took the time to introduce me to a couple folks he thought might be interested in my magazine and for that I was grateful.

JA USA Chamber Business Expo

Last night I attended the Jamaica USA Chamber of Commerce Business Expo. Usually I post my thoughts on these events which I will do again here but not now. My wife and I are headed off for a weekend gettaway to JA for Memorial Day weekend. But when I return I will talk about my brief chat with Rovan Locke of the Caribbean Commentary, a discusion with Irvine Headley of Bilmor Advertising, a long discussion with an exhibitor who offerred extensive advice on the magazine, and David Muir of the law firm Wright Muir PA. And of course I will give my reaction to the event (the little that I saw of it anyway).

In the meantime it is off to JA!!

One year of blogging

Well today represents my one year anniversary of blogging. Yup, one year ago today I made my first post. Since that first post, I realize that now my approach to posting my writings have changed. I am a little more organized in my thoughts and patient in my posts. I am also selective about the blogs I post comments to.

At first, my blog was intended to talk about my launch of the Caribbean Business Digest magazine but it has also evolved in my forum for posting my thoughts on issues that I believe affect our Caribbean American community here as well as business issues in general.

So I look forward to the upcoming year as far as this blog is concerned and continuing to share my thoughts and if anybody out there reads what I have to write then I must say thanks.


Visit the magazine's website at www.caribbeanbusinessdigest.com

Starting a business while keeping full time job

The following post was on the FSB Blog this past week and it had to do with starting a business while keeping your full time job. For most entrepreneurs that is a classic dilemma since they may have an idea that they would like to explore but find it difficult to give up the fulltime job. This situation arises from the lack of places to obtain capital. A lot of Caribbean Americans (among other groups) here face this problem and end up having to hustle and save funds to start their projects. But this situation is not as bad in the over all scheme of things as I think it maintains a sense of balance. If there was a steady pool of cheap capital available there may be 1. A lack of innovation 2. A lack of proper management.

A lack of innovation would result from easy capital because there would be no need to find cutting edge ideas as virtually every idea put forward would be capable of getting funding. With the tight availability of capital, entrepreneurs have to ensure that their ideas are well thought in order to compete for the available capital. Also, a lack of proper management of the capital obtained would result since the ability to dip back into the capital pool would offset poor funds management decisions. So the lack of readily available funds is a controlling factor for small businesses. Of course, it is frustrating for entrepreneurs but the economic theory of scarcity (ie demand outpacing supply) has a powerful effect.

Venture capitalists and angel investors networks at first glance may threaten this balance. But, venture capitalist rarely invest in start-ups unless the entrepreneur has a proven track record. In applying this to our Caribbean community, entrepreneurs would be hard pressed to get venture capital (unless VC is organized specifically toward the Caribbean American community). Angel Investor group as I have stated in prior posts would be good for our community if we can get past some organizing and trust issues. But, assuming that this network is formed, one would assume again that the criteria for getting funds would be strict in order to weed out poor projects and so the scarcity model comes back into play.

So what are entrepreneurs to do? Well, they bootstrap their ventures with their own funds like I have to do, and borrowings from friends and family. And they have to be innovative in their approach until the project takes off.

Jamaica USA Chamber of Commerce Business Expo

In the upcoming week the Jamaica USA Chamber of Commerce will be having a business expo in conjunction with the Jamaica Manufacturers Association. The event will be held at the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida. Here, businesses will get a chance to exhibit their products and services and establish relationship with companies here in the US. Representatives should include the trade, manufacturing and financing industries. So, this would be a good event to attend and make some connections in terms of doing business in Jamaica and here as well. This is a wonderful networking opportunity and though I cannot commit to both days' entire activities I hope to make the evening networking session.

I am not sure what the response has been so far but this kind of event presents a vital opportunity to establish economic ties with the Diaspora and the home country. My concern is this however: how effective is the promotion of this event? This type of event should not only target businesses here in an attempt to match them with businesses from Jamaica, but I believe the the promotion of this event should target non-business owners here in the US as well. That is to say individuals. Granted, it would be hard and expensive to push this event to reach a substantial section of the Diaspora. But, this type of event can be publicized through civic groups as well as in partnerships with other chambers. I do not see this happening or if it is I just am not aware. But, I would love to see more effort on the part of the JAUSACC to reach a wider cross section of the Diaspora as well as more interaction with other chambers of commerce.

