Women say banks not supporting non-traditional businesses
SEVERAL women who turned out at the launch of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) yesterday raised the issue of the lack of support from the banking sector for non-traditional businesses and female entrepreneurs.
One participant told the meeting that she presented an excellent business idea to a bank, which agreed it was a good idea, but was eventually turned down. She told the meeting that had she been a man, she was certain the idea would have got the assistance being sought.
The event, which took place at the Jamaica Pegasus in Kingston, saw Jamaica joining the rest of the world for the launch of a movement to celebrate, empower and support women entrepreneurs worldwide, and build a strong network for change.
WED’s Jamaica Ambassador Cecile Watson said Women’s Entrepreneurship Day goes beyond the actual breakfast launch event yesterday.
“… It’s a movement, and so, over the course of the next year, we have to keep the energy going to draw attention to the movement to get further support,” explained Watson. “So when Women’s Entrepreneurship Day comes around next year it will be the culmination of all the activities that have taken place over the year.”
Two particular thrusts, Watson told the Jamaica Observer, are to engage both men and women globally to pledge their support to a woman entrepreneur in time, talent or treasure, and a massive social media campaign that is set for December 3 to bring attention to women entrepreneurs, their businesses and their causes and to encourage people to support women-owned businesses.
Island Grill’s CEO Thalia Lyn, under whose patronage the event was held, brought her own mentee and implored other women leaders in business to take the pledge.
The event also featured a panel discussion with Suzanne Rousseau Bernard and Michelle Rousseau of Two Sisters and a
Meal, Pat Wright of Wright Style, and Ingrid Riley
of getConnectid, Connectimass, who shared their experiences as entrepreneurs with a focus on key enabling success factors of women entrepreneurship in Jamaica.
The women, who included many movers and shakers in the society, left the location energised and on a unified mission to create their
own opportunities after Watson called on them to “aggressively promote
and support working alternatives for young girls and women”.
“Let’s be employers and not just be employees, let’s create jobs, not just look for jobs, let’s break the fixation with breaking the glass ceiling, let’s build our own buildings with ceilings out of any materials that we may choose…,” said Watson. “Let’s head off disappointments of not getting on boards by creating businesses with our own boards… we have a voice that counts, a voice that must be heard.”
WED’s launch forms part of the celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2014 from November 17 to 23.
— Anika Richards
