Creating a vision board has been something I’ve been meaning to do. I am a visual person. Seeing motivates me. It helps me to continue doing and believing at times. Yes I know, I should be living by Faith and NOT by sight! I get it, but seeing words and repeating them, especially my goals written down, helps me to continue believing and speaking until they materialize. One of the ways I thought about creating a reminder is with a vision board. If you are not sure of what a vision board is, MakeAVisionBoard.com defines it as:

A vision board is a tool used to help clarify, concentrate and maintain focus on a specific life goal. Literally, a vision board is any sort of board on which you display images that represent whatever you want to be, do or have in your life. – MakeAVisionBoard.com

I could have gone to YouTube to get some tips on how to create a boss vision board. YouTube is my go-to for almost everything I need to learn to do, but the thought of sitting in a class with people of similar interests, cutting outdated magazine pages, sharing construction paper and affixing pretty stickers stating “You Can Do It!” sounded way more exciting.

Alas, certified Development Coach, Dawne Mark of E-Dawn Coaching & Consulting, hosted her first Goal Setting workshop. She shared on goal setting as a guest speak at a previous workshop, but this time she decided to include vision boarding.  The purpose was so that attendees can start prioritizing their goals and make notes on how to start achieving those goals within a specific time frame.

To begin her presentation, Dawne started by asking questions to get us thinking about our most important goals and what we were hoping to get out of these goals. Not only for ourselves, but the impact we will like have on others through those goals.

It is also important to note that when setting goals and creating a vision board, you think about what is attainable in the time you want to see those dreams become a reality. Decide on the steps you need to take in order to get there and make notes of those steps.

Make sure that you find the best pictures or magazine cutouts to represent each goal and things you’d like to do to get there. You can draw or make bullet points.

I was able to narrow down on specific goals and think about what I need to do to get there. – Attendee

While the previous points are good and quite necessary to consider, your unwavering commitment to seeing those goals met is key. Starting the process is one thing. Remaining committed all the way through is another. Thing is, it will never get done, if you don’t. It may be difficult at times and you may have to invest (finances, time, resources) heavily into your idea, but it will be worth it in the end. This is something I know all too well and one of the topics, among others, Dawne stressed on.

Dawne will be hosting another of her goal setting sessions at the end of August, as well as others throughout the year, which I’m sure you may want to attend. Find all details and updates on her Facebook Page and follow her on IG @edawncoach. You can also email her at dawne.mark@gmail.com.

Every year, Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) hosts Caribbean Media Awards where journalists and bloggers from the U.S. and Caribbean are presented awards for their exceptional work from a range of categories.

One of the categories is Oh My Word, I Blogged! This award is given to the person/blogger voted as having written the best travel blog posting about the Caribbean or any CTO member country. If you don’t know, I entered this competition last year, but did not win. However, I don’t count it a loss because of the unbelievable amount of support I received and the number of votes I got. I was surprised and grateful to everyone who voted. Though I sent out ‘Thank you’s’ to individuals, I did not get the chance to publicly say thank you to everyone. So, THANK YOU! I am always grateful for the support.

VOTE

My entry this year is one of my favourite posts from 2017 on Grenada Chocolate Fest :

…and I hope it was yours too ;-).

In order for me to win this competition, you must vote and unfortunately, you can vote only once. So PLEASE SHARE THIS POST.

In case you’re wondering why you should vote, here are three key reasons:

1. Help Grenada Win! I entered the competition, not only with the hopes that Islepreneur will win an award, but also to see my island win an award.
2. Grenada has never won a blogging award. The blogging community has grown significantly over the last two years and we’re still continuing to make strides and become more visible, but we have never won an award for our hard work.
3. Islepreneur is the only Grenadian blog in the competition, so VOTE!

To vote, CLICK HERE and look for my entry (pictured below). You can vote only once using your Facebook account, so, again, I will need your help to share with your friends and family. Voting ends Friday 18th May, 2018. 

