businessuite december 2012

Businessuite Magazine Special Edition December 2012 1

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Businessuite Magazine Special Edition December 20124


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Find out what’s the latest SME business news and features from Jamaica, the Caribbean and around the world go to our online magazine at www.businessuiteonline.comFor all information call 876-631-5418 (o) or 876-280-9192 (m) OR email [email protected]

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In our previous issue, we looked at issues and stories sur-rounding women in business, both the struggles and the suc-cesses. Our Top 50 Women in Business listing represents the epitome of those success stories. Here are fifty women who have made a mark in business in their different and in cases unique way. Some operate what could be considered already established enterprises such as Columbus Communication, General Accident and LIME. Others are the founder and opera-tor of their own operations which they have built through sheer determination and the indomitable will of a woman. Look no further than operations such as Honey Bun, Edgechem, Man-power and Maintenance Services, Restaurants of Jamaica Limited, Jencare Skin Farm, Diesel Equipment and Services, and the list goes on and on. Some are power brokers who work behind the scene while others, like Audrey Marks, Dr Blossom O’Meally-Nelson, Beverly Lopez, Kay Osborne and Minna Israel have been in the business limelight for quite a few years now.

The point is that there are different ways to carve your name in the world of business; all these women have proven this. They run the gamut of professions, industries and years of tenure. They are wives, mothers, sisters and supports systems for their families. For all these reasons we acknowledge and salute these women for their dedication, business savvy, and

commitment to living their dreams and contributing to the economic development of Jamaica. They not only contrib-ute to the country’s GDP through the income they generate but through the thousands of jobs they create in an economy where jobs are increasingly hard to come by.

Equally important is the inspiration they provide; inspiration to young women and even young men, that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Jamaica, regardless of gender or age. Look no further than at young turks like Yaneek Page and Gale Peart, as evidence of this. These women have chosen to invest in Jamaica instead of taking their skill and talent up north as many of our professionals seek greener pasture. These women renew remind us that anything and everything is indeed pos-sible with the requisite hard work, drive and business acumen.

As reported herein, the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica will this year induct its first female inductee in twenty years into its Hall of Fame. This is a significant feat for her and all women in business. Businessuite salutes Mrs. Lorna Myers – Chairman of Restaurants of Jamaica Limited, owners and operators of KFC and Pizza Hut in Jamaica. She continued to grow the mega food chain, despite the sudden death of her husband – proving that no road to success is without its speed bumps, and more importantly, that challenges should never deter from the goal.

As our feature ‘The Rise of the Global SHEeconomy’ proves; the balance of the spending and earning power has and con-tinues to shift towards women. It is an undeniably fact in sev-eral regions and countries, supported by empirical evidence. The Top 50 Women in Business is one more piece of that evidence.

editorialOur Top 50 Women in Busi-ness listing represents the epitome of those success stories.

6

Special Businessuite Educational Opinion (EDOP) Piece Evidence of this shift is visible all around the world. A recent Booz & Co. report called women “the Third Billion,” meaning that, globally,

While Jamaican athletes like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price and Veronica Campbell-Brown make a healthy living burning up the track at major events and international meets, those sums pale in comparison to the kind of money the worlds top-earning female athletes generated last year blending branding and business. Proving that sports is indeed big business regardless of gender.

The 51% Coalition: Women in Partnership for Development through Empowerment was launched in November 2011

If you ask most people who is Lorna Myers, nine times out of ten you will get a puzzled look in return.

table of contents

7. Follow Her Lead: The Rise of the Global SHEeconomy

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COVER STORY

FEATURE STORIES

10. The 51 % Coalition: Increasing Women’s Participation in Leadership and Decision-making

11. Lorna Myers to become First Woman inducted into The Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) Hall of Fame

12. The Worlds Highest Paid Female Athletes for 2011…Beauty and Business: Game On!!

33. TECHNO-LOGIC: Five Apps for Women in Business

Page 14, Special Mention

#50, Page 15 #49, Page 15 #48, Page 15 #47, Page 16

#46, Page 16 #45, Page 16 #44, Page 17 #43, Page 17 #42, Page 17

Most Powerful Women in Jamaican Business for 2012

Counting Down the 50


women + business

continued on page 8

Evidence of this shift is visible all around the world. A recent Booz & Co. report called women “the Third Billion,” meaning that, globally, they are the next emerging economy. Much of this is a result of women’s growing economic power in devel-oping countries, but even in the US, women hold way over 51.3% of the nation’s private wealth, as Maddy Dychtwald observes in Influence, one of many books on the subject of female economic empowerment to come out in the past 12 months. “We’re on the brink of a massive power shift, a grinding of the gears of history into a new human condi-tion,” she writes. “It’s a world where women can, if they choose, seize the reins of economic control.” In October 2009, the United States (US) workforce became nearly half female: women held 49.9% of all non-farm labour jobs and 51.5% of high-paying management and pro-

fessional positions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). For every two males who graduate from college or get a higher degree, three women do. This is a trend that is becoming prevalent across the Caribbean as well as University of the West Indies data confirms. And as the US and Caribbean continue migration from manufacturing and agricultural economies to a knowl-edge-based one, women are poised to snag more jobs. Women in the US make up the majority of the work-force in 9 of the 10 occupations the BLS predicts will add the most jobs in the next eight years. While it’s true that most women still earn less than men, are far less likely to be in the highest-salaried execu-tive positions and suffer a prohibi-tive motherhood penalty, about a third of women outearn their hus-bands. And according to James Chung of research firm Reach Ad-

visors, who spent more than a year analyzing data from the US Census Bureau’s 2008 American Commu-nity Survey, among one specific seg-ment — childless city-dwelling sin-gle people in their 20s — the average pay gap favours females: in metro-politan areas, their median full-time income is 108% that of their male counterparts. In some places, says Chung, “they’ve not just caught up — they’re clocking the guys.” In At-lanta, women are at 121% of men’s pay; in New York City, 117%.

Notwithstanding, globally, on aver-age, women are earning, spending, and influencing spending at a great-er rate than ever before — and they account for $7 trillion in consumer and business spending in the United States, and over the next decade they will control two-thirds of consumer wealth. In addition to women mak-ing or influencing 85 percent of all purchasing decisions, they now pur-

by Anita Davis-DeFoe, Ph.D.Author, Organization and Leadership Development Solutionist

}The power of the purse is gaining recognition and appreciation around the globe. Commonly, it is stated that 85% of buying deci-sions are made by women and even when married, they still serve as the chief purchasing officer (CPO) of the household. The mush-rooming rise of the emerging SHEeconomy is an economic mar-ketplace shift that cannot be denied. This trend can be expected to expand across the Unites States, Europe and moreover in the

Caribbean and Latin American.{

Follow Her Lead: The Rise of the Global SHEeconomy

Special Businessuite Educational Opinion (EDOP) Piece


women + business

chase over 50 percent of traditional male products, including automo-biles, home improvement products and consumer electronics. Companies like Midas, Best Buy, and countless others are retooling their marketing strategies and in some cases their products and services in an attempt to meet “she” needs and distinctive requirements. And women are increasingly making the buying call in industries where men have traditionally held sway. In 2007, women were $90 billion worth of the $200 billion consumer-electronics business. They’re $105

billion of the $256 billion home-improvement market. They’re 44% of NFL fans.

Given this power shift, few indeed are the industries that aren’t try-ing to lure the female dollar, even formerly deeply studded fields like computers, cars and finan-cial services. Harley-Davidson has a Women Riders section on its website. This year, Cuban cigar manufacturer Habanos launched the Julieta, a smaller, milder cigar aimed specifically at women.

Then there’s Isaiah Mustafa, the hunky Old Spice guy. Rarely has a campaign for a men’s product been crafted to be more appealing to women, from its parodying of the sexist way women are often por-trayed in such commercials to its mockery of the idealized modern male partner, a hot man who can bake cakes and build a kitchen and get two tickets to anything — while on a horse! After a couple of com-mercials, Mustafa took to YouTube to give customized video respons-es to tweeters’ requests, including a wedding proposal. You could talk to Mustafa, and he would talk

back. He wasn’t a celebrity endors-ing a product; he was your friend. It’s relationship marketing with an actual relationship, even if it’s a put-on one. The result: in the past six months, sales of Old Spice body-wash products have risen 27%.

Johnson & Johnson found out about the power of the SHEeconomy in a painful way, with a 2008 Motrin campaign that followed the inner monologue of a mom toting her infant around in a baby carrier. It “totally makes me look like an offi-cial mom,” she notes in a Web video

before agonizing over the backache it gives her. Some mothers felt be-littled. Overnight they formed a group, and @motrinmoms gave J&J a Twitter headache as emotions es-calated. The company apologized and canceled the ad. This is the SHEeconomy at work. Interesting enough purchasing pow-er of African Americans, in the ab-sence gender considerations is pro-jected to reach or exceed one trillion dollars in 2012. According to the 2010 US Census, African Americans alone had an average household in-come of $52,084, however, when combined with African and Carib-bean immigrants, the average in-come raises to $53,934. This is quite understandable once you examine the average household incomes of certain well-represented groups, such as South Africans ($125,668), Nigerians ($94,030), Guyanese ($76,316) Ghanaians ($74,500) and Jamaicans ($72,237). Moreover, a 2009 study by New American Di-mensions and commissioned by the US African Chamber of Commerce touts that African immigrants living in the US have a purchasing power of nearly $50 billion.

To say the least, there are billions at stake globally regardless of the cur-rency, and these days women are at the centre of the discussion no mat-ter how one views the economic marketplace. But 91% of women say that advertisers don’t understand them, so clearly this is a required discussion in the boardroom, on golf courses and throughout the “good old boys network,” if an or-ganization does not want to be left out of this growing economic wind-fall.

To say the least, there are billions at stake globally re-gardless of the cur-rency, and these days women are at the centre of the discus-sion no matter how one views the eco-nomic marketplace. But 91% of women say that advertisers don’t understand

them,


women + businessWith women entrepreneurs growing across the globe, elevating from the ranks of what is commonly referred to as “ghetto microenterprises” to evolving small and medium size business owners, the SHEeconomy certainly is fostering a 21st century consumer group that can no longer be ignored.

Businessuite offers 30 surpris-ing stats to help marketers get a handle on this misunderstood demographic.

Earning Power1. The average woman is expected

to earn more than the average male by 2028

2. Fifty-one percent of US private wealth is controlled by women

3. Women account for over 50% of all stock ownership in the US

4. Women control more than 60% of all personal wealth in the US

Spending Power1. Women account for 85% of all

consumer purchases, including everything from autos to health care

2. Women make 80% of health-care decisions and 68 percent of new car purchase decisions

3. Seventy-five percent of women identified themselves as the primary shoppers for their households

4. Women influenced $90 billion of consumer electronic pur-chases in 2007

5. Nearly 50% of women say they want more green choices, with 37% are more likely to pay at-tention to brands that are com-mitted to environmental causes

Women and Cars1. Women buy more than half of

the new cars in the US, and in-fluence up to 80% of all car pur-chases

2. Women request 65% of the ser-vice work done at dealerships

3. Women spend over $200 bil-lion on new cars and mechani-cal servicing of vehicles each year

4. Forty-five percent of all light trucks and SUVs are purchased by women

Mom Power1. Moms represent a $2.4 trillion

market2. Fifty-five percent of active

(daily) social media moms said they made their purchase because of a recommendation from a personal review blog

3. 18.3 million Internet users who are moms read blogs at least once a month

4. In 2014, 63% (nearly 21 mil-lion) of all online moms will read blogs

5. Moms mention brands an aver-age of 73 times per week com-pared with just 57 times per week among males

6. Seventy-seven percent of mom bloggers will only write about products or brands whose rep-utations they approve of, and another 14% will write about brands or products they boy-cott

7. Ninety percent of moms are online vs. just 76% of women in general

8. Sixty-four percent of moms ask other mothers for advice before they purchase a new product and 63% of all mothers sur-veyed consider other moms

the most credible experts when they have questions.

Women Online1. As early as 2000, women were

found to have surpassed men in Internet usage.

2. Seventy-eight percent of wom-en in the US use the Internet for product information before making a purchase

3. Thirty-three percent research products and services online before buying offline

4. Women account for 58% of all total online spending

5. Twenty-two percent shop on-line at least once a day

6. Ninety-two percent pass along information about deals or finds to others

7. The average number of con-tacts in their e-mail or mobile lists is 171

8. Seventy-six percent want to be part of a special or select panel

9. Fifty-eight percent would toss a TV if they had to get rid of one digital device (only 11% would ditch their laptops)

10. Of the more than 500 million people on Facebook, women do 62% of the sharing, serving to demonstrate the growing pow-er of online social networking amongst women globally.

The SHEeconomy is on the rise, so BANK on it. The SHEeconomy is on the rise, so forward thinking busi-nesses around the globe are certain to take notice and FOLLOW HER LEAD! BM


advertorial

The 51% Coalition: Women in Partnership for De-velopment through Empowerment was launched in November 2011 with a mandate to address issues re-lated to the composition of Boards, and recommend measures for their effectiveness. The 51% Coalition (denoting the 51% proportion of women in the Ja-maican population) comprises 11 organisations and individual members with a specific mandate to:

•Promote gender equality on boards and in deci-sion making as a means of ensuring that Jamai-ca has her best chance at national development

•Lobby for quotas- that no Board should have less than 40% and no more than 60% of either sex for both public and private sector Boards;

•Undertake training to support women’s effective participation on boards;

•Monitor Boards and build partnerships to im-prove accountability and governance systems.

Partner organizations in the Coalition include; The Women’s Resource and Outreach Centre, Women Business Owners, The Private Sector Organization of Jamaica, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Panos Carib-bean, Institute for Gender and Development Studies (Mona and Regional Unit), Sistren Theatre Collec-tive, Young Women’s Leadership Initiative, Women’s Media Watch, Association of Women’s Organiza-tions in Jamaica and the Jamaica Women’s Political Caucus. Several individuals and a team of volunteers also form part of the membership of the Coalition.

For further information, please contact the Coali-tion Secretariat at (876) 929-8873 or email [email protected].

The 51 % Coalition: Increasing Women’s Participation in Leadership

and Decision-making


women + entrepreneur

If you ask most people who is Lorna Myers, nine times out of ten you will get a puzzled look in return. That’s because this business mogul is not known to frequent Page 2 of the Observer or the latest social soirées. However, Lorna Myers, Chairman of Restaurants of Ja-maica Limited, is a business giant who on Wednesday, November 14th, will make history when she becomes the first woman and 20th inductee in The Private Sec-tor Organization of Jamaica’s Hall of Fame. The gala event will be held at the Wyndham Kingston Hotel.

Since 1992, the PSOJ has paid tribute to a private sector leader who has made contributions to the development of the business sector for 25 years or more. Further, the inductee must have demonstrated in depth knowledge of the industry in which his/her company operates, as well as solid commitment to the advancement of this industry and to national development. These are crite-ria no one can argue against in this case. Past induct-ees include a who’s who of Jamaican business including Paul Geddes, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, Oliver Clarke, Douglas Orane and Christopher Blackwell.

Restaurants of Jamaica was co-founded and developed by Myers and her late husband Anthony, in 1975. Af-ter Anthony’s untimely passing in 1990, she became Chairman and CEO. Myers continued to lead Restau-rants of Jamaica through rapid expansion, maintaining leadership in the industry and achieving great success for the company. Working alongside her son, Mark, and later her daughters Michelle and Tina, she is re-sponsible for the expansion of arguably Jamaica’s most

popular fast food brand in Jamaica, KFC - doubling the number of KFC outlets and adding Pizza Hut to the company’s portfolio. Early on, this entrepreneur knew just how she wanted the organization to develop, being an extremely disci-plined and organized person, who always set very high standards in all aspects of her life. She recognized that the company must have the ability to deliver products and service at a consistently high standard, in keeping with the stringent demands of the international KFC franchise. Restaurants of Jamaica currently employ over 1300 persons islandwide.

Immediate Past President of the PSOJ, Joseph M. Matalon, CD in commenting on the decision said “The Selection Committee wholeheartedly endorsed Lorna’s nomination for induction into the Hall of Fame. She is undoubtedly one of Jamai-ca’s most powerful business women, although rarely in the spotlight and we are thrilled that she has broken the proverbial glass ceiling to become the first female member of the Hall of Fame.”

Current President, Christopher Zacca notes that “it is fitting that Lorna’s role and contribution to the private sector through her leadership of Restaurants of Jamai-ca, the undoubted leader in the Quick Service Restau-rant industry, should be recognized by being the first female in the PSOJ Hall of Fame and I look forward to welcoming her into this prestigious body of Jamaican business leaders.” BM

Lorna Myers to become First Woman inducted into The Pri-vate Sector Organiza-

tion of Jamaica (PSOJ) Hall of Fame


women + sports

Maria Sharapova was the world’s highest-paid female athlete last year for the seventh straight year. Sharapova earned $25 mil-lion over the 12-month period, double the amount of any other female athlete in the world.Sharapova maintains an impressive endorsement portfolio that includes Nike, Head, Evian, Clear Sham-poo, Sony Ericsson, Tiffany and Tag Heuer. Sharapova has 5.2 million Facebook fans and her partners are

constantly doing things on her Fa-cebook page to reach them. Cole-Haan (a Nike subsidiary) ran a pro-motion for her 24th birthday where her fans got 24% off that day.Sharapova extended her Nike agree-ment in 2010 for eight years that could net her as much as $US70 million. Sales of her Nike line of tennis apparel were up 26% in 2010 and she now has five other Tour pros wearing the collection. She receives royalties on both her Nike and Cole Haan lines.

The second highest-paid female athlete in 2011 is the former world’s No. 1 ranked tennis player, Car-oline Wozniacki at $12.5 million. She banked $6 million in prize money and another $6.5

million from sponsors and appear-ances. Companies are lining up be-hind the 21-year old Dane hoping to catch tennis’ next big star. She add-ed deals this year with Yonex, Com-peed and Oriflame, but her biggest partner is Adidas which paid out lucrative bonuses in 2010.

The Worlds Highest Paid Female Athletes for 2011…Beauty and

Business: Game On!!While Jamaican athletes like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price and Veronica Campbell-Brown make a healthy living burning up the track at major events and international meets, those sums pale in comparison to the kind of money the worlds top-earning female ath-letes generated last year blending branding and business. Proving that sports is indeed big business regardless of gender.

Racing’s Danica Patrick ranked No. 3 at $12 million. Patrick continues to split her time be-tween IndyCar and Nascar’s Nation-wide Series. Her fourth place finish in the Sam’s Town 300 in March was the highest finish ever by a woman in a Nascar race.


women + sports

Rounding out the list is Paula Creamer at $5.5 mil-lion. The 25 year-old is the lone golfer among the highest-paid women. She extended her deal with Taylor-Made-Adidas Golf this year which has Creamer play TaylorMade clubs and outfitted in Adidas golf apparel.

At no. 6 with $10.5 mil-lion is Serena Williams. Williams played little over the past year as she recovered from foot surgery and then a blood clot in her lungs that developed months later. Her $33 million in career prize money is more than any oth-er female athlete.

Next at no. 7 is Kim Yu-na at $10 million. Kim launched her own sports management company, All That Sports, to manage her career. The firm organized ice shows in South Korea and Los Angeles with Kim as the star. Kim is also South Korea’s most popular athlete.

No. 8 is tennis player Li Na at $8 million. Li became the first Chinese player to win a singles Grand Slam event at the 2011 French Open. She is set to see her earnings soar as she has been busy signing new seven-figure deals with companies like Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler and others which joined Nike,

Haagen-Dazs and Rolex in her endorse-ment portfolio. Before her French Open title in June 2011, she was making $2.5 million annually off the court, but her newfound celebrity could see that figure jump by more than $10 million. It is esti-mated that Li earned $8 million (ranked eighth) in the 12-months through June, which is before most of her new deals kicked in.

Ninth is Ana Ivanovic with $6 million. Ivanovic is ranked No. 17 in the world, but signed a lucrative lifetime endorse-ment deal with Adidas last year that makes her one of the top earners in women’s tennis.

Venus Williams is the oldest woman on the list at no. 4 with $11.5 mil-lion. Venus maintains her deals with Wilson, Electronic Arts, Kraft, Ralph Lauren and Tide. She sells her own line of clothing, Eleven, through the Gilt Groupe.

Kim Clijsters at $11 mil-lion is next on the list at no. 5. Clijsters retired for two years, but since returning to the court in the summer of 2009, she has won four Grand Slam events. Her $6.5 million in prize money over the 12-month period is the most on the WTA Tour.


Hon

orab

le M

entio

n: BUSINESSUITE Magazines Annual ranking of Jamaica’s leading businesswomen

A woman of power: she is ambitious, a risk-taker, driven, determined, creative, a confident leader; she is unafraid to allow her passions to order her steps, or her gifts and talents to become her own personal calling card. Across Jamaica, there are powerful women in all sectors, so picking the 50 most powerful is a daunting task to say the least.

How we pick the Power 50The list is compiled by BUSINESSUITE Magazine based on an established format created by FORTUNE editors, who consider four criteria:

• The size and importance of the woman’s business in the Jamaican economy,

• The health and direction of the business,

• The arc of the woman’s career,

• Societal and cultural influence.

Note however that Businessuite was not privy to financial statements from the various companies mentioned, and as such this was not factored into our listing and placements. Readers are therefore free to debate and discuss the names and placement of individuals. However, applying the criteria listed above, BUSINESSUITE Magazine’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business for 2012 are:

Most Powerful Women in Jamaican Business for 201250

Hilary PhillipsAppeals Court Justice

While Justice Phillips is not in business, her influence on the bench warrants special men-tion. Hilary Philips is the daughter of former chief justice, Sir Rowland Phillips, and is the first female president of the Jamaican Bar As-sociation, where she served between 2001 and 2004. Phillips was admitted to the Jamai-can bar in 1974 and was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1998. Phillips, who has been a senior partner of Grant, Stewart, Phillips and Company, has extensive experience in civil litigation and served as a tutor at the Norman Manley Law School in civil procedures since 1994. She was also vice-president of the Or-ganisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations from 2003-2006 and has served in several other organisations and has been the Justice Reform chairman since 2007. Justice Phillips rose to the bench of the Ap-peal Court in 2009.

Top 50 Women


50. Sharon Burke, CEO and President, Solid Agency

Burke made her foray into the local entertainment business as a promoter during the 1990s, especially famous for the Fully Loaded series of parties. Burke, now one of the most powerful women in the music business, is involved in many different aspects of the industry including event production and artiste management.

49. Kay Osborne Former General Manager, Television Jamaica (TVJ)

Osborne served in executive leadership positions with US Fortune 500 companies for many years, and was even named by Ebony magazine as one of the 150 most powerful Black women in corporate America, before returning to Jamaica as TVJ general manager in 2004. Under her watch, TVJ has rolled out a number of popular programmes, such as Digicel Rising Stars, and remains a dominant force in the local elec-tronic media landscape. Six months after stepping down at TVJ, Osborne recently founded Kay Osborne Associates, de-signed to help organizations clarify, develop and implement management, organizational and communication strategies in order for them to achieve their mission

48. Kim Marie SpenceCo-founder, Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI)

Still in her early thirties, Spence is the youngest among our influential women. The former Rhodes Scholar walked away from a six-figure job in investment banking on Wall Street to focus on economic and social development in Jamaica. Spen-ce, who has lived in a number of different countries, recently became the first Jamaican woman to ski on the South Pole.

Top 50 Women


47. Beverly Lopez, Former Managing Director, Kingston Hub Distributors; Co-founder Peak Bottling Company.

Aside from running two successful companies, Lopez made her mark as a hard working president of the Private Sector Or-ganization of Jamaica (PSOJ). During her tenure, the PSOJ led the memorable “Stand for Jamaica” which brought thousands of Jamaicans to Emancipation Park in a rally against crime.

46. Marcia Woon-Choy, ActionCOACH

Marcia Woon-Choy defines a successful business as: “A com-mercial, profitable enterprise that works without you. As your Business Coach, I will function as an unreasonable friend who tells it like it is, and keeps you working on the path towards your dreams.” Choy is a certified Business Coach with Action-COACH, the World’s #1 Business Coaching Franchise (Entre-preneur Magazine, 2004 to 2010). Her goal she says is to help small business owners spend less time working in their busi-ness and more time working on your business.

45. Gale Peart,Founder, Caribbean Fortress Ltd & My Elite Grocer (MEG) Gale Peart founded My Elite Grocer (MEG), an Internet-based grocery concierge service that affords shoppers the luxury of customized grocery shopping service and doorstep delivery. MEG’s services are available in the Corporate Area and Port-more. Clients can visit the company’s website or call in with their list from a supermarket of their choice. The goods are then delivered within 48 hours.

Top 50 Women

www.360signaturevents.com

360 Signature Events is a Caribbean company specialising in the planning and execution of Corporate and Marketing Events including, Exhibitions, Conventions, Conferences, seminars, Sporting and Hospitality Events, Road Shows, Brand Promo-tion, Product launches, Incentives and Special Event.


44. Sandra Bramwell,Executive Director, Versan Education Services

Sandra Bramwell, Director of Versan Educational Services, has helped to hone the academic skills of young students wishing to study in colleges and universities in the United States. Her successes in over a decade of business are spread across a wide expanse of the US higher education landscape with an ever-increasing number of successful scholarship winners added to the many successful placements.

43. Shirley Carby, Managing Director, Carlong Publishers Ltd Shirley Carby is the founder and Managing Director of Car-long Publishers (Caribbean) Limited, which she operates with her husband. Carlong’s principal activities are the publication of textbooks and creative literature for Caribbean primary and secondary schools and the distribution in Jamaica of textbooks from the Pearson Education group. Through their holding company, Jabulani Holdings Ltd, the Carby’s in 2009 acquired Sangster’s Book Stores Ltd.

42. Lorna Green, Founding President, Digital Transtec Ltd

Lorna Green, who used to be a Vice President at Cable and Wireless in Jamaica. In 1984 she decided it was time to leave the corporate world and set up her own business. As a result Digital Transtec, the first and only ICT company in Jamaica founded and owned by a woman, was formed.

41. Ethnie Miller Simpson, Managing Director, Brandz Avenue

Ethnie Miller Simpson is Co-Managing Director of BRANDZ Avenue, a company that innovatively brands people, places and things. With over 17 years expertise in building human capital in Jamaica she thrives on sharing her skills with others. She is also the Former Faculty leadership Advisor, National Commercial Bank (NCB) and Head of Learning and Develop-ment, Digicel.

Top 50 Women


40. Dena Davis,Managing Director, Solid Life and General Insurance Brokers Ltd

Dena Davis has received extensive professional insurance training in the USA, Canada and Jamaica and has studied the different distribution systems of insurance and their effects on client services. With over 20 years experience in all classes of insurance she pioneered the establishment of Solid Life and General Insurance Brokers and is unquestionably the driving force in its continued growth and development.

39. Andrea Cowan, CEO, Lillan Limited

Andrea Cowan is the Co-Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Lillan Limited, a dynamic company, dedicated to providing the highest quality meats, fish, grains, and pickled meats to Jamaican consumers at highly competitive prices. A graduate of Spelman College, Andrea is passionate about persons mak-ing the best of their God given gifts and truly believes that we all have vast potential and should maximize our opportunities to the fullest.

38. Dorothea Gordon-Smith, Garbage Disposal & Sanitation Systems Ltd (GDSS)

Mrs. Gordon-Smith’s management skills honed over 35 years allows her to operate a successful business, operating 26 trucks collecting waste and employing 160 people.

37. Yaneek Page, Future Services International Ltd

Yaneek Page is the pioneer of legal funding and enterprise risk management in Jamaica. She is the founder and managing di-rector of Future Services International Ltd a company which helps litigants get money for injury or damage they suffered. Her company is also the leader in enterprise-wide risk man-agement training and support, helping companies and institu-tions prevent losses and become more resilient

Top 50 Women


36. Dr Pauline KnightFormer Director General, Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ)

A social scientist, Dr. Knight is employed to the Govern-ment of Jamaica and up 2010, was the acting director gen-eral at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). She admits she loves to keep a low profile and describes herself not in professional terms, but as a wife, mother, grandmother, and follower of Christ. She joined the PIOJ as a social planner but moved through the ranks of the organisation to hold several senior management positions, right up the very top. Among her accomplishments of which she is most proud is the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC) and the flagship publication The Economic and Social Survey of Jamaica, which highlights issues relating to sustainable development and provides critical data on social, economic and environmental indices.

35. Patricia Francis,Executive Director, International Trade Centre

Patricia Francis is an award-winning business facilitator who joined the International Trade Centre as Executive Director in June 2006, appointed by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy. She is a former president of the Jamaica Promotions Corporation, now Jamaica Trade & Invest.

34. Minna Israel, Former CEO, RBC Bank

A career banker with almost 30 years of experience, Israel spent years as the number two behind William Clarke at Scotiabank Ja-maica before spending three very successful years as Managing Di-rector of Scotiabank Bahamas. She returned to Jamaica in 2008 to head up the operations of then RBTT Bank Jamaica, with a mission to narrow the gap between RBTT and the top players in the local market. THE MONA School of Business (MSB), University of the West Indies (UWI), announced the appointment of Minna Israel as Distinguished Business Fellow, effective March 1, 2012. Among the specific activities in which Israel will be engaged is working on developing the executive management development component of the programme targeted at the business community in the northern Caribbean.

Top 50 Women


33. Anya Schnoor, Former Executive Vice-President - Wealth Management and Investments, Scotiabank Group.

Schnoor is no doubt one of the most powerful under-40 cor-porate executives in Jamaica - male or female. With respon-sibility for wealth management at Scotiabank -- the most profitable listed company, she has one of the most high pro-file roles in corporate Jamaica. The firm announced in June that Schnoor will succeed Richard Young as Country Head of Scotiabank Trinidad.

32. Grace Silvera, Regional VP Marketing Lime

Former Executive Director, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, Silvera is one of the most respected market-ers in Jamaica who spent many years at Red Stripe helping to drive the beer company’s exports. Lime appointed her to the position in January of last year to take the fight to mobile telecoms powerhouse Digicel. But switching the fo-cus from promotions to marketing, Silvera and her team recently launched three new campaigns, the latest aimed at grabbing back share in the mobile market. Mobilising her and driving her team, she oversaw the recently launched Talk EZ campaign around new mobile rates, within less than a month achieving what she claims is a 90 per cent consumer awareness.

31. Audrey Chin, Senior Vice-President, NCB Insurance; Co-owner, Lasco

Audrey Chin is a financial sector veteran who has held sen-ior management posts at various companies. She has also been a member of the CHASE Fund board since December 2002 and currently chairs the Finance Committee. But argu-ably, it was her victory against ex-husband Lascelles Chin in a 13-year legal battle to gain co-ownership in Lasco, which made Audrey such an influential figure to many women.

Top 50 Women


Top 50 Women

30. Dr Blossom O’Meally-Nelson,CEO, Aeromar Group of Companies

Jamaica’s first female post master general and former pro-chancellor and chairman of Council for the University of Technology (UTECH). Against the background of her out-standing achievements in public service, O’Meally Nelson is making inroads in the private sector with family-owned logistics company Aeromar Group.

29. Carrole Guntley-BradyFirst woman appointed Director of Tourism in Jamaica.

In the history of Jamaica’s tourism the name Carrole Gunt-ley-Brady will always be remembered. She brought to the JTB grace, tolerance, tenacity, leadership and good man-agement at a time when the industry faced one of the most challenging periods of its existence. Carrole Guntley-Brady will also be remembered as the first woman to be appointed Director of Tourism in Jamaica. She was appointed Director of Tourism for Jamaica on June 5, 1984. Her distinguished career has marked her as a technocrat and professional with the appointed goal of promoting tourism worldwide.

28. Audrey Marks, Managing Director, Paymaster

She introduced the one-stop shop bill payments concept to Jamaica when she started Paymaster in 1997. Over the last 13 years, the company has grown from a single branch at Sovereign Plaza in Liguanea with one client and five em-ployees, to 156 locations across the island with 52 clients and over 400 staff members. Marks is a former president of the American Chamber of Commerce and Former ambas-sador to the US.


Top 50 Women

27. Ethlyn Norton-Coke, Tax specialist and attorney

Coke is a former director at Deloitte & Touche. Coke’s influence spans many sectors including ac-countancy, law, taxation, tertiary education and healthcare.

26. Sancia Bennett Templer,President, JAMPRO

Bennett-Templer has had a wealth of experience trans-forming the national airports, both the privatization of the Sangster International Airport and the expansion and upgrading project for the Norman Manley Inter-national Airport. She also has significant private sector experience and is regarded as a female pioneer in the shipping industry.

25. Sandra Glasgow, CEO, Private Sector Organization of Jamaica

Sandra Glasgow is also a member of the Board of Direc-tors of the National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited, the National Export-Import Bank of Jamaica (Ex-IM) and the Planning Institute of Jamaica. She is the Mentor to Carib-bean Producers Jamaica Limited. She has been certified as a Director by the Commonwealth Association for Corporate Governance (CACG), a Trainer of Trainers in Corporate Governance Board Leadership by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and a Trainer of Trainers in Business Ethics by the Inter-American Investment Corporation and the US Department of Commerce.


“We have moved away from traditional advertising to compelling conversations and experiences between Brands and consumers.

Contact us at: 1-876-631-5418 (P & F) I 1-876-280-9192 (M) I [email protected] is owned and operated by AMK Communications Limited

24. Gloria Palomino, Managing Director, Diesel Equipment and Services

This successful entrepreneur not only fixed diesel engines, earning a worldwide reputation for the 53-year old Die-sel Equipment and Service Company she launched single-handedly, she also used her positive, keen approach to re-store hope and mend lives. Indeed, her business became one of the most successful training grounds for scores of Jamai-can men, many of whom now have their own businesses.

23. Valerie Levy, President, Valerie Levy and Associates

Levy is one of the most recognizable real estate brokers in Jamaica. She was president of the Realtors Association of Jamaica from 1990 to 1993, and has been a lecturer at the University of Technology for many years.

Top 50 Women


22. Deborah Cummings, Chairman and Managing Director, Century 21 Heave-Ho Properties

Cummings founded Century 21 Heave-Ho Properties in 1990 after recognizing the need for a customer-service oriented real estate company to serve clients wishing to buy, rent or sell properties. And she hasn’t looked back since then. In 1998, she acquired the local franchise of CENTURY 21 Real Estate Corporation, with operations in over 50 countries, and she is widely regarded as one of the best brokers in the industry.

21. Jennifer Samuda, Principal, Jencare Skin Farm

She combined her entrepreneurial and cosmetic formu-lation skills to develop Jencare Skin Farm from a modest backroom operation in the early 1980s into the modern production facility and beauty parlors that it is today. The Spa now operates in a luxurious state-of the art fa-cility in Kingston, with branches in Miami, New York and Trinidad.

20. Doreen Frankson,Managing Director, Edgechem

Now twenty-years since she started Edgechem, Frank-son continues to defy the economic odds stacked against Jamaican manufacturers. The former head of the Jamai-ca Manufacturers’ Association has for years been one of the most vocal voices championing the cause of local manufacturing. Today, EdgeChem’s sales have passed the J$800-million mark and employees number more than 140. It now boasts 14 retail outlets, one mobile out-let and some 500 distributors and partners.

Top 50 Women


17. Andrea Sweeney, CEO, Jamaica Livestock Association

Andrea Sweeney is the chief operating officer of The Jamaica Live-stock Association, a position she has held since her return to Jamai-ca in 2002. The Jamaica Livestock Association (JLA) is one of the primary representative bodies for the livestock farmers of Jamaica. Under her stewardship the Association has maintained its position as the main provider of agricultural support and services to the in-dependent farmers of Jamaica. Their wide product range includes animal feed, animal health care products, day old chicks, agriculture chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, hardware items and farm and gar-den supplies.

19. Jennifer Messado, Attorney-at-Law. Senior Partner Jennifer Messado & Co

This highly regarded real estate attorney, who calls many corporate bigwigs her clients, has one of the most revered track records in the field. She is Senior Partner at Jennifer Messado & Co. since 1982 and Managing Partner since February 1984.

18. Audrey Hinchcliffe,Chairman and CEO, Manpower & Maintenance Services

In 1992, the former hospital administrator from Lorrimers, Trel-awny founded Manpower and Maintenance, which today pro-vides sanitation, maintenance and landscaping services to some of Jamaica’s largest companies and public institutions. Hinchcliffe is a former president of the Jamaica Employers’ Federation. In 2011, she was invited by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to join the US Department of State’s new International Council on Women’s Business Leadership (ICWBL) for a two-year term.

Top 50 Women


16. Dr. Rosalea Hamilton, President, The MSME Alliance

Dr. Hamilton is a trade policy specialist and founder/CEO of Jamaica’s Institute of Law and Economics at the Uni-versity of Technology, a teaching and research institute. She holds a PhD in Economics from the New School for Social Research, New York and a LLB from the University of London. Dr. Hamilton is the author of several articles on trade and development. She is also a consultant who has worked with several international organizations, in-cluding with UNDP on the Implications for Suriname’s Economy of WTO, FTAA, CSME, and ACP-EU Trade Agreements. She has also worked as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Nova Southeastern University, Florida (MBA Programme) and Adjunct Professor at the North-ern Caribbean University, Mandeville. Dr. Hamilton was also Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister of Jamaica.

15. Evelyn Smith, President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association

Her career in the hotel industry began over twenty years ago, in Boston at the five-star Four Seasons Hotel and the Sheraton Hotel and Towers. On her return to Jamaica, she was appointed the opening Sales Manager for Superclubs Grand Lido Negril where she worked for several years. After leaving Grand Lido Negril, she worked as the Resi-dent Manager of Point Village, after which she assumed the position of Director of Marketing, reporting to the Board of Directors prior to being appointed General Manger in 2005. Mrs. Smith is a graduate of the prestig-ious Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She also studied at the Universite of Aix-Marseille in Aix-en-Provence, France and holds a MBA with honors from Nova South-eastern University.

Top 50 Women


14. Sharon Donaldson,Managing Director, General Accident Insurance Company Limited

Sharon Donaldson is responsible for driving the compa-ny’s growth and for overseeing its prudent underwriting and risk management strategy inclusive of establishing the Company’s strong relationships with international reinsur-ers. Ms. Donaldson has been with the Company for over 20 years, first joining as the Financial Controller in 1989 before becoming Managing Director in 2001. In addition to her responsibilities at the Company, Mrs. Donaldson is a Director of Musson (Jamaica) Limited. She also represents the local general insurance industry in discussions with the FSC and chairs the Finance and Accounting Committee of the Jamaica Association of General Insurance Companies (JAGIC), the local industry association.

13. Dr. Eileen Chin, Managing Director, Lasco Manufacturing Limited

Dr. Eileen A. Chin, M.D serves as Managing Director at LASCO Manufacturing Limited and served as its Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Chin also serves as a Director of Lasco Financial Services Limited. She serves as a Director at LASCO Manufacturing Limited. Dr. Chin also serves as a Non-Executive Director of Lasco Distributors Limited. Prior to this, she taught at the Giron School of Medicine in Havana from 1993 to 1998 in. She specialized in histology. She has furthered her knowledge and skills development with Lean Six compliance training and advanced negotia-tion skills training. Dr. Chin holds a Medical Degree from Havana University’s School f Medicine and an MBA in Global Management.

Top 50 Women

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12. Michelle Chong,CEO Honey Bun (1982) Limited

Educated at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Michelle has been the absolute driving force behind the company’s success. A self proclaimed workaholic, Michelle is a shin-ing example that hard, honest work pays off. Michelle has spent endless hours developing and advancing staff and has ensured that a Christian spirit is maintained within the organization and that positive family values are always promoted through the companies marketing activities.

11. Marlene Street-Forrest, General Manager, Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE)

Street Forrest has effectively run the JSE as an efficient fi-nancial market for over 10 years. She played an important role in the formation of the Junior Exchange and is a major force behind the planned integration of regional stock ex-changes.

10. Angella Whitter, CEO, Whitter Group

The Whitters are developers of the almost three-decade old Ironshore community which spans 1,300 acres and now features residential, commercial and light-industrial devel-opments. Its properties include Whitter Shopping Village which officially opened in December 2010 with 240,000 square feet of retail shopping, dining and entertainment space and the Ironshore Golf and Country Club in Rose Hall, Montego Bay. The Country Club is an 18-hole park-land style, par-72 course which has garnered the reputation of being one of the most interesting courses in Jamaica. Proving that they are also socially responsible, The Whitter Group handed over a cheque for $601,000 to the Cornwall Regional Hospital’s Hemodialy-sis Unit in August of this year. At the handing over, CEO Angella Whitter noted that “My Company has a passion for the hospital and for giving back.”

Top 50 Women


8. Michele Rollins, Chairman, Rose Hall Development

Michelle Rollins is the widow of John W. Rollins Sr., who made his money in pest control, truck leasing, outdoor ad-vertising, and other businesses in Delaware and elsewhere. After the passing of her husband twenty years ago, Michele went on to run Rollins Jamaica Ltd, the holding company for the Rose Hall vacation resort. In 2010, Rollins reported her family fortune to be between $92 million and $350 mil-lion dollars. While most of that money is held in trust for the children of John Rollins, Michele Rollin’s personal 2009 income still ranged from $1.6 million to $13.3 million.

7. Thalia Lyn, CEO, Island Grill

Lyn rebranded and developed what was once Chicken Su-preme into one of the most dominant and recognizable res-taurant chains in the local fast food market. Plans are un-derway to launch a new Island Grill restaurant in Barbados - its second on the island -- in accordance with Lyn’s region-al expansion strategy. There are presently 15 Island Grill restaurants across Jamaica. An additional three restaurants will be opened this year, two in Kingston and one in Sav-la-Mar. The company is considering locating a restaurant in Mandeville and is in the process of assessing demand.

Top 50 Women

9. Diana Stewart,Managing Director, Stewart’s Automotive Group

Stewart’s Automotive Group is a family operated business founded in 1938 by Lionel Arthur Stewart, father of Rich-ard Stewart. Aside from being the Managing Director and driving force (no pun intended) behind the Automotive Group and a astute businesswoman who was along with her husband Richard was jointly nominated as Outstanding Business Leaders of the Year in 2008, Diana is a dedicated philanthropist. As head of the American Chamber of Com-merce of Jamaica, Diana was behind the building of a new and interactive police station and clinic in the community of Grants Pen, resulting in what was a volatile community now being a relatively peaceful model community of tolerance. She has also served as a director of the board of supervision, focusing on care for the elderly and disenfranchised, and had a stint as a committee member of the National Chest Hospital and was able to engineer the much-needed reroofing of one of the wards.