Hiring illegal immigrants

I read this article on the Fortune Small Business blog. Essentially, the question about hiring illegal immigrants by companies here in the US is asked and there were a slew of responses of varying types. It is worth reading. I guess I should not be surprised at the tone of some of the responses.

I find it difficult to come out at either end in this debate. Being an immigrant (a legal one, I repeat, a legal US citizen) I sympathize with the immigrants without the proper paperwork looking for work in the US and do believe that the undocumented workers who are here for years do not deserve to be tossed out due to some political agenda.

The Caribbean forum coming up in June may address some immigration issues. Let's see what develops

Telephone inquiries, banking errors and consulting

Two events to report on that happened yesterday. First my cell phone rings and I glanced quickly at the screen and saw a number that looked like my wife calling me from work. So I picked up the phone and said "Hi sweetheart". Well turns out the number was not my wife's but someone inquiring about ad rates. What an embarrassment! So I tried to apologize and salvage the situation. The lady, Grace was her name, thanked me for the information and then hung up. I may just call her up sometime next week to follow up.

Secondly, I reviewed the bank statement for the magazine' bank account only to find that i had $115 in bank fees for the month of March. Needless to say I hit the roof. I calmly look for the documents governing the account to see the fee structure and sure enough the bank was wrong. This was supposed to be a free business checking account so I called the bank to straighten it out. The charges were reversed and the monies refunded but it got me thinking: this type of thing affects small businesses more than it affects their larger counterparts. Errors like this can result in bounced checks, ticked off vendors etc. So in addition to servicing clients, marketing their business they have to take care of the administrative side as well, which often gets overlooked. Which leads me to another point: given my accounting background I am contemplating starting my own accounting consulting business helping small business owners understand the value of their accounting system, how to get the best from it, integrating it into operations and I suppose if necessary run their accounting departments. Not sure how to take the leap but working on that plan.

Spirit Airlines from the Observer.

This article came to my attention some time ago. One thing I can say about Spirit Airlines is that they definitely know what product they are offering and are clear about how they plan on competing.

I can't argue with their plan though. Right now it seems to be cheaper to go to Jamaica than it is to go to Disney world. At the end of the day most travellers are looking for the cheapest way to travel and Spirit seems to be offering a no frills approach to meet that need. I think this approach may just change the way we can expect to travel now.........

Jamaican Diaspora Mini Conference

Well this past weekend I went to the mini conference of the Jamaican Diaspora. Though I could not stay for the entire meeting I enjoyed the event and it left me feeling very positive for the future. My interest level was along the business aspect of things so I sat with the group that addressed business issues. A couple points that came up was the creation of a database of businesses and associated skills, a forum where the Jamaican government can list projects for which it is accepting bids for jobs, and a network of sorts where the issue of funding can be addressed.

A few thoughts sprung to my mind. First, a database already exists. There is a website (http://www.caribbeanbusinesscommunity.com/) that lists Caribbean businesses all over the world. The portal allows for the user to search for businesses by country of origin. Now, if the Jamaican diaspora chooses to use this website, it would be in essence promoting this business. Personally, I don't see a problem with this. The owners of this website already has a framework in place that the diaspora can take advantage of. It is worth noting that the Trinidad diaspora wants to do the same thing i.e creating a database as well. Should these members of the Caribbean diaspora choose to go with the above website, it would be taking advantage of existing infrastructure and opening up the businesses being listed to a wider audience.

The issue of funding comes up in all discussions regarding small businesses. But, I think that instead of relying on government or bank loans there is enough wealth to go around among private individuals to solve the issue of funding. The term angel investors come to mind. The question is are we sophisticated enough to do this and are we willing to trust each other enough to do this. I think we have enough knowledge and sophistication to do this but the jury is still out on the latter part of my question.

