Linden entrepreneurs sharpen professional business skills

Entrepreneurs from Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) were recently beneficiaries of a two-day community outreach programme conducted by Atlanta-based professional and technical services company, Libra Management Group, in collaboration with the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN).
The workshop was based on various aspects, including sustainable business management, and health and safety. One of the speakers, US-based Guyanese Stacey Mollison noted that the programme aimed at equipping entrepreneurs with professional skills and was also a means of giving back to the Linden business community.
“The outreach programme was really about how we could give (back) to the business community here in Linden. So, our idea really was that we come and we do a series of workshops,” she explained. Mollison said the workshop also featured ‘Health and wellness for business owners’ – a training which was facilitated by Dr Melissa Varswyk of the Georgetown American University.
In this regard, she pointed out that it is important for business people to focus on their own physical health and well-being as this is often overlooked. The workshop also featured information on construction and business safety.
Meanwhile, her piece focused on entrepreneurship and how to manage a sustainable business. “A lot of times I think people become entrepreneurs without setting a foundation for what that really looks like. So, this class is really about how do you make sure that we create sustainable business. As an entrepreneur, we need to understand all the physical structures. So, we break down, ‘what do you really do to start a business’, ‘what is the financial piece to managing that business’. And then the second part of that is what we call professional management,” Mollison further explained. She noted that this aspect was conducted by a psychologist and also featured training on customer service and setting the right tone for business. Additionally, she said the workshop focused on how to create a business environment that allows entrepreneurs to keep abreast as it relates to professionalism. “There’s two parts – there’s the running of the business and then there’s the development of self so you can create a long-term sustainable business,” Mollison said.
According to Mollison, the group also provides programme management, entrepreneurship development, cyber security and Information Technology (IT) services, in addition to working for the United States Federal Government.
The workshop also featured a business pitch competition.
Other Speakers included Denny Coxall, Colena Brown and Louis Simon.