Sun | Apr 5, 2026

Success in female entrepreneurship

Published:Thursday | June 22, 2017 | 12:00 AM
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CEO of Sweetie Confectionery Patria-Kaye Aarons (left) and her marketing executive, Danielle Neil, pose for the camera following AMCHAM Jamaica’s Female Entrepreneurship Luncheon at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel last Thursday.
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From left: CEO of Sweetie Confectionery Patria-Kaye Aarons, CEO of AMCHAM Jamaica Gail Abrahams, Susan Combs, managing director at Combs and Company, NYC, and Natasha O’Neill Dixon assistant vice-president, SME Business Banking, Sagicor Bank.
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Keith Garvey vice-president of customer service and communications, JPS, greets minister of state in the Ministry of Finance and Public Service, Fayval Williams.
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AmCham CEO Gail Abrahams (right) greets Minister of state in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Fayval Williams.
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Managing Director at Combs and Company, NYC Susan Combs (left) makes a point to the audience on how female business owners can survive in this economic landscape at the recent AMCHAM Jamaica Female Entrepreneurship Luncheon. Looking on is Natasha O’Neill Dixon assistant vice-president, SME Business Banking, Sagicor Bank.
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At the recent American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Jamaica luncheon, attendees left with more than just full stomachs. Titled 'Female Entrepreneurship ... An Enormous Economic Force', it is the latest in AMCHAM Jamaica's leadership series that explores in depth, topics that provides insights, information and useful advice to AMCHAM member companies.

This forum was very timely as now more than ever, Jamaica is attracting foreign direct investment projects valued at billions of dollars across diverse sectors; but are entrepreneurs capitalising on these projects? And, what about our female entrepreneurs? Is this investment climate right for them? Are they obtaining the right financing? What are their challenges to becoming female business owners? And, for those success stories, how did they cope?

At the forum, entrepreneurs received useful advice, and were pointed to the avenue for success for all female entrepreneurs who own or plan to own a business. Here are some highlights.