Venture capitalists may not be the answer for the smaller businesses or start ups but angel investing or a network that matches up investors with entrepreneurs may be the way to go. I submitted these thoughts as part of my input in the meeting before I left. Let's see if anything comes out of it. Marlon Hill Esq, who is the Jamaican diaspora representative for southeast Florida usually sends out minutes of the meetings. I look forward to receiving it.

New ad campaign and other random thoughts

It has been over a week since my last post which is like an eternity in the online world. So this post is overdue. This past week has seen me attend a mini conference for the Jamaican diaspora here in Florida but more on that in a separate post. Let me take time out to thank Abeni for the shout out given to me on her blog. Kinda surprised but loved it. So thank you very much for that. Actually her blog is kinda different for me, it relaxes me and makes me reflect on things.

Well, what else happened this week? I was on the beat trying to secure advertising for my next issue. And each passing week I learn a whole lot. I only hope that the magazine is around in the future so I can put all the lessons in play.

I spoke with a car salesman in the Palm Beach area to ask him how do I get a large company as his to advertise in my publication. What I ended up getting was the blueprint for a new ad campaign. Basically, he showed me that what I needed was consistency, getting a track record and a list of advertisers that will give me a good reference from the business relationship we have developed. Looking forward to getting this new plan in the works. Let's see how it turns out.

Medical Tourism

This article came to my attention today. Medical costs are through the roof and I believe will continue to be that way for the foreseeable future. Small business owners find it tough to offer health insurance to employees and even large companies find that a huge portion of the bottom line is eaten up with health care costs. Enter Medical Tourism which the article is pointing out is taking off in some areas. I for one believe that this will become the way to go eventually. With the costs so high people have to look for alternatives and medical tourism will be one such option. This is a spin off of globalization. It is not new really. Recently there was the whole buying drugs from Canada and Mexico. Now you can go to a variety of places for surgery. In some cases the cost of airfare, lodging in the foreign country and medical services could be less than staying in the US and having surgery.

I first heard of Medical Tourism from a Business Week article some time last year and then heard more from Aubyn Hill the former chairman of NCB (?) in a presentation to the Jamaican USA Chamber of Commerce at a Power Lunch last year. In the presentation, he highlighted some areas for investment that the Diaspora could tap into and one such area was medical tourism. The numbers were impressive. A 2% share of the US market could result in over 1 million visitors to the island. With the large number of US uninsured population, it would make sense that medical tourism is an area worth looking into. Jamaica has a good, trained medical staff according to Hill and with the island already being a tourism destination there is no reason why this area could not be tapped into. The Caribbean as a whole should look to embrace this since there is a growing demand and the the payoff could be huge.

Favorite Internet Spots

In the past couple days I typed my name into Google to see the results and came up with quite a few hits. I also typed in Caribbean Business Digest to see the results. Funny thing is that a couple months ago when I type in Caribbean Business Digest there were no hits at all (not on the first fifty pages anyway) Now both came up which made me feel good.

Putting my name in (Mushtaq Maxwell) resulted in not only the magazine's website coming up but another of my favorite spots (www.helium.com). I guess my footprints are all over the internet now. But in a good way. I hope to build a portfolio of online content. Which provides an easier way to get items published.

Another of my favorite spots is the Fortune Small Business Blog. I have voiced my opinion on a few of the posts there which provided an opportunity for me to share what I have learned from my magazine launch. I think that all those with a business interest should take advantage of forums such as this.

Google Adsense

Recently I added Google Ads to my my blog and website. The way it works is that you copy in a set of codes into the website or blog and based on the content Google plants ads on your web page. In my case, the Google ads have a Caribbean theme and a business theme as well. I guess I can understand the business ads, but if most of my readers are from the Caribbean, then there is pointless to have ads promoting Caribbean destinations. I think I am going to ask for some diversity of ads otherwise no one will ever click on them.

Well, maybe I should not complain. For a time there were ads for Maxim (an adult magazine) and homosexual-themed ads. I have since asked Google not to plant adult themed ads nor anything alcohol, tobacco, sexual related. They have not answered but I have not seen them since so hopefully that is a not an issue.

www.caribbeanbusinessdigest.com

How can I help? - A difficult question.

