The Editor, Sir:

As a young Jamaican who started a business at age 17, immediately after leaving high school, I am cautiously optimistic about the recently launched Youth Entrepreneurship Programme (YEP).

YEP, I understand, is to be an entrepreneurship development and support programme specifically for Jamaican school leavers urgently in need of an alternative to traditional jobs.

Undoubtedly, a successful YEP is a crucial intervention for many youth who leave our schools each year with little prospect of meaningful employment, further studies or training, and most often destined for a hapless life cycle of poverty. Yet, for YEP to be truly successful, it must place greater emphasis on business success rather than business start-up, that is, the focus has to be on the quality not quantity of businesses that result.

MY EXPERIENCE

My experience may provide a useful case study for the prime minister and his technocrats, as when I started business, I embodied some characteristics of successful entrepreneurs worldwide. Yet, two years after opening my service-based venture, I was forced to close it - a most difficult decision for me.

I was from a family of entrepreneurs, many of whom were successful in business. From 10 years old, I spent holidays learning about and working in the family business, interacting with customers and employees.

The 'earned dollar'

I quickly respected the value of the 'earned dollar', which made me disciplined, managing my weekly allowance wisely. As a graduate of one of the island's top preparatory schools and prominent high schools, I attained creditable passes, but was far more excited about entrepreneurship than pursuing further studies. My supportive family provided funding and advice, though they believed I was not ready for a start-up business.

Yet, I refer to my early entrepreneurial exploit not as a failure but as providing key lessons in life and business. The importance of timing, education and experience are just a few. Fortunately, almost a decade later, I've found the courage to venture in business again, after extensive research and planning with immense passion and enthusiasm and greater maturity than before.

NOT EVERYONE is SUITED

YEP must engage those who are rich in ideas, while recognising that not everyone is suited for entrepreneurship. Therefore, a key facet must be to identify youth with great entrepreneurial spirit, discipline and passion.

Inviting graduates to submit ideas for review, which is evidently the first step in the YEP process, is a good start.

Predictably, YEP will try to address the common reasons new businesses fail - lack of funding, research, training, planning, vision, marketing, business incubation, and so on.

But emphasis must also be placed on what evidence has shown makes entrepreneurs worldwide succeed - having great mentors, image and relationship management, effective social networking, sacrifice, working hard and smart, ethics, fearlessness, confidence, delayed gratification, and others. YEP must focus on character building so that those who fail in business will learn from the experience and try again.

Seek Jamaicans to serve

YEP has to seek out Jamaican entrepreneurs, young and old, to serve as mentors, course and workshop facilitators and, hopefully, venture capitalists.

It is well known that there are elements in our society and culture that restrain us from cultivating more successful entrepreneurs, such as class bias and division, social injustice, materialism, the instant gratification phenomenon, unproductiveness, corruption, crime and violence and others. These are challenges for which YEP must prepare its participants accordingly.

I am, etc.,

YANEEK PAGE

yaneek.page@gmail.com