The small, easily missed door on the Pulse Complex, New Kingston, which leads into Significant Details opens, not only to a small jewellery boutique but also to one young retailer’s dream of entrepreneurial success.

Kemisha Stevens-Oates started her store last July, after selling a little bit of everything from her car while working at Red Stripe.

“I actually wanted to do online first because I like to shop online,” said the first nominee in the Jamaica Observer’s new start-up programme.

“I’m very big on e-commerce, but I realise that it’s not something very popular in Jamaica. I wanted to share that passion with people. It started out as a website about a year ago.

“Fast-forward a few months and I was made redundant. I was on maternity leave at that time so I decided that I was going to stay home for a bit, focus on my child, building this website and my business.

“Instead of going to look for a job, I wanted something that allowed me the flexibility to spend more time with my son so I needed to do my own thing.” The online store was “really hard because I realise Jamaicans want to see it and feel it before they buy.”

The store caters to the trendy, evident by the colourful and sometimes surprisingly large “statement pieces” and the voice of fashion-forward singer Rihanna reverberating throughout. It stocks cosmetics, jewellery and leatherwear (wallets and purses) for men and women.

“The response has been good”, she said. This has done little to cover some of the challenges that she continues to experience though.

“Who doesn’t have financial restraints? Just stocking the store has been a challenge. I’ve pretty much been doing it out of pocket from my redundancy funds. You’ll find that a lot of persons don’t want to lend because of collateral but I can’t get the collateral if I don’t have the money”, Stevens-Oates said.

“Government and its Customs fees and duties and their taxes. They need to behave. If we’re trying to build the economy and help it, we can’t do it with all those duties and fees. Cosmetics alone attract 50 per cent duty on whatever I pay for it and that doesn’t include the 17.5 per cent for GCT or custom duties.”

“There’s a requirement to spend 30,000 dollars per month with my NYX brand supplier and that’s not in Jamaican dollars”, she said. “What I do now is, I’ll spend that but in portions each week.”

“I know the business may fail because there are days when I doubt myself.” She said there have been times when she didn’t have the rent days before it was due but that it has always worked out somehow. “A friend told me ‘Success comes through self-doubt and uncertainty'”.

With her son as her inspiration, she said, “Failure is not an option.”

“I’ve thought of getting a 9-5. There are times when I wonder if I should try to branch out or get a full-time job. I don’t want this to be a hobby and it won’t be. I miss the money on the 25th (of each month) but I love the freedom. In this I feel like the world is mine. Well, not yet but soon.

“I’m working on a lot of marketing and advertising because not many people know that there are stores on the Pulse Complex”, she said, noting that other more high-end stores have better financing and are able to pursue more aggressive strategies.

Business for her online store has been going well with consistent orders daily. She plans to move into exporting locally made jewellery via the site. This has proven problematic, though, as she has not been able get the necessary guidance even after approaching the Jamaica Promotions Corporation.

“I’ve not given up on the e-commerce store and I really believe that as Jamaicans we need to get on board. In other countries, e-commerce makes up a large percentage of retail sales, so there’s a lot of untapped potential that local entrepreneurs need to look at.”

“In a year from now I would love to have another location outside “town”. I want to spend a year here and build it, getting that recognition and other products,” she said. “I’d love to get into distribution of some of the brands I carry.”

More young people need to get into entrepreneurship despite the challenges, she said. “I would encourage them to go into business but they need to have some backing and make sure there is a market. Don’t do clothing with a million clothing stores around.

“Everyone can’t be in a single space and they’re all selling oranges. Someone has to go out there and sell apples. If you can get someone to back it and you believe in your project, go for it. Also, have a fall back. Mine is my education,” said the graduate studies student.