St. Maarten’s first speed mentoring mixer attracts close to 100 entrepreneurs, mentors, and volunteers
Great Bay, St. Maarten — On February 27, 2020, Produce Wealth Revolution Agency (PWR Agency) hosted the island’s first speed mentoring mixer at Motorworld Showroom. The agency teamed up with MicroMentor by Mercy Corps and Motorworld to provide a unique experience to support entrepreneurs at various stages of their journey to building successful businesses.
Sales and Marketing manager of CC1, the local distributor of Bacardi Limited, Alfonso Mieses welcomed the attendees to PWR 2020 @Motorworld. Bacardi is a partner with MicroMentor by Mercy Corps, a global digital platform that connects entrepreneurs with mentors to receive free mentoring.
Mrs. Vincentia Rosen- Sandiford, director of the Bureau for Intellectual Property of Sint Maarten shared about the importance of incorporating intellectual property (IP) rights as part of your business strategy. Building IP in one’s company equals building valuable assets. Having more equity on your balance sheet can make it easier to request and obtain business loans or engage in business deals. After the brief explanation of the importance of intellectual property in building a business, the keynote with the Amjad family took place.
The keynote was given by both Mr. Imran McSood Amjad, Chairman, and Tariq Amjad, Managing Director of Motorworld Group of Companies, which comprises of Motorworld, Caribbean Auto, Audi St. Maarten and Dollar/Thrifty Car rental. Royal Decorated Member of Oranje Nassau, Mr. McSood as he is known to many, also built NAGICO Insurances from the ground up, which is the largest insurance company in the region located in 26 different Caribbean countries. In addition, his contribution to business, community and sports development throughout the island is remarkable.
During the interview styled keynote, Mr. McSood highlighted the importance of having a solution-focused mindset to be successful in business. “You should spend 10% of the time thinking on the problem and 90% of the time thinking about the solution”, he stated. He further went on to reiterate that, “every problem has a solution”.
Mr. Tariq Amjad, who started building his career in the automotive industry by washing cars, credits the core of his success to his personal passion for innovative business ventures. When asked what he sees as the future of business on St. Maarten, Mr. Amjad stated that he is quite hopeful despite all the challenges. He emphasized however, that the island needs to embrace technology, which is an area in need of major improvements, as it affects all aspects of business and that includes online payments. He also stressed that customer service needs significant improvement, as it is not only important for tourists but is also, at the core of business success.
After the keynote, the speed mentoring commenced. More than 60 entrepreneurs came and connected with mentors such as MP Ludmila Duncan (Parliament of St. Maarten), Mrs. Vincentia Rosen – Sandiford (Director, BIP SXM), Dr. Will Moreland (Founder & International Leadership Trainer, Will Moreland International), Damien Schmidt (Business Development Officer, Princess Juliana International Airport), Evencia Carty (Communications Director, Kooyman), Makhicia Brooks (Director, St. Maarten Development Fund), Kevin “Suppa” Petrona (Radio Personality – Laser 101), Sagan (Radio Personality/Certified Life Coach), Jude Houston (Advisor, Cabinet of Ministry TEATT), Natasha Manuela (Director, Prudential Accounting), Marvio Cooks (Techpreneur, Altospire), Adalena Schaap (HR specialist, Chandler’s Coaching & Consulting), Dr. Antonio Carmona (President, University of Sint Maarten), Dr. Rolinda Carter (Dean, University of Sint Maarten), Edsel Gumbs (Qredits), Catherine Burns (Director, IRM Training), Louinel “Skelet” Telisma (Director, Kalaboom Events), Fernando Suarez Jimenez (Project Coordinator, Red Cross), Jean-Louis Edouard (Regional Administration Manager, NAGICO Insurances), Daniesh Thomas (Legal Counsel, Motorworld), Mr. Tariq Amjad (Managing Director, Motorworld Group of Companies), Mrs. Rena Amjad (CEO, Motorworld Group of Companies), and Mr. Imran McSood Amjad (Chairman, Motorworld Group of Companies).
The full house remained seated after the closing and continued speed mentoring spontaneously for an additional hour. Due to this overwhelming positive feedback, the organizers have decided to launch a series of online mentoring sessions with local and international experts.
Organizers are grateful for the support shown. It was a huge success because of the engagement of everyone present. This would not have been possible without the official partners Motorworld, specifically Jacqueline Louis, Marketing Manager and the entire team, MicroMentor by Mercys Corps, and CC1, local distributor for Bacardi. Organizers will also like to thank all the Amjad Family and all the volunteers who helped during the evening.
