The Centre for Local Business Development (The Centre) has successfully completed the first cohort of its newly-coagulated entrepreneurship programme: ElevateAll – the Manufacturing Edition. The programme provided Guyanese manufacturing businesses with an opportunity to receive professional development aimed to foster business success and personal growth through a series of weekly courses on marketing and pitch development, specialised business courses, and one-on-one mentorship over a 4-month period.
ElevateAll targeted local owners, operators, and managers to build the leadership and business skills of entrepreneurs to grow their companies across the manufacturing sector. The Call for Applications published on May 17 saw over 70 applications from regions 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10. From this list 35 participants were shortlisted for Phase One and a further 14 were shortlisted for Phase 2.
Phase One featured a three-day bootcamp for 35 participants with peer and mentor connections, brainstorming for growth, pitch development and building business model canvases. This took place on June 16-18. In Phase Two, 14 selected participants from the bootcamp took part in a 10-week mentorship and entrepreneurship experience culminating in Expo Day (graduation).
In Phase Two, the participants benefited from weekly courses covering pitch development and delivery, market research and sizing, digital marketing, impact measurement assessment, financial management, operations and exporting, and more. The entrepreneurs were also paired one-on-one with a volunteer mentor from the business community. The programme attracted mentors from ExxonMobil Guyana and our local private sector companies.
Expo Day celebrates all of the skills the entrepreneurs have worked to refine during these past 10 weeks. Today, the entrepreneurs will be graduating from the programme and present their refined business pitches during the mini expo to members of the business community, potential buyers, investors and mentors.
“As we bring the first cohort of ElevateAll to a close, I must commend the entrepreneurs sitting in front of me today. These participants have elevated their businesses through training and mentorship focused on the key gaps they were able to identify in their businesses. They have been through a very fast paced and intense 3-day bootcamp and 10-week programme which helped them to better refine their business today and plan for growth tomorrow,” said Dr. Natasha Gaskin-Peters, Director of the Centre for Local Business Development. She goes on to highlight, “In this room, we have various businesses in the manufacturing sector. As Guyana’s economy continues to grow, we will see the increased need for manufacturing-based businesses. These participants have taken the first step towards benefitting from that growth.”
This cohort covered both male and female owned and led businesses in Guyana from the manufacturing sector. Some of the segments within this sector included agro-processors (local wines, garlic, garlic paste, ginger, seasoning, cassareep, dehydrated fruits), manufacturers of personal care products (skin and hair) and wooden products including floor materials.
The Centre and the ElevateAll Programme receives financial support from the Greater Guyana Initiative, funded by the Stabroek Block co-venturers ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC. For more information and to apply please visit: https://centreguyana.com/entrepreneurship/