WWW.YOUTHBUSINESS.BZ September 30th, 2011 Volume 1

YBTB hosts 4th AGM & RECOGNITION EVENT!!

Youth Business Trust Belize (YBTB) held its 4th Annual General Meeting and Recognition event this past Thursday, August 25th, 2011 at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza. At the AGM a new Board of Directors was elected and Busi-ness Mentors were recognized for having completed Mentorship Training and for recommitting to the organization’s Mentorship Program. Certificates were also presented to entrepreneurs who successfully completed the YBTB’s “Start Your Business Training”, a six weeks training that prepares entrepre-neurs for the development of Busi-ness Plans and culminates in an interview with the YBTB Credit Committee. During the meeting, YBTB officially launched its Operations Manage-

ment System; a web-based system used by YBI Members to record and manage information collected while delivering

services to young entrepreneurs. Access to the OMS has truly pro-vided YBTB management with a comprehensive data manage-ment tool. Youth Business Trust also launched its newly redesigned website, the website now pro-vides interested persons with a detailed description of the proce-dures involved in becoming a business mentor or entrepreneur with YBTB. Other sections of the website include: a listing of the organization’s current partners, entrepreneurs and mentors and access to YBTB’s applica-tion forms. The meeting ended with a cocktail which gave the entrepre-neurs the opportunity to network with mentors and other stake-holders. A display entitled “Entrepreneurs Big-Up Show-case” was exhibited to give entre-preneurs credit for their hard work and at the same time give other guests an insight into the services provided by these entrepreneurs and their journey to success. Youth Business Trust Belize

thanks all those who participated at this year’s Annual General Meet-ing.

Confidence, Creativity, Opportunity: Driving Entrepreneurship Forward

Entrepreneur Review

L-R: Sandra Hernandez, Christine Smith, Sylvia Cattouse, Shaun Finnetty, Joe Habet, Roy Hohen-

kirk, Joan Burke and Nigel Ebanks

Ms. Claudette Elters ( Mentor), & Mr. Shaun Finnetty

(Chairman BOD)

Ms. Joan Burke (Director), Ms. Shantel Neal

(Entrepreneur) & Ms. Sylvia Cattouse (Co-

chairperson BOD)

Inside Issues: GM’s Greeting Pg 2

OMS Pg. 3

Entrepreneur Training Pg. 4

Mentorship Programs Pg. 5

Expo 2011 Pg. 6

Grand Openings Pg. 7

GENERAL MANAGER’S GREETING

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It is almost two years since I first joined the now bubbling excitement that catego-

rizes the life and work at Youth Business Trust Belize (YBTB). While it seems as if

the time has flown by the achievements of the YBTB team stand testimony to the

hard work and dedication that has brought the organization to the point it is at to-

day. In 2011, we have seen in excess of 100 potential entrepreneurs walk through

our doors and have provided information to many more who we hope will find the

courage to come in and take the “entrepreneurial risk”.

We designed a new business mentorship program to facilitate and standardize the business men-

toring aspect of our services and have gotten good reviews about the effectiveness and

supportiveness of the new system and training provided to our business mentors.

The growth at YBTB is obvious and wonderful! We now have a team that is five strong and

thanks to the great partnership we have forged with Peace Corps Belize we have had the privilege

of working and strengthening our institution with the help of volunteers. What we do at YBTB

cannot be done alone so, as we take leaps and small steps forward we do so mindful and apprecia-

tive of the importance of the partnerships we have with the Belizean community, Business

partners, NGOs, regional Youth Business Trusts, International networks, Donor agencies and the

Government of Belize.

We have highlighted many of our events and accomplishments for the year 2011 in this publica-

tion. Our front page story is about our 4th AGM and Mentors Recognition Event that gave YBTB

an opportunity to vote in a new Board of Directors and recognize our mentors and our entrepre-

neurs. The new Operations Management System (OMS) that we have embraced and were af-

forded through our membership to Youth Business International is also highlighted. The activities

geared towards mentors and entrepreneurs are also included and this will hold true for every other

YBTB newsletter to be printed in the future. YBTB is serious about its entrepreneurs and its

mentors and is committed to driving entrepreneurship forward in Belize.

I end by thanking all who have contributed to YBTB because they believe in the importance of

the work that we do every day to turn young entrepreneurs’ ideas into reality. I am particularly

thankful to our Board of Directors and the YBTB team and encourage all Belizeans both

individuals and businesses alike to join our effort and support our young entrepreneurs!

As Youth Business Trust Belize , the leading youth entrepreneurship organiza-

tion in Belize, continues to embrace new ways to grow and improve its effi-

ciency and effectiveness it is proud to have added an Operations Management

System (OMS), a very powerful information management tool, as its key data

management system. With this new system, there is no need for the download-

ing of software or purchase of additional storage device for your computer. All

that is needed is access to internet and access to the OMS. This new virtual

database has leap-frogged YBTB into the world of cutting edge technology.

Using this management system, YBTB has been able to create business pro-

files for all its contacts and stakeholders, add a photo, locate addresses using

map locator, manage its loans portfolio, monitor entrepreneur/mentor relation-

ships, among other things. YBTB can now log every activity and as much activities as deemed necessary and

relevant for its reporting and successful operations management. For example, using the OMS, YBTB’s man-

agement can run report to see how many entrepreneurs are active, to see how many mentors have been

matched with entrepreneurs; to see which accounts are in arrears and to generate reports that enhances its de-

cision making process. This operations management system allows its users to generate reports by business

type, age of entrepreneur, geographic location and gender to name a few of the options. The system has

proven to be extremely useful and allows YBTB to create customized reports and real time updates. The “

cloud” is the limit with OMS. It is already obvious that this data management system will not only be applica-

ble now but can and will expand its potential and application to accommodate future growth of its users.

Youth Business Trust Belize thanks Youth Business International (YBI) for this wonderful new tool. This is

just one of the great benefits of being a part of the YBI global network of youth business programs.

Board of Directors, Staff, Entrepreneurs & Mentors of Youth Business Trust Belize would like to thank Mr. Patrick Robison and

Mrs. Keri Robison for their services to YBTB. Pat joined YBTB in May and Keri in October 2010,during these past months Pat &

Keri have contributed greatly to the reestablishment and resurgence of YBTB. We use this opportunity to extend our sincere grati-

tude to Pat & Keri and Peace Corps Belize for their service/ partnership. YBTB wish them all the best in their future endeavors!

“I really appreciate what Pat & Keri did for me and I wish them a safe trip, hope to see them again in the future”. Dexter Hemmans

“Thank you for the time and valuable support that you guys contributed to me and my business” Malva Palacio

“Thank you from Wazobia Fashions you made this possible!” Ozzy Okonkwo

Operation Management System (OMS)

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YBTB Staff, Board Of Directors, Entrepre-

neurs & Mentors would like to thank Mr.

Patrick Robison and Mrs. Keri Robison for

their dedication and hard work. We wish

them well in their future endeavours!

MANUEL CASTILLO-CREDIT OFFICER

YBTB / PEACE CORPS PARTNERSHIP

Entrepreneur Activities & Training

Youth Business Trust Belize held its first 1st Friday Recruiting Event on September 2nd, 2011. The 1st Friday Recruiting Event was held

on the sidewalk in front of the YBTB office at 57 Corner Albert & Prince Streets. The event provided an avenue for YBTB staff and

entrepreneurs to distribute YBTB brochures and talk to people on the streets about the services YBTB provides to young Belizeans

between the ages of 18-35. YBTB entrepreneurs also promoted

their businesses and talked to young Belizeans about how YBTB helped them make their business idea a reality. Due to the success of the first 1st Friday event, YBTB will

hold three more 1st Friday Recruiting Events in 2011-October 7th, November 4th and December 2nd.

YBTB START YOUR BUSINESS TRAINING

The YBTB Start Your Business (SYB) training is a 9 session training

that teaches potential entrepreneurs how to start and run a suc-cessful business. The training consists of sessions including 1) Be-

coming an Entrepreneur, 2) Developing a Marketing Plan, 3) Organizing your Business and 4) Financial projections. Upon completion of training, each entrepreneur should

have a viable business plan, which he/she can choose to present to the YBTB Credit

Committee in order to obtain approval for a loan. YBTB has held four SYB training so far this year and will hold the last training session for 2011 on Oct. 4th-Nov. 1st. The train-

ing sessions are held on Tuesdays & Thursdays 1:30pm-3:30pm. There are 5 SYB train-ings scheduled for 2012. 1) Jan 24th-Feb 21st, 2) Mar 27th-April 24th, 3) May 29th-

June 26th, 4) July 24th-Aug. 28th, and 5) Oct 2nd-Oct. 30th.

YBTB ENTREPRENEUR CLUB

The Entrepreneur Business Club was created for entrepreneurs to

support each other in their business endeavors, as well as provide an avenue for networking. Youth Business Trust Belize held its 1st

Entrepreneur Business Club meeting on July 22, 2011. The meet-ing was held in the YBTB conference room and eleven (11) Entrepreneurs were in at-

tendance. YBTB Mentor, Yvonne Hartshorne provided a thought provoking professional

development training for the entrepreneurs. YBTB entrepreneur, Alex Brown, was elected as the chairman of the club and YBTB entrepreneurs, Jenna Ferguson, James

Gentle Jr. and Oziomachukwu Okonkwo, were elected as co-chairpersons. The Business Club will hold its 2nd meeting on September 23,2011 and plans to hold 2 more meet-

ings before the end of 2011. The club has plans to meet quarterly in 2012.

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FIRST FRIDAY RECRUITING EVENT

BUSINESS MENTOR PROGRAM

YBTB proudly rolled out its new business mentorship training to the first group of members for 2011 on the 27th of January. YBTB has

since conducted four training sessions resulting in 17 fully trained mentors and has successfully paired 14 of its trained business men-

tors with young entrepreneurs. Business Mentorship is an extremely important aspect of YBTB’s service to young entrepreneurs. In an all

out effort to revive the Mentorship program and ensure its success YBTB completely re-vised its business mentor training curriculum. The competency based training devel-

oped with the dedicated assistance of Keri Robison, a Peace Corps Volunteer, is based

off the YBI Mentor Toolkit and adopted to ensure our YBTB mentors are fully prepared and sensitized to what is expected of them as YBTB mentors. The new training is inter-

active and focuses on managing the mentor relationship. The curriculum includes a re-vised manual, power point presentation, and a mentorship skills training video. The

curriculum incorporates various adult learning techniques such as lectures, demonstra-tions, role playing and group activities. Many of our mentors have reported enjoying

the training and finding it beneficial to their mentor/entrepreneur relationships. All of our trained mentors were recognized on the 25th of August at a Recognition Event held

at the Best Western Belize Biltmore following YBTB’s 4th AGM. Mentors were presented with a Training Certificates and reminded of the importance of their contribution to the

success of Youth Business Trust Belize.

YBTB has successfully started its Business Mentor Club on June

29th, 2011 with a first of its kind Club meeting. The purpose of this club is to provide a forum for YBTB Mentors to discuss issues,

concerns and accomplishments and to provide networking and re-source opportunities. Club members elected two Co-Chairpersons,

Jose Herrera and Yvonne Hartshorn, to lead the club’s activities. A second luncheon meeting was held on July 29th at which time one of YBTB’s entrepre-

neurs, K’s Pasta, was given the opportunity to feature his pasta as a main entre.

YBTB would like to thank its mentors for their hard work and dedication in assisting our young entrepreneurs!

ACTIVE MENTORS

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Ms. Claudette Elters

Mr. Roger Espejo

Mr. Lennox Flowers

Mr. Carlo Habet

Mrs. Yvonne Hartshorn

Mr. Giovanni Heredia

Mr. Jose Herrera

Mr. Jeffrey Locke

Ms. Beverly McCoy

Mr. Victor Miranda

Mr. Albert Moore

Ms. Mirna Paul

Ms. Deanna Peyrefitte

Ms. Kathlyn Tillett

Ms. June Wayne

Ms. Valerie Woods

Ms. Janice Young

Mr. Ellison Flowers

WHAT IS A MENTOR?

An experienced entrepreneur

An experienced professional

An experienced community leader

An experienced business leader

Unbiased encourager, advisor,

sounding board, listener, facilitator!

