Having engaged with several small/micro business operators over the last year, IDPADA-G   observed that most of them did not have a clear vision of where they were going with their business. The others, while they had some idea this was all in their head and was not documented. This meant that most of them would end up where they didn’t want to go and inevitably the business would end at a place that was unexpected.

To help remedy this situation IDPADA-G took the decision to host a workshop to assist business owners to develop a business plan.

The workshop was held on November 6 and 7, 2019 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at the National Racquet Centre, Woolford Avenue, Georgetown.

The target group comprised those business operators who had visited the secretariat for a variety of reasons including, overwhelmingly, financing for their business. Initially IDPADA-G had targeted thirty persons, but this was increased to forty. Thirty-nine confirmed their participation but on Day 1 of the workshop twenty-five were in attendance and on Day 2 there were twenty-four.

The workshop was facilitated by Ms. Shamane Headley, Research and Marketing officer of the Small Business Bureau, Georgetown.

Dr. Norman NG-A-Qui, member of IDPADA-G’s Co-ordinating Council declared the workshop open and, among other things, sought to  impress upon the participants the need for timeliness especially in light of the changing environment they will be operating in with the advent of Guyana’s ‘oil-producing nation’ status.

After appropriate ice-breaker exercises Ms. Headley launched into the programme which had as its primary outcome business operators equipped with the ability to prepare a bankable business plan. Among the areas covered were visioning, market identification, marketing plan preparation, customer profiling, preparation of a cash flow statement. The interactive style of the facilitation encouraged the full engagement of the participants who were required to develop their own business plans.

Ms. Olive Sampson, Chief Executive Officer, addressed the session highlighting the purpose for hosting the workshop and expressing her hope that the participants would be ready to raise their standards for operating their business.

The participants thanked IDPADA-G for hosting the workshop and the interest in seeing them become more successful business operators. They were equally high in their praise of the facilitator and the way in which she presented the programme ensuring that they got it right.