Affable with a ready smile, Dennon Lewis is living the dream of many millennials: making the world a better place at a fulltime job he loves with an internationally renowned company and working on his dream of creating and growing multiple start-up companies while pursuing studies at the University of Guyana.
Asked how he tackles it all, the founder of online casual wear company Privileged Clothing, who lists Warren Buffet as his dream mentor, declared, “It all comes back to passion and drive….Every day I start my day by “beginning with the end in mind” (Habit 2 of FranklinCovey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). I ask myself, what’s my life purpose and what am I hoping to achieve? Asking this gives me immediate clarity, focus and drive for life, work and my business.”
Lewis, the General Manager of FranklinCovey Guyana and Masterclass Institute, says he has long been “fascinated with business and the concept of generating 
your income”, and has long explored entrepreneurial waters and helped other to do the same.
“So, whether it was something to supplement my income like selling phone cards, or getting into partnerships with my work colleagues which all led to me understanding how to systematically identify business opportunities and possibilities and thus launch more independent businesses,” the former Brickdam Secondary student explained.
However, as Lewis reflected, in terms of his business and entrepreneurship genesis, a turning point came when he saw the story of Jordan Belfort in the movie “Wolf of Wall Street”. “Though it highlighted immoral practices, it also showed me the power of ethical persuasion and influence and of course, the power of selling,” the 27-year-old mused.
So back in April 2016, he launched Privileged Clothing a few weeks after attending entrepreneurship training. “I saw that there was a huge glut in the market and decided to explore ways to fill that through business.”
“Like all things new the business was first met with scepticism due to unfamiliarity, but like we teach in the Masterclass Institute, creating opportunities for people to Know your business will help in getting them to Like your business and that will ultimately lead to them developing Trust in your business. Basically the KLT model.”
The Diamond resident pointed out that “clothing, branding and novelties are near necessities of an economy; my main aim in this industry to create a platform to capture consumer’s needs further. Guyana’s economy continues and will continue to develop; this will see the future desire for various consumer goods, clothing, particularly high-end products. This will aid in further margins and scalability for businesses like mine.”
Questioned on what can be done for start-ups such as his company, Lewis stressed: “In my opinion, there is a space for business incubators to assist startups with business fundamentals, management and organising. The failure rate for startups can be reduced if this measure is in place. Not to mention a collaborative approach by Government and the Private Sector to nourish and encourage entrepreneurship.”
Lewis, nevertheless, stated that the single most important trait for entrepreneurs was grit, which he defined as “the ability to fall down nine times and get up 10”.
“My primary goal in business is to become a serial entrepreneur creating businesses that are entirely self-sustainable and eventually requires less and less of my direct intervention to survive and thrive. Second and as equally important to the first would be to help as many individuals as possible, especially young people to create their businesses and earn income that can be used to better their lives and the lives of those around them.”
Contact: 602-6349; Facebook: Privileged Clothing brand.