I appreciate all the love and thanks for the support!

A couple of weeks ago, I received two copies of this book; Student Loan Answers – A 7-Step Guide to Understanding Your Caribbean Student Loan from author, Melisa Boutin. One book was for my review and the other for a giveaway to my audience.

Melisa is a Certified Financial Education Instructor and content curator on her website YourMoneyWorth.com where she shares great content on financing. I encourage you to sign up for her newsletters if you’re looking for tips and finance advise.

Student Loan Answers is a comprehensive guide to understanding Caribbean student loans. I never had a student loan since I was awarded a scholarship to attend St. George’s University, but this book is a must read. It is very easy to read and the content is broken down so that if you’ve never heard anything about loans, you’ll be able to understand. I have learnt so much. It is packed with a lot of guidelines, procedures and things you should know regarding student loans from Caribbean banks.

If you are seeking to get a student loan or you’re in school and already have a loan, then I encourage you to get your hands on this book or enter the giveaway below for a chance to win. Parents should also take a read.

[ctt title=”This 7-step guide to understanding Caribbean student loans is a must read by @MelisaBoutin” tweet=”This 7-step guide to understanding Caribbean student loans is a must read by @MelisaBoutin #StudentLoanAnswers https://islepreneur.com/islepreneur/student-loan-answers-review via @islepreneur” coverup=”tb90c”]

The 7 steps are as follows:

Step One: Making Sense of Your Caribbean Student Loan

Step Two: Understanding Interest and Capitalization

Step Three: Communicating With Your Lender

Step Four: Tracking & Documentation

Step Five: Setting Up A Debt Pay-Off Plan

Step Six: Handling Disputes With Your Lender

Step Seven: Consolidation, Refinancing & Debt Settlement

Melisa’s 7-step guide walks you through the process of student loans. From the sign up down to the last payment. She lists  requirements you will need to present to the lender or bank and thoroughly explains the student life cycle with definitions of important terms you will meet up during the lifetime of your loan.

One thing I love is that Melisa included lots of examples of loan situations and went in-depth on interest and capitalization – how monthly interest is calculated and how unpaid interest is added to the amount borrowed. Throughout the various chapters you’ll find checklists which you can use as a guide to ensure that you track your loan status on your own. She also provided solutions to paying off loans ahead of the scheduled time which can help you save in the thousands.

As mentioned earlier, Melisa provided me with a copy of Student Loan Answers to giveaway which I am so happy to do.

To enter, you must Like Melisa’s Facebook Page and Islepreneur’s Facebook Page on the widget below and for additional points, retweet the tweet. Have fun and all the best!

[RF_CONTEST contest=’10395′]

Early October, actually, the day before my birthday, I had another wonderful opportunity to attend a networking event. You know how I am about taking opportunities and connecting with new people. This time, I attended Dine & Define, which was a dinner held during OMNoire Glow Up Retreat 4-day weekend of wellness activities. If you have not heard about OMNoire, it is..

A wellness social community for multi-cultural women focused on living well from the inside out. Our mission is to connect like-minded women through our events, retreats and online platform to cultivate strength, growth and positive manifestation in all areas of our lives – OMNoire.com

OMNoire was founded by Amber Lee Forrester (founder Kane & Couture and Crowned & Brown) and Christina M. Rice (founder of LuxeLife Media & LuxeLife Adventures). It was their first wellness retreat and they decided to have in Grenada. There were up to 50 other women in attendance from across world and from various walks of life who were all here for the same reasons – to get away from regular schedules to be rejuvenated, connect with other like-minded women and be empowered.

Amber Lee Forrester

The dinner was held at the Aquarium Restaurant on Magazine Beach which is one restaurant I love. The food, ambiance and beach side setting with good company is enough for me to have a great time.

