Richard Vaughn’s biggest inspiration is people development and he has found a way to combine that with a love of country in Everything Guyana, his e-commerce platform.
The eloquent and urbane 34-year-old’s start-up is aimed at making local products readily accessible to buyers craving them all across the globe and right at home,
Richard Vaughn and son
to fuel the growth of Guyanese producers.
“…Our society will not progress properly if only a few of us grow – lots of us have to grow. It’s the solution to crime and other demoralising factors that plague us: if people are positively occupied and earning, they are happier….”
Calling his nascent company “…Guyana’s most creative and promising concept for reaching local and international markets with Guyana’s produce”, Vaughn says: “Everything Guyana is a drop shipping company that sells Guyanese products overseas and locally. We list your products on our site and other third-party sites like Amazon, eBay, Google Store, Facebook Stores, etc; we find the market for your products; we advertise your products online using media such as Facebook, banner linked ads, email campaigning, call centre marketing, etc; we accept all your payments (credit cards, etc); we ship your items (anywhere in the world where people want to buy our products). All you have to do as a local producer is produce the best quality and call us now or find us online at www.everythingguyana.com.”
With more than eight years of marketing experience with Dell, Dish Network, Sprint and other international companies, the Tutorial High alumnus is strategically positioned to turn the innovative concept he has spent the past two years developing into a game-changer for local producers, with more than 60 currently supplying 15 international retailers as well as individual customers. There is so much potential for Guyanese products on the international market, he declared and called on the Government to undertake aggressive market research on global demand for home-grown products.
“Guyanese businesses are not all equipped with the capabilities to grow their businesses, so I know they need and can use all the help they can get,” Vaughn said, noting that awareness of support companies and what they can do for start-ups and small businesses was also important.
In expounding on his desire to help his countrymen by sharing knowledge and tools to help create a virtuous circle in which each person’s success feeds and multiplies another’s, the Turkeyen (Sophia) resident posited that businesses can transform lives.”….in our society, we can all agree that better needs to be done, I think that we (businesspeople) are the ones to do better and help the willing struggling ones to reach where we are; that way you will have support to go even further”.
The father of two knows well the value of mentorship, reminiscing on his own experiences: “I’m fortunate!! My high school business teacher (Mr Pearson) started coaching me to be better, because he saw what I didn’t – “potential”. My dad (Mr Basil Blackman) is a model that any aspiring businessman would want to follow, [and] I recently encountered Mr Vishnu Doerga, who has challenged me to better what I’ve done, so I have a wall of mentors on my side.” However, the biggest influence of all is his mother.
His advice to persons wanting to join the world of business ownership? “Go for it. Join the networks: don’t try it alone; there are groups out there and organisations that offer lots of support – find them. If you are a producer, find me.”
But he emphasised that willingness and determination were necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur. “If you want it bad enough, nothing can stop you from getting it.”
Vaughn’s goals for Everything Guyana are many, but chief among them are growing to 50 employees (currently he has six) with a dedicated international sales team that would only work on finding markets and opportunities for things local; investment in local businesses that have huge market value but limited resources; and developing better packaging for local products. He underscored that his was a linkage-based business, and in addition, there was potential for more than 150 new employment opportunities, when he reached his first goal, for service providers in shipping and local delivery, among other areas.
The hard-working businessman, who has his eyes firmly set on the future and is already grooming his young son (pictured above) to take over the business, says success is reaching your goals and setting higher ones.
“…challenges are all around and what makes us the better is our ability to face our challenges and win…”
Contact: 194 A Camp Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown; 592-226-3771; http://everythingguyana.com
