Shouts of childish delight. That is the soundtrack of Athalyah Yisrael’s work life.
“I really like children… They make you so happy around them; there is never a dull moment,” the vivacious 28-year-old said and she has made it her business to return the favour, opening Fun Park Rentals, whose mission is to deliver memorable excitement to children.
Yisrael figured out where her passion lay as she put it, while babysitting in London as she prepared to pursue studies in law. “Like many young people, I had no clue what I wanted to do, so my uncle suggested law because he said I liked to argue and I would make a good lawyer, so I studied law at St Stanislaus (Sixth Form – after graduating from St John’s College).” But law was not for Yisrael, “it was so much reading” and she realised that she wanted to base her life around helping children, so she came home and went to the University of Guyana where she pursued a bachelor’s degree in social work while working at the Demerara
Athalyah Yisrael
Distillers Limited as a secretary to finance her studies.
“Throughout my working career, I knew I wanted to own my own business. People can work for a company for 20 years and at the end have nothing but thanks.” So when the opportunity came to invest, the Eccles resident took it.
Established in 2014, Fun Park Rentals delivers thrills to children through trampolines, bouncy castles, push cars, etc, for rent as well as face painting and other services to expose the current generation to positive, fun activities which provide physical and mental stimulation, beyond the screen of an electronic device. Trained attendants, who are required to have first aid certification, set up the strictly maintained equipment and supervise the activities so that parents can have peace of mind, knowing that their children are having fun in a safe environment. “Organising a party is really time-consuming so I thought of what I would want as a parent,” Yisrael noted in explaining the level of service she offers customers. “Children really enjoy it and the parents really appreciate it.”
Extolling the power of play, the socially-minded entrepreneur says her ultimate goal is to become the premier fun learning centre in Guyana and the Caribbean, revolutionising early childhood play. “For now we are mobile, we bring the fun to you, but the intention is to have a centre.” Yisrael has even organised the nation’s first-ever “National Play Day” held on August 28, 2016, at D’Urban Park.
The Georgetown native, who confessed that she grew up in many places and having personal experience of a humble as well as an opulent lifestyle, places a high premium on spreading joy and happiness, particularly to children, offering special rates for those treating the less fortunate. Yisrael holds her own end-of-year party for orphanages complete with the fun rides and activities that epitomise Fun Park Rentals.
“I believe success comes when you become your greatest self…kind, giving…success is about having a purpose…the impact you are making on the world.” The young entrepreneur – who cites the “classy, in-control, composed, influential” Phylicia Rashad as her dream mentor and her soul sister, close friend Kamadyah Yisrael as her biggest influence – observed that greatness is attracted to those who improve themselves and nurture their greatest qualities. She advised those thinking of getting into business for themselves that “if you want comfort, remain employed. If you want to take the risk and work endless hours, go do it; it’s quite challenging, but yet rewarding.”
Yisrael then cautioned: “Learn what you need to do, do it the right way, do the right thing, be in compliance [with business regulations]…do it with an open and righteous heart”, and praised the Small Business Bureau, which she says has lots of programmes, for helping her. Through the Bureau, Yisrael was able to access a grant of $300,000, training opportunities as well as support services to expand her business.
“To succeed you have to fail. People [wanting to get] in business have an illusionary idea of business….Learning to overcome failure is a lot of what it takes to succeed,” she noted, adding that resilience (to keep getting up in the face of failure) and nurturing your leadership quality (to inspire a team to bring your vision to life) are the most important traits of an entrepreneur.
“I live my life like a GPS. I put in my destination…I may make a lot of wrong turns, but I reroute to get to my final destination.”
Yisrael continues to impress adults with her professionalism and children with her trampolines and bouncy castles.
goal is to become the premier fun learning centre in Guyana and the Caribbean, revolutionising early childhood play. “For now we are mobile, we bring the fun to you, but the intention is to have a centre.” Yisrael has even organised the nation’s first-ever “National Play Day” held on August 28, 2016, at D’Urban Park.