The speakers for the evening were Necole Kane (CEO, xoNecole.com), Christina Rice, Amber Lee Forrester, Michelle Davenport (founder of Mosaic Coaching), Mental Health Therapist, LaShell Wooten and Kered Clement (British Grenadian, travel journalist, digital strategist and content creator). It was interesting listening to each of the women share on captivating, thought-provoking topics like ‘The Power of our Words and Thoughts’ (Michelle Davenport), the importance of ‘Letting Go of Limiting Beliefs’ (Kered Clement) and ‘Don’t Be Afraid to Press Reset’ (Necole Kane).

(L-R: Necole Kane, Christina Rice, Kered Clement, LaShell Wooten. Photo credit: Hexive Creative Agency)

I believe I needed to be at that event that night because sometimes we go through experiences in life and depends on what comes our way, it makes us wonder how things will work out. It’s easy for me to think that I’m the only one in this, not knowing that someone else had gone through similar or worse than what I am facing. Necole Kane was really transparent and shared how at one point in her life she had to start building her life and her career again from scratch. Though it took a lot, she was determined to get back up again. Michelle Davenport (pictured below) shared a lot of healthy nuggets on the power of our thoughts and how it can shape our lives and our future – You are what you think. It is important to allow our thoughts to remain positive and focused on where we want to be. If we continue to think negative thoughts about ourselves, we literally put ourselves in a trap and we can’t get to where we need to be.

Photo credit: Hexive Creative Agency

Kered (pictured below) also shared on her journey. She mentioned some unpleasant past experiences which she used to propel her to where she is today. Coming to the end of her speech, she asked these questions: “What if I had listened to…What if I decided not to…What if I let their words…?” If she had allowed those moments to shape her thinking and the decisions she made, she would not be where she is today.

[ctt title=”It is not where you are now. It is what you do next will determine where you will go.” tweet=”It is not where you are now. It is what you do next will determine where you will go – @OMNoire. https://ctt.ec/d145q+ via @islepreneur” coverup=”d145q”]

Those were some powerful moments which also made me ask myself, “If I stay here…if I don’t do…if I continue to think..?” Sometimes all you need is to hear someone else’s story to give you a push, refocus and to keep going.

Photo credit: Hexive Creative Agency

The dinner was a wonderful experience and I am so happy I got to be there and listen to these women share their experiences. It is not where you’ve been or what you’re facing now. It is what you do next will determine where you go tomorrow and the day after that.

Spice Bloggers

State of the Tourism Industry (SOTIC), an annual event organised by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, is a week of tourism activities where people who play key roles in tourism throughout the region meet to discuss issues affecting tourism in the Caribbean and to formulate solutions and courses of action to better the tourism brand.

This year’s week of activities ran from October 9th – 14th under the theme:

Super-Charging the Caribbean Brand: Meeting the Needs of the New Explorers

It was an enlightening experience and I was happy to hear tourism officials from some of the islands devastated by hurricanes Irma and Maria report that the islands are on their way to recovery and that hotels and other tourist attractions will soon be reopening. READ MORE from Ed Welscher, Caribbean Editor of Recommend Magazine.

My decision to attend the conference was last-minute and was unable to be at all the sessions, but I did manage to get three days and did not regret it. There was lots of information shared. Some not directly linked to tourism, but which can definitely help us all to super-charge our tourism brand. There were some key moments for me throughout the activities and I thought I should share with you:

The first three points are from the event’s keynote speaker, Dorsey Levens, retired Green Bay Packer Running Back Super Bowl winner who now wears many hats as Executive TV Producer, Writer, Actor, Sports Consultant and motivational speaker. He is also the founder and President of Levens Communications.

Dorsey’s keynote speech was a different kind of keynote, but it was very motivational and these points are two of the many I took away:

1.One of the fist things Dorsey spoke about was this one word WIN which stands for ‘What’s Important Now’. In everything we face, what ever the situation is, we should always think about what is important now and what are the best actions we should take for the best outcome.

