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WEConnect in Jamaica

Published:Sunday | April 28, 2013 | 12:00 AM
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From left: Liz Cullen, director of Women's Business Development, WEConnect International; Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, state minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce; Elizabeth Vazquez, CEO and co-founder, WEConnect International; Yaneek Page, co-director, WEConnect International in Jamaica, and Ethnie Miller-Simpson, its co-director, at the launch of WEConnect International Jamaica at the United States Embassy, recently.-Contributed
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Latoya Grindley, Staff Reporter

Preparing local women business owners for business in the global market and providing valuable international networking opportunities are the premises on which WEConnect Jamaica operates.

An arm of WEConnect International based in the United States, this local base is spearheaded by businesswomen Yaneek Page and Ethnie Miller-Simpson.

Excited by its recent launch and the already overwhelming reception to the organisation, Page said that a part of preparing participants is to get the support of local corporate affiliates, which is currently being sought.

"We are using these companies to help prepare our women for the global market and there is no better way than to start at home. So we intend to use what we call supply diversity, where we ask companies to set aside business contracts to use them as suppliers."

Speaking about the WEConnect certification process, Page said that, among other areas looked at, the most important is that the female business owner should own at least 51 per cent of the business in order to be certified.

Expressing the inequality meted out to women as it relates to upward mobility within many corporations, Page said women are already at a disadvantage, and so, through organisations such as WEConnect Jamaica, women are empowered to grow their own businesses to the extent that they can export.

"Women have a lot of challenges. We are seen as caregivers and even how we network is a challenge. WEConnect allows women to grow their own businesses and open a whole world of networking opportunities for them."

In order to ensure that businesses are competitively ready before being certified, they have to meet the specified requirements.

"We check for things such as company documents, plans for continuity, and business operations. We have three assessors who are trained to assess businesses locally."

Gaining certification is dependent on the readiness of the business and how soon requirements are met. There are also exercises conducted to prepare participants.

"We host a monthly sensitisation forum that is free, to help prepare these women and their businesses and get them ready for certification."

After certification, a whole new world of entrepreneurship becomes a reality, allowing women to capitalise and expand on business ventures and opportunities.

"Once you are certified, you become a part of a network of women. The networking opportunities allow you to make contact with people all over the world."

Recognising the need for having a market for business products and services, Page had this to say, "Finding a market is even more important than financing your business. We prepare these women to create business opportunities and to get in front of the right persons on an international level."

A beneficiary of WEConnect International, Page notes that Jamaica is the first Caribbean country to have a WEConnect branch. With visibility across the world, WEConnect is keen on growing its presence in the Caribbean region.

For more information, visit http://weconnectinternational.org.

latoya.grindley@gleanerm.com