“Go digital or die.” That was the message Gregory Peart, leader of NCB Merchant Sales and Relationship team, had for start-up and early-stage businesses aiming to stay relevant in today’s reality. Peart spoke during First Angels Jamaica’s (FAJ) virtual Meetup recently.

Peart argued that there have been more digital technologies entering and transforming workspaces at a high speed, bringing the changes they need to not only survive, but thrive during this time of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“Digital technology is transforming both personal and professional spaces. Companies are changing the ways they do business in order to engage their new and returning customers. They are incorporating the use of social media and e-commerce to boost business growth and increase their online presence. This way, they can increase convenience and efficiency with 24/7 access to businesses,” shared Peart.

FAJ has been hosting its virtual Meetup series featuring presentations on important issues for founders of small businesses. The series, which started in October, will continue until February 2021.

“It’s imperative for companies to have a digital presence that allows their customers to do business online. Notwithstanding COVID-19, this is the way of the future. Customers are looking for options that allow them to get things done from the comfort of their homes,” said Sandra Glasgow, co-founder of FAJ.

Glasgow noted that smaller businesses may shy away from the costs associated with digitising their processes. However, the benefits of improved efficiency and capacity often translate to increased profits.

“Participants in our last two Meetups have shared with us the great value of the information presented, and especially helped those who do not yet have or are in the process of developing a digital presence to understand the security issues that they should plan to address. Additionally, the NCB team did a great job of demonstrating the value of being able to provide e-commerce options for customers and the ease with which these solutions can be activated without expensive IT support,” added Glasgow

The next FAJ Meetup will feature Carmella Vong, Google’s customer solutions executive who will speak on the topic ‘Building and scaling products with the best of Google — its people and advanced technologies’.

Participants can expect to hear Vong discuss current digital marketing trends, brand storytelling and performance marketing, Google‘s ads and analytic products and mobile and international expansion.

The cost for each virtual Meetup is $1,000 and registration is open at www.firstangelsja.com.