Two prominent members of the Caribbean community here in South Florida asked me within the last two weeks how they can help me in the progress of the Caribbean Business Digest. Both times it caught me off guard. On a third occasion I came across a chamber president that wanted to have the magazine distributed to the chamber members. But a simple as the request was I did not quite know how to proceed. Should I push for subscription from the chamber members? Or should I give them free? Maybe I should offer the magazines at a reduced rate or allot a certain amount for free and additional ones as subscriptions. I think I will opt for the latter option in this case. It may mean that there would be no subscribers in the end but we will see what the chamber president in question has to say.

As far as the two community members are concerned, I believe that the best way they can help is advice on the course of the magazine as well as help in promoting it. So in the morning I will send an email to both asking what direction they would like to see from the publication. Additionally I will ask that they promote the magazine within their circles and offer suggestions on how they can do so.

Even more than getting advertising dollars from these two individuals who are both small business owners, this publicity will be miles more valuable and will add credibility too.

GCACC monthly business meeting update

The Greater Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce (GCACC) had back to back events this week but I could only attend one. I had to skip the annual job fair due to a very important meeting that was arranged prior to learning of the job fair. But I made the monthly business meeting where the Florida Memorial University Mobile Economic Unit was visiting. The FMU Unit is a mobile office that caters to business owners and potential entrepreneurs. Basically they converted a 18 wheeler in to an office and drive to prearranged locations and encourage people to come in for help with business advice, planning and consultation. That is a wonderful program that will serve to help dozens of small businesses who can't go to the offices due to having to run their businesses. I am considering including them in a future issue.

The most promising aspect though was learning that the GCACC wants to incorporate in its program a newsletter that will feature one member each month. The current president has asked if we could sit down and hammer out an agreement that would see me produce the newsletter. That would be awesome as it would lend some credibility to the CBD and exposure as well. I have no problems writing the content (or farming it out) despite the added work load but it would be worth it. I am therefore putting together a proposal for this well in advance of us meeting to iron this out. I hope that the Board will approve this and hopefully the first issue of the newsletter will be in May. That would be ideal as it would precede the June CBD issue. This could be the biggest thing yet. Wish me luck!

Week in Review

This past week has seen a flurry of activity. It started with an announcement at a local event that was totally off script even after I took the time to painstakingly write the copy of the announcement. The speaker in his infinite wisdom decided to improvise and left out some rather important information. Well, the old adage that no publicity is bad publicity may be true.......... I did get a few responses for subscription which is good. That will result in some additional revenue.

My follow up call with the law firm manager referred to in a prior post declined to advertise in the upcoming issue but was very positive in his assessment. He did however point out that he would like to consider future advertising but would like to see the product improve a little bit more. He did point to areas for improvement and that was well taken. Among the things to work on is the layout and sharpness of the pictures and the type of paper used. He thought the publication would have more of a magazine feel if the paper was a little less heavy.

The rest of the week saw a promise for advertising to be finalised in the upcoming week and ended with a meeting of my favorite networking group the Greater Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce. That meeting will be addressed in next blog entry.

Muna on The Apprentice

I found this article on another interesting Caribbean blog concerning Muna (pictured with her father) on The Apprentice. This is an interview done by the Gleaner with her concerning her experience and offers some insight into this fabulous contestant. Though she didn't win I totally enjoyed her on this show. Click here to view the article.

Harsher Criticisms

Well, with the good feedback come the bad. I should not say bad, not in this case anyway. I communicated with a manager of the Wright Muir PA law firm down in the Broward area today and came in for some harsh criticisms. Though harsh, it was constructive. But on some level it was a bitter pill. I have to learn to keep an even steady attitude and not rise and fall with the positive and negative comments that I receive. That is easier said than done. I suppose it comes with the territory.

Inasmuch as the comments seemed a bit harsh, I had to admit that there was truth to it. On top of which, the manager was willing to talk about improvements rather than tearing down. And so, I have a follow up call with him on Monday. Harsh criticisms or not, I am looking forward to the follow up call because I think it will help in the development of the magazine.

Among the criticisms was the fact that the layout needed to be improved upon. A little bit sharper graphics and design was another area that was mentioned and the type of paper used. But, the positive was that the content was good. So he was comfortable with what the magazine is about. Now I just need to get the packaging improved.

Even though I agree with the assessment above, I can't help but chuckle at the fact that different eyes yield different perspectives. A couple blog entries ago I wrote about the positive comments that I received from several people that I mailed the magazine to. Yet the same magazine elicited a slightly different response. As far as I am concerned, I will take all the criticisms in a positive light and try to incorporate them in the next issue. After all, it is a learning process.

Magazine feedback

From time to time, I speak with someone about the magazine and they say something that makes me feel good, makes me feel like I am doing something valuable and makes me feel as if I am doing something worthwile. The accountant/realtor I referred to in the prior blog entry told me that he was impressed with the magazine and the layout, color and content. And numerous other people expressed similar sentiments about how the magazine could evolve in a valuable tool.

But the most warming compliment that I have received thus far is from one of the owners of Netspeak Florida that was featured in the latest issue. David McDowell was very impressed with the piece that was done on Netspeak and felt that it accurately represented the services that Netspeak provided. He thought that the piece was one of the best write ups about Netspeak thus far. Now, that felt good. The underlying tenor of the magazine is to allow the business owners to tell their stories. So while he was happy with the end product, we really only printed what he told us. In any event, the writer, Teshie Jones did do a wonderful.

David mentioned that in the future if he had any need for some writing talent he will keep me in mind. And I was happy to hear that. After all, the magazine is trying to position itself to be a resource for all businesses. He also mentioned that he sent a copy to the Cable & Wireless managers (Netspeak is a C&W product I beleive). I hope that will give me some needed exposure. I will sit tight and see if anything can develop from there. In the meantime I promised David I would send him the article so that he can pass it on to people who want him to explain his product. His response: Be sure to put the magazine credits so readers will know where the article came from.

Now that is reciprocity at its best and one hand washing the other.

Speaking of Netspeak, I read that Verizon is suing Vonage over the VOIP patents. Netspeak and Vonage do offer the same type of service to some extent. If Vonage is hampered, that could open up some more opportunities for Netspeak, maybe in areas they hadn't thought of before. Hmm I will keep my eye on this to see what develops.

Advertising projections

Lately, I have heard the R word being tossed around - Recession. With the housing market the way it is and the prices of houses being driven down by the excess supply of houses in the market that puts a lot of pressure on numerous sections of the economy. Now, I am bringing this up because a few weeks ago an accountant and realtor who runs his own business told me that times are tight right now - across the board. From the various networking events that I have attended, I noticed that there is a disproportionate amount of attorneys and real estate professionals within our community. So, with the real estate market the way it is, I am concerned that the purse strings may be tightened up. But, the up side may be that they are looking for new way to advertise their services. But with the magazine being new, it is understandable that their will be some hesitation. From my point of view that just means that I may have to work twice as hard to get them in my corner.

That same realtor/accountant told me that he loved the magazine and that I should now be looking to expand. He promised support where possible but as he pointed out times are tight.

One year old Caribbean Business Digest.

It has been a year since the Caribbean Business Digest was born. Actually, if my memory serves me right, the idea was borne in February but the first time I went public with it was in April 2006. That was at the banquest that honored Jamaican entreprenuers at the Sheraton in Ft Lauderdale. That day, I brought media kits that I had printed up at Kinko's due to the fact I had heard about the banquet late. And while there, I realized that there was a market for a magazine like the Caribbean Business Digest. With a year and three issues under my belt, there is still much to be done. This is the make or break year I believe but again there is good feedback on the magazine.

Tips for creating a start up

I found this article online while catching up on some reading. Basically it just gives a few tips for creating a start up company. Follow the link here.

Sacrifices and balancing acts

As I drove home today, I pondered about my young magazine and the sacrifices being made into making this dream a reality. There has been some recent developments that bode well for the upcoming issues and development of the magazine over all. But the sacrifices go well beyond financial. And it is that aspect that I would like to address here in this post.

A start up venture of any sort takes time and dedication and patience. It takes time to plan and execute that plan. It takes dedication to the plan that you created and patience to see it through even when there are slow times. And thought. It takes a lots and lot of thought. And the same is true here. Any given time a decision has to be made. For example the benefits of a late evening networking event must be weighed against taking time away from family. This became evident when I decided against attending the monthly meeting of the Jamaicans of the Palm Beaches tonight. I hadn't been there in a while and as a rule I make an effort to attend meetings of various organizations every couple of months to stay connected. But instead, at the last moment I chose to skip the meeting to have some quiet time with my lovely wife Nicole Ann.

So what kind of sacrifices have I noticed thus far? Well, as I mentioned there is financial sacrifices and time. But there is also emotional and mental sacrfice as well. After all, my mind is always working on what to do next, planning, worrying about getting enough advertisers, making the next networking event etc etc etc. And of course, inevitably there is the tendency to allow the magazine to flow over in other areas of my life. Some professionals that I have spoken to emphasized that it is critical to have the support of friends and family in different ventures.

But basically it is a balancing act. And so now I am considering exploring this topic of sacrificing and balancing in the next issue. How do business owners balance time in their business and their personal lives? What sacrifices are being made? Hmm let's see what I can come up with for the next issue.

Caribbean Business Digest - Valuable resource!

I have often heard that the key to any small business is marketing. At every convenient (or inconvenient) opportunity, you should market yourself, your product, you business. Basically, it comes down to constant marketing. I recently went to the barber shop and overheard a conversation where one barber was talking about opening his own shop. I told him about the magazine that I am producing and he was intrigued. He asked about how much it would be to take out a page in advertising and seemed very interested in how I went about making the magazine a reality. I told him about the contacts that I made with the people over by the Florida Atlantic University Small Business Development Center and offered to give him the different contact info that I have. I explained what it is that the Center provides and how they can help. While there is no guarantee that he will end up using the folks over by the FAUSBDC, at least he will know that there is help available out there. The 2007 Volume I issue also has information on the SCORE organization so I will give him that information too.

Where there is an opportunity to pass on information I uncover during the production of my magazine, I am particularly pleased. After all, that is one of the aim that I have for the magazine: to be viewed as a resource.

My barber friend sounded interested in the magazine and wanted to see a copy of the next issue so I will save him a copy. There might be the opportunity to get some business from him in the future. In the meantime I will nurture this relationship and see if it pays off. He also talked about starting his own magazine catering to barbershops across Florida and even Georgia. I told him how I got started and while I am not yet at the level of Businessweek or Forbes, I think I can offer some advice on how he can get off the ground. Assuming he is serious, I would be more than willing to share my knowledge to shorten his learning curve. Who knows? This could be the beginnings of a productive symbiotic relationship. I will make sure to document any update about this in this blog. Watch this space!

T&T Town Hall meeting

This past week I attended a Trinidad and Tobago Town Hall meeting in Boynton Beach. I was invited by Gillian Smart of The Smart Group who was one of the event’s organizers. She is high on my list of people to have a sit down with in the near future. The aim of the meeting was to bring the T&T Consul General and other representatives face to face with members of the T&T Diaspora. The discussion encompassed areas such as immigration and passport requirements, the need for the involvement of the T&T Diaspora in activities back in their homeland and a growing crime problem in Trinidad. The meeting was well attended and proved to be an eye opener for me. Living here in the US and being from Jamaica I could see that the issues faced by the T&T Diaspora here is identical to the issues faced by the Jamaican Diaspora. See previous post.

Similar to the Jamaican Diaspora movement, the T&T consul general Gerald Green echoed the call for T&T nationals here to invest back home. That is similar to a presentation made by Jamaican Aubyn Hill last year where he urged Jamaicans to “come back home”. Both shared the view that the Caribbean is ripe for investment. Green, last week also spoke about the 2020 Vision where T&T aims to be a developed nation by year 2020. As such, there is an effort to maintain a database of T&T nationals here along with the skill set that they possess. The T&T government can use this database as a pool to draw from to complete projects that can’t be staffed back home. Again, the Jamaican Diaspora is looking to do the same.