6. Rita Humphries-Lewin, Founder and Chairman, The Barita Group

Rita Humphries-Lewin has been at the forefront of Jamaica’s stock broking industry for over thirty-five years. One of the first women in this hemisphere to become a stockbroker, Mrs. Lewin went on to become the first female Chairman of a Stock Exchange in the Caribbean. She led the Jamaica Stock Exchange in this capacity in 1984 and again in 1995 to 2000. Under her tenure, she spearheaded the establishment of the Jamaica Central Securities Depository in 1998 and the devel-opment of electronic trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange in January of 2000. Mrs. Lewin also served as the Chairman of The Development Bank of Jamaica participating in the development and implementa-tion of Jamaica’s “Highway 2000” project and the “Harmony Cove” project in Trelawny.

5. Lois Sherwood,Managing Director, Restaurant Associates Ltd

In addition to being Managing Director of Restaurant Associates Ltd, operators of Burger King and Popeye’s, Lois Sherwood is an accom-plished and successful visual artist. She sits on the boards of several Jamaican companies, the most significant being Restaurant Associates Ltd, the company that holds the franchise for Burger King and Popeye’s restaurants in Jamaica. Burger King is currently the second largest fast-food franchise in Jamaica, with over 20 outlets in Jamaica, and one, the Half-Way-Tree outlet, having been named the top selling Burger King in the world for several years on end.

4. Lorna Myers – Chairman, Restaurants of Jamaica Limited

Lorna Myers and her husband founded Restaurants of Jamai-ca in 1975. After his untimely passing in 1990, she became Chairman and CEO. Myers continued to lead Restaurants of Jamaica through rapid expansion, maintaining leadership in the industry and achieving great success for the company. She is responsible for the expansion of arguably Jamaica’s most popular fast food brand in Jamaica, KFC - doubling the num-ber of KFC outlets and adding Pizza Hut to the company’s portfolio.

Top 50 Women


2. Melanie Subratie; Vice Chairman and a Principal Shareholder of Musson (Jamaica) Limited

Melanie Subratie is also Vice Chairman of Musson’s subsidiaries, General Accident Insurance Company Jamaica Ltd and T. Geddes Grant Ltd. She is also on the Executive Board at Seprod Ltd, an Executive Board member at Facey Commodity Co. Ltd, and Chairman of the Investment and Loan Committee of the Board. In addition, she serves on the board of Falmouth Herit-age Renewal.

1. Michele English,President and Chief Operating Officer, Columbus Communications

Michele English took on the role as President and Chief Operating Officer of Columbus Communications in August 2008, having been a part Flow since 2006 as General Manager. In her position, English played an in-tegral role in managing Columbus’ aggressive US$250 million capital investment program; a program that has virtually transformed the telecommunications indus-try in Jamaica.

3. Donna Duncan-Scott,Group Executive Director of Culture & Leadership Development, Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB)

The former managing director of JMMB steered her late mother’s brokerage firm to the top of the financial services sector before handing control to brother Keith Duncan in 2005. Duncan-Scott has since assumed a human development role at the organization with the mantra of social betterment espoused by her mother.

Top 50 Women


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women + technoTechno Logic

continued from page 34

MINT

Any successful business owner must have a good grasp of money coming in and out of her business. Welcome to ‘Mint’. Mint is an iPhone app that checks your busi-ness accounts a few times a day to see if certain checks and deposits have cleared. You can even use Mint in-stead of QuickBooks to keep your books. You can cre-ate specific categories such as rent, employee costs, taxes, income, marketing, client expenses, etc.At the end of the year you can take all this informa-tion, dump it into an Excel spreadsheet, and hand it over to an accountant who uses this data to prepare tax returns. You can even use Mint to set budgets for your company’s monthly expenses, and Mint will alert you once you’re over the budget. Best part of all, Mint is Free. Now, that’s a good money decision!

HOOTSUITEBusiness wom-en or men for that matter, are often hesitant to get involved with social me-dia, and for a good reason. It eats up a lot of their time, and may not neces-

sarily lead to new clients. Before you waste any more time on different social media sites, sign up for Hoot-suite. This amazing application allows you to link up all of your social media and send out one message si-multaneously to all so you can stop typing up the same message on each site. Even more so, Hootsuite allows you to calendar when your messages will go out. So, you can spend just a few minutes a week setting up your social media calendar. Decide ahead of time what you will be messaging about: your newest article, a talk you’ll be giving at the end of the month, or a case that you recently won.Enter all the information and let Hootsuite do the work for you. And although you can upgrade to a paid sub-scription, everything that I just described can be done for free.

Techno-logic: Five Apps for Women in BusinessMost women might not consider themselves techie. But as the number of smartphones and tablets increase in Jamaica, more and more women are relying on these devices and the convenience and support they offer to their businesses. Here are five tablet and smartphone apps, or applications, that any business woman would find helpful.


women + techno-logicTechno Logic

CHIMP MAIL

One of the simplest ways to continue staying in touch with your existing clients and prospective clients is through e-mail.But who likes to get a mass, impersonal e-mail that goes out to all of your contacts? I sure don’t. As you grow your e-mail contact list, your inability to e-mail each of them individually will become too time-consuming to justify.

Mail Chimp allows you to start your own personalized email campaign free – at least the first 2000 contacts you input into Chimp are free and for the new small business, its also free. As you grow, you’ll be charged based on the size of your mailing list. You can personal-ize each e-mail with the recipient’s name. And after your e-mail campaign has been sent, you can check the ana-lytics to see who opened your e-mail, how many people clicked on your links and who unsubscribed.It’s so easy, even a chimp can do it.

RING CENTRAL

A lot of business people are not fond of fax machines. They instead prefer for documents to be scanned and sent via e-mail instead. The problem with that is a lot of persons, particularly older persons may not have the technical know-how nor the tools to do this. Instead they may mail documents, which would take days if not

week to get to their destination.Now, you can receive faxes in a PDF format in your in-box through Ring Central for about US$80.00 per year. That’s a lot less than the cost a fax machine, buying pa-per, ink, paying for a phone line, and just dealing with the hassle. You get faxes right in your e-mail box, open the PDF files and save in the appropriate client files, then move on with your day.

SKYPE

And last but not least, the very popular but for some reason, underutilized, Skype. Skype offers free instant messaging and video conferencing service over a data or an Internet connection. Not only is it convenient and easy to use but it saves time and money from having to travel from location to location, for meetings. It is also available across different mobile and computer plat-forms and best of all, as we mentioned earlier, it’s free!

businessuite december 2012

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