EXPO 2011

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Youth Business Trust Belize once again provided an opportunity for its young entrepreneurs to showcase their business at EXPO

Belize 2011.With this years EXPO being the largest to date, the stage was set for record numbers of Belizeans to learn more

about YBTB and all it has to offer. Six YBTB entrepreneurs took advantage of this opportunity to be a part of Belize’s biggest

annual expo and marketplace. The participants were; Malva Palacio of Brown’s Bus Ser-

vice, Jude Lopez of L&J’s Ice Cream Ideals, Jenna Ferguson of Faith N Fitness Health Club, Shernadine Dennison of Sherna’s Cleaning & Errands, Alex Brown of Creative

Arts, and Ozzy Okonkwo of Wazobia Fashions. The entrepreneurs came up with creative ways of showcasing & promoting their businesses at the Expo including a raffle for a

free month of errands, free samples of healthy smoothies and free pairs of slippers with certain purchases. L&J’S Ice Cream Ideals sold approximately 700 delicious ice cream

ideals at the Expo. Jude Lopez stated the “ the EXPO was a great opportunity for me to get my product out in front of thousands of Belizeans.” I was able to market myself in a

way that would not have been possible without the help of YBTB. Not only was I able to make sales, but I also made important connections with other Belizean business

owners that will hopefully help me expand my product”. Alex Brown of Creative Arts sold his unique bamboo crafts. He commented “these types of events are very impor-

tant for entrepreneurs”, “it was an opportunity for us to learn to work together as a team and learn to do things for ourselves.” Alex’s bamboo crafts were a big hit with the

patrons of the EXPO. Malva Palacio of Brown’s Bus Service made many connections as

she marketed her bus services. She reported that she spoke with tour operators and was going to pursue some leads to drive up her revenues during off times. A very spe-

cial thank you goes out to Malva ,Jenna and Ozzy for promoting YBTB at the Expo and encouraging young people to sign up and be part of the YBTB experience. The BCCI

EXPO 2011 truly was a great experience for YBTB. The YBTB team looks forward to EXPO 2012 confident that in a year time there will be even more young Belizeans ready

to showcase their businesses and talents for all of Belize to see!

GRAND OPENINGS

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YBTB is Proud to announce the recently Opened "Faith n Fitness Club" managed by Jenna Ferguson a YBTB entrepreneur.

Faith n Fitness Club provides step aerobics, weight aerobics, and water aerobics. The fitness center also provides salsa/ me-

ringue classes, self defense classes, and cardio-party. Join Faith n Fitness Club and achieve the beach body you've always

desired! Join Faith n Fitness Club and support our young entrepreneur today! #864 Northern Highway, Contact: 670-8095

Belize City Email: jenna_ferguson07@yahoo.com

YBTB is once again excited to announce the recently opened “K’s Pasta” owned by Karon Crawford a YBTB Entrepre-

neur. K’s Pasta caters to all pasta lovers needs with his vast selection of fresh homemade pastas. Visit K’s Pasta today!

Located: Market Place

Belize City, Belize

Contact: 631-9056

YBTB is Proud to announce the recently opened "Wazobia Fashions" owned by Ozioma Okonkwo a YBTB Entrepre-

neur. Wazobia Fashions opened its doors to cater to plus size women. Can't find clothes to fit you? Visit Wazobia

Fashions today and support our young entrepreneur! Located at: #16 Douglas Jones Street

Belize City Belize

Contact: 622-2630

57 Cor Albert/Prince Sts

Suite 2, 2nd Floor

Doony’s Bldg

Belize City, Belize

227-1356/227-9282

This newsletter composed and compiled

by the staff of YBTB

For additional info, please contact us at 227-1356 or

youthenterprisebze@yahoo.com

Youth Business Trust Belize (YBTB) would like

to express our deepest condolences to all Beliz-

eans ,especially the family of the late Rt. Hon.

George Price the Father of the Nation. We ac-

knowledge all the great contributions and sacri-

fices that he made for the betterment of Belize

and its people! His journey here on earth is fin-

ished but his legacy and accomplishments will

live on forever! REST IN PEACE!