And of course, the question of crime in the Caribbean islands came to the forefront. The T&T representatives did point out that crime is on the decline in Trinidad and that often time crimes are being committed by deportees from the US. This appears to be reaching endemic proportions across the larger Caribbean islands.

I did learn a bit from the meeting regarding the 2020 vision as well as the fact that the University of Trinidad and Tobago offers free education to its citizens. With higher education as costly as it is, that is definitely a huge investment that a country can make in its citizens.

The organizers did well with this event and I hope to be invited back to many more. From the point of view of the Caribbean Business Digest magazine, it is essential that I make inroads into the T&T Diaspora as well. If this kind of event that engages the T&T Diaspora continues to develop, I think that they will make a huge impact among the Caribbean Diaspora here in South Florida. I do wonder though if the T&T Diaspora and the Jamaican Diaspora will develop strategic alliances with each other on a formal basis so that the Caribbean American group will become a potent force in economic and political terms.

With the Jamaican Diaspora looking to get organized I think that is possible. It may be way too early to guess on this but all the signs are there.

Caribbean professionals in the news - Ricky Wade and Lowell Hawthorne

A couple items came to me recently about sucessful Caribbean entrepeneurs in the news. The first is in the Palm Beach Post concerning Ricky Wade the owner of several McDonalds franchises. Click here for story. I met him once and hope that he will feature in a future issue.

Second, is a story in the Jamaica Observer about Lowell Hawthorne of Golden Krust, the sucessful Caribbean bakery and grill franchise. Read story here. Hopefully, I can make contact with him at some point.

Rally Round the West Indies

Well, the World Cup is under way in the Caribbean and the Windies have won their opening match. My Dad would no doubt be happy. Hopefully he gets to see one of the games.

From all indications the host countries are doing a fine job. Sure, there have been reports of some minor hitches so far but overall the reports have been good. There are reports in Jamaica about journalists having to pay high charges for internet access (click here). And there was an editorial coming out of Trinidad’s The Guardian that maybe the visitor expectation may be a little bit overstated (click here). But, overall the tournament is getting top billing around the world.

If this latter situation is true across the region, I would not be too up in arms about this. Sure, we would like to have visitors in the region that would occupy every single hotel room available and then some. But even if we do not achieve that, I think the publicity will bode well for years to come and the region itself will benefit in the long run. The infrastructure in the host country will provide a useful life that will extend for years to come. The service sector in the region appears to have aligned itself to deal with the heavy influx of travelers. This effect can have a lasting impact that will extend beyond the tournament. As I said in a prior entry I hope that the public and private sectors do not allow the residual effect to dissipate once the tournament comes to an end. That way the popular cry to “rally round the West Indies” will extend beyond the cricket pitch.

Reactions: JAUSACC Networking Event

The Jamaica USA chamber of commerce did it again! Many thanks must go out the chamber president Marie Gill and the hostess Catherine Malcolm of Jerk Machine for the organization of this event as black history month drew to a close. In fact it was a fitting conclusion to Black History month. And that was some good food! Nuff respect every time…………

This is the second event I can remember going to put on by the JAUSACC (the first was last year honoring the Jamaican entrepreneurs) and both were very well put together events. Although, somehow I am getting notice of these events at the last minute. (Hint: Check with the Marie Gill on my member ship status). Consul General Alicock was inspiring and the NAACP representative Marsha Ellison was passionate. Talk about differing styles. I was impressed with the turnout and the camaraderie that was evident. I was especially proud to look around the room and see various well dressed people representing different professions, most of whom shared a common background (wi come fram Yaad; meaning we are Jamaicans)

The response I got in relation to the CBD was more than encouraging. Regrettably, I did not have a sample of the magazine (Omar Spence thought that was a sin). I am expecting the shipment by Thursday or Friday. The idea was well received however despite the handicap, and people wanted to know more. So, the next few days will be spent sending email versions of the latest issue out. Hopefully, I will be able to further gauge the interest which will then help in the planning of the next issue.

