TEDx Jamaica to share sweet ideas
A fall from chasing an ice-cream truck gave Felecia Hatcher the idea to start a business of making gourmet popsicles for private events.
Strawberry mojitos, apple martini and coconutty popsicles are offered by the South Florida company, Feverish, which Hatcher co-founded with her husband. She will be telling local attendees of the TEdx Jamaica talks this weekend at the Courtleigh Auditorium, just what it takes to be successful.
“I believe popsicles can change lives,” Hatcher said on a TEDxMIA video. She said she found a simple idea, one that brought her joy as a child growing up.
Hatcher made a name for herself with Feverish, after losing her job at a video game company.
In the Youtube video uploaded by TED Talks last year, she said many people grapple with unemployment and are accepting jobs that they are over qualified for, just to make ends meet.
“A generation of unemployed youths is being created, one that lacks the skills to transition into adulthood”, she said.
The entrepreneur also wanted to develop her community by working with local farmers who provide the fruits to make the frozen treats.
To be sustainable, Feverish also works with other entrepreneurs and children. Hatcher said she gave away 20 ice cream carts to children teaching them to run a business from the ground up. They were also taught how to train and employ their friends and families.
“We didn’t want to give them a hand out, but a hand up,” she said.
Under the theme, “Accomplish What You Will”, Tedx Jamaica will feature eight speakers, including Hatcher who will share their experiences and give advice on how to be successful.
Other speakers at the event will be, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon and inventor, Paul Ramphal; internationally acclaimed choreographer and dancer, Garth Fagan; concert pianist and conductor, Jon Robertson and composer and conductor, Shirley Thompson. It will also include world and Olympic sprinter, Donovan Bailey, conservationist, Melvin Tennant. Local entrepreneur, Donna Duncan-Scott will also give a Ted talk.
TEDx is a programme of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED experience.
TED is a non-profit organisation devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading”. It started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago and has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives.