Taking Jamaicans to Hair Haven

BY PAUL ALLEN Business reporter allenp@jamaicaobserver.com

Friday, January 27, 2012

With a doctorate in Marketing, a hair salon is the last place one would expect to find Veronica Reid, owner of Beautiful Earth Natural Hair Haven.

"This is in my field of study, it's business. I don't need to employ somebody to do what I'm doing because I have the skills already," said Reid, the fifth nominee in the Observer's Mogul In the Making programme.

Her start-up, located along Constant Spring Road in St. Andrew, has been in operation for only a few months, but this has not stopped her from thinking about expansion.

"You're not going to start out being as profitable as if you got a (regular) job but in the long term you can build a business that is profitable. That is more satisfying than if you just got a job," she said.

Despite having the opportunity to stay and open her business in England, where she completed her studies, Reid chose to come home.

"I don't rethink coming back to Jamaica. Some people measure their quality of life by the amount of money they make but I could never do that. I don't see why I should contribute to their economy, hiring people there when I could do that here. I'm much more interested in doing something developmental when it comes to Jamaica."

She is now pushing her Jamaican skin and hair care product line, Beautiful Earth.

"We're trying to build the demand for local products rather than having people buy things from abroad just because that's what they know," Reid said holding out a bottle of hydrating oil smelling strongly of Lemon Grass.

"More people need to look at entrepreneurship", she said, noting the local universities don't place enough emphasis in creating businessmen. "People tend to do it only when they have no other choice."

"I financed myself so I haven't had to deal with any banks." However, Reid has had discussions with the Export-Import Bank "so the opportunity is there. I just need to think how quickly I want to grow and that will determine whether I go for outside financing or not."