As I drove home last night (and it was a long drive), I had time to reflect on the event and what was said. Alicock in his speech made mention of the fact that right there within the room were people who can make or are making a difference. In terms of the magazine I would say right in that room were a ton of stories that could very well feature in coming issues. Marie Gill is due some column inches as well as the JAUSACC, Jerk Machine along with its successful owners and much more. There was Jasmine Calder who started her law firm, another lady who designs shoes (or was it sandals?) who would make for fantastic articles. And that’s just to name a few.

Additionally, I am hoping to form some alliances. Certainly there are opportunities. The founders of CMM (Michael Lewis and Tyrone Robertson) mentioned they were talking about doing a magazine later at some point; there was a freelance writer and of course marketing people. So now, I have to do my homework and put together a plan to approach these folks and start the dialogue.

Without a doubt, the close to 30 business cards that I collected will have to be made full use of. My work is certainly cut out for me as I would like to keep the interest alive and strike while the iron is hot (or mek hay wile de sun shine). My night was rounded out with a chat with Winsome Charlton as she gave me pointers on how to make use of effective advertising and some basic do’s and don’ts. This was three hours well spent and worth the time and effort. I am looking forward to more events like this.

As I made the turn into the driveway of my Hobe Sound, Martin County house I am left remembering bits and pieces of two of the numerous conversations I had that night: Marlon Hill encouraging me to “force the door open” to get into the a couple organizations in the Palm Beach county area and seize the initiative; and David Muir (Wright Muir P.A.) pointing out that the idea behind the magazine is good as it presents a new way for the people present to market themselves and the relationships formed can be symbiotic.

And in a cruel twist of irony, as I open the front door, there off to the side was a box containing the latest issue for the magazine. It was only three hours late!

View the magazine's website at www.caribbeanbusinessdigest.com

Magazinelaunch.com Online Forum

I remember talking with Hugh Sinclair from Irie Spice where he mentioned that he keeps up with online forums pertinent to his line of work. I am attempting to emulate his example and found this website that deals with people launching a magazine call magazinelaunch.com. I remember reading a while back a post where the expert advised not to put too much emphasis in getting a whole bunch of printed media kits. His view is that things change from time to time and having this fancy glossy paper media kit could be a waste of time and money. Most advertisers and subscribers will probably end up getting electronic copies anyway. Alas, I did not heed the advice and I went out and spent hundreds of dollars on a media kit and business cards. As it turns out it is good to have business cards but I am stuck with the box of printed glossy media kits in my drawer. Most of the people I contact for advertising do end up getting the kit in a PDF format. Lesson learnt here. I am thinking of making some changes to my magazine going forward, possibly having a smaller finished copy instead of the 8.5 by 11 that I now have. If that happens then I will have to change the rate structure.

More recently, there was an item posted where the expert advised that whatever online presence you have i.e. website; you still have to actively market and sell your ideas to get advertisers and subscribers. Having a website doesn’t mean people are going to flock to it an all of a sudden advertise and subscribe. That was timely for me. I just got my website up and running. But now I know that while I try to use the website to establish an online presence, I have to still make the calls and follow up. The website is just a tool that I have to use properly and not the end objective. I plan to keep reading and contributing to this forum as it is proving very beneficial. Good job magazinelaunch.com!

Connection problems

For a couple days last week I could not get online. There was some congestion in the wireless network where I could not get online from my laptop or my desktop. In the end, all I needed to do was to unplug the modem from the electrical outlet and wait 60 to 90 seconds and then reconnect and turn the computer back on. It worked! (If that is all it takes, I could be a network technician!)
But all the time that the network was down and I could not get online, I was out of the communication loop. I could not check my emails and that presented a huge problem. It got me thinking: What if I had a small business and could not get online access because of problems outside of my control. We are dependent on the BellSouth, FPL and other service providers that are so large that a small business means little. I wonder how many small business owners plan for this type of thing. At least, if my networking issues continued I could go to a local library and some other place to check my email. But I assume that for some businesses it may not be that easy. The next time I get to chat with some business owners I have to bring that up.