CREATIVE entrepreneurs are set to gain greater access to business development support following Kingston Creative’s addition to the Jamaica Business Development Corporation’s (JBDC) Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) network.

The partnership, formalised through a recent memorandum of understanding (MOU), makes Kingston Creative the ninth external entity to join the JBDC’s SBDC network.

The JBDC has operated the network since its launch in January 2015, using the American Small Business Development Centre model to improve SME competitiveness, generate trade opportunities, and drive economic integration.

Acting CEO of the JBDC, Harold Davis said expanding the SBDC network with Kingston Creative was critical to making business development services more accessible to Jamaica’s estimated 425,000 micro, small and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs).

“The agency has taken a keen interest in the development of the cultural and creative industries, having conducted research over the years to guide our intervention. Our CCIs are not exempt from the challenges faced by other businesses such as access to capital, market access, revenue generation, intellectual property, global competitiveness, and digital transformation — all of which impact their sustainability,” he said.

“The programmes and facilities at the JBDC are designed to empower creatives to grow viable businesses and so we are excited about this partnership.”

As a newly accredited SBDC, Kingston Creative will provide creative entrepreneurs with access to free and low-cost business coaching, training and other development services, while connecting them to the wider national SBDC network.

The partnership will serve the full spectrum of Jamaica’s creative sector, from established micro and small enterprises to early stage entrepreneurs, freelancers, and individuals with business ideas. It also establishes an ongoing support structure rather than a time-limited programme, allowing entrepreneurs to access business development resources as their needs evolve.

Kingston Creative Executive Director Andrea Dempster-Chung said the partnership formalises a relationship with the JBDC that has included several collaborative programmes since the organisation’s establishment in 2017.

“As we approach our tenth year we are excited to be formalising our strategic partnership with JBDC to bring business support directly to the creative sector,” she said.

“Being a part of the SBDC network will enhance our entrepreneur services, ensuring we can support creative entrepreneurs at all stages of the business life cycle and help them to gain access to the resources and support they need to grow their businesses,” she added.

Set to commence operations this month, the Kingston Creative SBDC will roll out with a pilot cohort of approximately 60 creative entrepreneurs who will receive expanded business development support over an eight-month period.

The programme will target entrepreneurs across a broad range of creative industries, including fashion, film, music, literature, and publishing.

“The 60 creative entrepreneurs will over the next eight months be able to upscale and ‘capacity build’. That’s an amazing target, and we’re just very excited that people from all the different industries will have the benefits of this structure that JBDC has put in place,” Dempster-Chung said.