In 1976, when Cosmo Brown decided to set up a seafood restaurant in Negril, Westmoreland, everyone thought he was mad. He had approached the Urban Development Corporation to lease a piece of land that looked more like woodland, overrun with crabs and infested with mosquitoes.

But Brown could see what others didn't. He'd been dreaming of a seafood restaurant for a long time.

Brown grew up on the beach and, all through his years living in the United States, he longed to return to that place of peace.

So when he came home, Brown made a J$1,000 investment to make his dream come true. He leased 2 acres of land nobody else wanted and quickly set about putting up a building to house the bar and the seating area for the dining room. Back then, there were only a couple of workers and they cooked outside on a wood fire. Now, 30 years and thousands of satisfied customers later, Cosmo's Seafood employs 26 people and is practically a household name on Jamaica's north coast.

It's a business that supports local farmers. "We get most of our vegetables from St Elizabeth, and fish from Negril, Whitehouse and Black River. The more of your local people are happy, the sounder you sleep," said Brown.

Located on the Norman Manley Boulevard in the middle of the famous seven-mile stretch of Negril beach, Cosmo's is a landmark in the heart of one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.

So what's Brown's secret to success? We asked this self-made businessman to share his story, his strategy and some advice on how you can do it, too.

What were the main challenges you encountered and how did you overcome them?

One main challenge is maintaining great customer relationships. Once you get the customers, it is now up to you to keep them. To do that, you have to treat them good; go over to them and find out if there is any problem and rectify it right away.

The second challenge is keeping a product that is reasonably priced so that people will buy it.

You also have to keep a good track record with your banker, and if you make a dollar you have to pay your bills. So, once you have supplies and you treat your customers good, you have nothing to fear.

How do you control costs?

That is very hard, but once you know the work and how it should be done, you tell your workers what to do and how you want the job to be done. And every good businessman must have a hands-on approach to his business. By this I mean you must be able to clear the tables, sweep and mop the floors and this shows your employees what you want them to maintain.

It doesn't make sense to tell an employee you want them to sweep and you can't do it. I wasn't raised that way. Don't wait until you get complaints.

Workers from Cosmo's Seafood Restaurant clean parts of Negril's coastline after Hurricane Dean. - file

What are your three main ingredients for success?

Never bite off more than you can chew. If you make $10, make sure you only spend seven and keep three for a rainy day. That means when you encounter slow times you will have that rainy day money to bridge yourself. There will be slow times so when you have good times you have to make hay while the sun shines.

You have to maintain payments to your banker and you have to pay your employees. Whether business is good or bad I have to pay them to make sure they are happy. Your customers come first, then your staff, then your banker. Anything that is left is yours. But you must always pay your bills.

How can you recession-proof your business?

That is where 'Mr Rainy Day' comes in. You have to go to that and use it as a bridge when hard times hit. You have to know the business you are in.

For example, if you're in a business that works well with the tourism season, which runs from December to April, that is the time when you try and earn all that you can. Make sure your banker is happy and lodge what you can, no matter how small. Don't buy a BMW when you could have bought a Corolla. When these times come you can go to your banker and ask for help and he or she will help because they have seen your progress of depositing and they know you are a responsible person.

Article adapted from Scotiabank's local television production.