THREE months after the Jamaica Observer’s Mogul in the Making event the programme’s Three to Watch are going strong.

Despite a tough business climate, which has seen many small businesses falter and some fail, the three highlighted start-up businesses are demonstrating that they are here to stay.

The cleaning service Glad Helpers, a favourite of readers and the Journalists’ Choice, has got even more exposure since the programme ended, said owner Angelica Barrett.

“We have an increasing clientele,” Barrett said, adding that business has more than doubled to about 50 residential and corporate customers since her story was first published in February.

The company’s potential is “unlimited”, said Barrett who left her job at a call centre to start the business, and many others seem to agree as she’s been making the media rounds, doing several interviews that came up as a result of Mogul in the Making.

She has even had to hire new staff to help with the growing demand for her services islandwide.

Unfortunately, those potential clients will have to wait a little longer as Barrett is “not ready to launch out as yet” as she is trying to develop her market in the Corporate Area first.

Jamaicansmusic.com, which shares all genres of local music online, has also grown significantly. An additional one hundred thousand Facebook fans have begun following the company since the programme ended, joining the two million it already had.

Few websites have to turn down advertisers because there’s just not enough space, but that’s what creator Alex Morrissey, the Reader’s Choice, is doing. The company is selective about who advertises with it as products must connect with the content. “We don’t want the page to be too cluttered,” Morrissey said.

Morrissey is demonstrating his commitment to Jamaican music by offering two scholarships to the Excelsior Community College for students to pursue performing arts.

It’s how Jamaicansmusic gives back to someone who is really passionate about the performing arts and who may not have an opportunity to study it, he said, adding, “you never know where they may end up.”

Erica Wynter, the Judges’ Choice, says she knows she’s doing something right because people have started telling her about her company, instead of the other way round.

C&E Innovational Services, has seen a boost in its bearer and business assistance services. She recently launched extended delivery hours to 11pm, to meet that demand. Additionally, they now deliver on weekends and public holidays.

C&E has also got more media attention from the programme as Wynter continues to show why she was deemed to have a good business model.

A taxation seminar for entertainment players is now in the works, Wynter said, as she tries to assist the industry that has seen more than it fair share of high-profile artistes being dragged before the courts for tax evasion.

“It’s necessary, as there is confusion where paying taxes is concerned,” she said. “They’re really running a business and there are issues that they need to know about.”

Having a small business requires going above and beyond customer needs to set you apart, said Wynter, adding: “If you want to deliver sorrel to your grandmother at night because you forgot, we can do it.”