2. You are incapable of changing any one but yourself. Isn’t that the truth!

3. During a panel discussion on ‘Key Recommendations for Moving Forward’, it was mentioned that reservations were being cancelled in islands that were not affected by the storms because people believe that when one island is affected, the entire Caribbean is gone down in ruins? Sounds strange that many people still do not know that there are hundreds of islands stretched across the Caribbean Sea and if one is affected, the other most likely may be open for business. Fernando Fernandez (seated in the middle) – Vice President of Development for the Caribbean, Apple Leisure Group – mentioned that we need to do more to educate people outside of the Caribbean and include it in our marketing campaigns. I couldn’t agree more.

4. Shadel Nyack-Compton, Managing Director of the Belmont Estate, moderates ‘Business Models That Rock’ and gave a colourful description of our island to open her segment.

Before attending SOTIC, I made sure to browse the events on the site to get a heads up of what to expect. I was really excited to see that Mrs. Nyack-Compton was the moderator for this segment. She is a hard worker and has done well with building a business that rocks today – The Belmont Estate. Also from the this segment, Jason Nichols, Lead Brand Partner of Linqia spoke on Influencer Marketing.

Moderating a panel on “Business Models That Rock” at the #CTO State of the Industry Conference – Grenada! #TheCaribbeanRocks#SOTIC2017pic.twitter.com/GyDPvYbEL9

— Shadel Nyack Compton (@ShadelNyack) October 11, 2017

5. Networking

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that I am an advocate for small business owners attending events like these. It is a way to meet people, make connections and share your business to the world. A few of the people I spoke to were amazed to know about our growing blog community.

ALSO READ: Five Reasons To Attend Business Seminars & Workshops

Ed Wetschler, Caribbean Editor for Recommend Magazine and Annette Moore Public Relations Officer, Grenada Information Services.

Tasha La Touche, Founder & Chief Epicurean Officer of Savor the Spice.

Abegail Sandy, Founder and Owner of She Naturals.

Staff and management of Caribbean Horizons.

Standing with Hon. Alexandra Otway-Noel, Government Minister & Parliamentary Reprentative and Jazelle Sylvester, Communications Officer for Ministry of Sports.

6. The next two ‘take aways’ came from a panel discussion on ‘Spice Up the Caribbean Brand’, moderated by Hon. Alexandra Otway-Noel, MP.

Mr. Sheldon Keens-Douglas, Regional Communications Manager of Cable & Wireless Communications, shared a few ways in which we can spice up our tourism brand. One of his points which can be applied within any niche was “Creating new content can help you differentiate your brand in the market place”. I am a firm believer in this.

7. Omar Kennedy, Executive Director of Animekon, also sat on the panel and introduced a whole new different form of tourism which targets creatives from across the world. AnimeKon is a comic-con held in Barbados which brings creatives from across the world to enjoy a few days of learning and fun at an annual event called ‘Geekcation’. Learn more HERE.

8. Caribbean Youth Congress

One integral part of CTO’s week of tourism activities is the Caribbean Tourism Youth Congress where Junior Ministers of Tourism comprising students between the ages of 14-17 research various facets of the tourism sector and share their vision for the future direction of regional tourism, in a competitive environment. – CTO.

Photo Credit: Arthur Daniel

There were 10 islands represented, including Grenada (Jovani John, pic above), who all did very well. They brought really great ideas to enhance each island’s tourism product, but in the end, it was Francis Alexander of St. Lucia who dominated the competition and is now Junior Minister of Tourism for the Caribbean.

9. Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon aka @JetSetSarah presented on a few things which makes the Caribbean stand out from other destinations. She mentioned that its not just about sun, sea and sand. There is more to us as a destination which we should celebrate such as our character. Caribbean people are warm and welcoming people. We should also celebrate our differences. Though we are one Caribbean, there are many islands within the region, each having a different personality and unique character, which makes each island different from the next.

10. Sampling Belmont Estate chocolate. Yes, I love chocolate and I truly believe Grenada has some of the best chocolate in the world.

