Self-confessed foodie Shivana Persaud, the Managing Director of The Publik Guyana, makes no bones about her liking for food – a liking that has triumphed in her bringing delicious gourmet burgers and wings to the local food scene, much to the delight of Guyanese taste buds.
The cosy restaurant the former University of Guyana student co-owns with her significant other which just turned three on January 22 is a magnet for burger and wing lovers. Fresh ingredients; deep deliberate flavours; hand-crafted burgers and specialty wings are the hallmarks of this “evolving ‘Made in Guyana’ brand”. But more than anything else what separates The Publik from similar restaurants is the care and thought that have gone in making it special and the customer feel special.
The 25-year-old is so confident that her food can stand up to any competition that she throws out a challenge to overseas visitors: “The Publik experience must be on your bucket list whenever you’re in Guyana.”
“We are about real food and that’s what our fans enjoy. Persons at home, here in Guyana, are happy to enjoy a real burger, amazing wings and an awesome experience while persons from the rest of the world are either surprised that Guyana has this to offer or express the need for The Publik to be in their neighbourhood.”
That confidence is grounded in the faith she has in herself and her “people”: “….my main lessons are believe in yourself and your partner/partners involved; keep focus; know your roots and where you intend to grow (know your goals); keep your people/family close always; feed your team well; make mistakes; be bold, be brave, and keep wanting better.”
Her goal businesswise is “to solve more problems in our society”.
She believes vision and resilience are two vital traits any entrepreneur must have, and the restaurant whose motto is “We live, we love, we eat” reflects that.
“Choosing to eat at a restaurant or having drinks with your friends and co-workers is greatly dependent on the economic cycle of a country. The food and service industry in Guyana is without doubt growing and The Publik is a part of that growth. Over the past three years, we have cautiously developed our brand steadily and differently. The Publik is now enjoyed by countless locals and many tourists from all over the world. We intend to provide more job opportunities and impact the livelihoods of more families through greater investment and expansion of our brand in 2018.”
“Success is being happy,” Persaud declared, noting that the connection she has with her significant other, Sean Major, was her inspiration and Oprah Winfrey, her dream mentor.
The Georgetown resident, who confessed that she has made “TONS of mistakes and learnt A LOT of crucial lessons” in juggling all her roles over the past five years while admitting the impossibility of doing it all, listed a few strategies for surviving and truly enjoying life:
“1) Know your wants and needs. 2) Map out how you will be able to get it. 3) Manage your time wisely. 4) Prioritise. 5) Delegate. 6) Take time for self, family, love and friends. 7) Be confident.” But her top piece of advice for would-be entrepreneurs is: “Make sure you are ready for entrepreneurship! Evaluate your options, Prepare a business plan… not those one-page plans, a detailed plan. Too many good businesses get hurt because entrepreneurs sometimes over look fundamental principles of business.”
“Starting up a business in Guyana is quite difficult and doing business here is similar. I am not saying these things are necessarily easy, but there is a vital need for an ‘ease in doing business in Guyana’ and we are terribly ranked. As an economist, I’ve studied and seen the direct impact small and medium-sized businesses have on our economy. It is in this light that young entrepreneurs are presented with the best support systems. Business support organisations in all localities of our country are lacking, because we are very centralised. I’m not referring to financial institutions which services businesses; I am speaking of professional business counsellors, coaches, business incubation, business consultants, community funds and grants systems and more. For example, The Masterclass Institute provides one of these business services and have assisted young entrepreneurs in chasing their dreams and becoming great managers/ directors of successful businesses,” Persaud stated when asked what could be done to assist entrepreneurs. “We need these types of opportunities country wide. We need precisely Local Economic Development (LED) – an approach of strategic local economic developmental plans which involves local people working together to achieve sustainable economic and social benefits. One of our biggest players is our local authority who should be the facilitator of LED. I firmly believe it can be done in not just parts of Guyana but in the entire country for the people of Guyana.” For those of you craving a taste of The Publik’s delicious burgers and wings (13 flavours!), check out their anniversary event, “Eat My Wing Competition” on Sunday, February 4.
Contact: 5 Duncan St, Bel Air Park (Bella Vista Mall) and Giftland Mall food court; 226-1545; 653-9200; www.facebook.com