There were many more highlights of the week of activities such as Stephanie Oswald (Editor in Chief and Founder of Travel Girl Magazine and award-winning journalist, CNN) sharing on what women want when they travel and Chris Spring on how the Caribbean can welcome Chinese culture, but the post will be too long.

To learn more about Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s State of the Tourism Industry, visit their website HERE.

Every time I attend a workshop, training, exhibition or ‘show’ where vendors and/or small business owners are most likely to congregate, I get all hyped with excitement. It’s like a child who just discovered the awesomeness of chip-chip and sugar cake made in mom’s kitchen. Mind you, unlike most Grenadian children, I never really liked those confectionaries growing up, but I saw how these sweets can interrupt a serious game of marble and ‘who for it’. For other children, these tasty treats were another source of income to help with lunch for the next day.

Entrepreneurship has long been a way of life for many in Grenada. From the men and women on the side of the road with colourfully packed provision stalls to those who go a bit further to use some of what we grow to produce properly packaged products. While all of this is well and good and shows that our people are creative and can find ways to support themselves, my only concern is the number of the same products being produced and competing for the same target group. For example, jams and jellies. There are several different small businesses producing jams and jellies and I am almost sure that there are more in the pipeline. Though it is good for consumers to have options, but instead of us all vying for the same spot in the same industry, why not start looking for ways we can sell our products and services outside of our island.

Last week, September 25th – 29th, I was invited to attend a training and workshop by Grenada Coalition Services Industries with the theme Services Go Global The Road Map for Exporting Services. The training was designed business owners who are looking to take the next step with their business and start offering their products and services on international markets.

The lecturer for the week was Kelli-Dawn Hamilton, certified Services Go Global trainer of Jamaica, who shared on the following topics:

Preparing your Business- to successfully analyze the external market and exporting opportunities.

Effective Market Research- aimed at helping to build market intelligence and to effectively identify and take advantage of local and regional market opportunities.

Efficient Marketing- designed to help increase your market share through the development of market strategies and entry methods.

Export Strategy- participants will be guided through the development of an export strategy that will facilitate the export of their services.

[ctt title=”We are global, not local. We are international entrepreneurs – act like it! – Kelli-Dawn H” tweet=”We are global, not local. We are international entrepreneurs – act like it! – Kelli_Dawn H https://ctt.ec/em974+ + via @islepreneur” coverup=”em974″]

It was an intense week of training, but the participants came out each day, eager to learn and encourage each other by sharing their experiences. They all endured to the end and were able to complete their export plans which is a requirement to become certified export-ready businesses. With this certification, these entrepreneurs are now more visible to a wider audience and have the opportunity to connect with other businesses on international markets through the Coalition Services.

‘The Services Go Global’ training programme is designed to prepare businesses with the tools necessary to expand into overseas markets. The participants in the recently concluded training programme revealed a crop of Grenadian entrepreneurs who not only have the skill to grow their businesses, but who displayed a passion and drive that will form the foundation upon which their organisations will be built and a tenacity that will secure their place in the global business landscape. It was a pleasure working with the group and I have every confidence that they will excel as global entrepreneurs. – Kelli-Dawn Hamilton, Lecturer – Services Go Global

Kelli-Dawn often reminded the participants:

The one-week training was rewarding for the entrepreneurs, not only for the new networking opportunities, but because they now have a new perspective on areas like outsourcing, extensive research and selecting target markets. Their feedback spoke volumes.

It was truly a vivacious week – Kendell

I feel very fulfilled. It was a week well spent – Kelly

I appreciate and love the connections. My life has changed…paradigm shift. – Donally

Grenada is definitely in need of more opportunities like this. My only concern is that usually when opportunities like this come our way, we don’t maximize on it and we wait till they’re gone to try to make a move. There were only seven attendees at the training, but I’m hoping that more entrepreneurs will see the need to invest in workshops like this to learn, grow and network with other like-minded entrepreneurs.