2 months ago
7
Almost everyone who walks the halls, corridors and the Ring Road on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies knows at least one of the enterprising vendors who operate across the campus.
Those who have spared the time to interact with them, will readily confess that educational certification is not a measure of having common sense. An analysis of their operations revealed that most of them are family-owned business.
Finding the time to talk to these vendors will quickly highlight the truth in the words of E.A. Bucchianeri: “There are times when wisdom cannot be found in the chambers of parliament or the halls of academia but at the unpretentious setting of the kitchen table”.
Yes, many of these family-owned businesses on the UWI Mona campus were conceptualised at the kitchen tables. A conversation with one of the vendors, revealed the brilliant entrepreneurial mindset of diligence and creativity of those who seek to satisfy the palatable delight of their patrons.
There was a time when the corner shop-like experience being enjoyed by the patrons at UWI was likened to a mobile-like experience. A time when vendors had to run with their goods at the sight of the campus police and other security personnel.
This was a difficult time for Tenesha and other vendors who, on many occasions, had their goods confiscated. However, it was a time that solidified the diligence and commitment to the entrepreneurial cause that continues to propel Jamaicans across the globe. They proved that it takes more than a set of patrolling campus police officers to stop the entrepreneurial spirits of Jamaicans.
To learn more about this important segment in the entrepreneurial journey of the resilient vendors, I had a conversation with Tenesha, an offspring of one of the ‘foundation’ vendors. There are many lessons for all from the edited version of the conversation that follows:
Conversation with Tenesha
LN: How long have you been doing business on campus?
Tenesha: Almost 30 years, I have been on campus from I was in high school, as a teenager. I used to help my mother, who was one of the foundation vendors operating in Management Studies. People around here must know that I am not a newcomer … This is what I have been doing since I was in school and continued after leaving school.
LN: Does this mean that you took over the business from your mother?
Tenesha: I continued the business that my mother started. But gone are the days when we had to be running all over the place and our goods taken away. Thank God for people like Professor Wint, who helped to put things in place so we could become legit. He and some of his colleagues must get credit for us having our own stalls. No more running around with our goods.
LN: Are you saying that the construction of kiosks across the campus came about because of the intervention of people such as Professor Wint?
Tenesha: Yes. He helped to convince those in authority to build these kiosks. We got the permit to sell on campus before the kiosks were constructed. I think the kiosks were constructed about three years after we got the permit. Prof Win was not one of those who looked down on what we did. He believed that we offer a valuable service. Everybody has a role. The place was big enough to hold everyone, so I could not understand why they were running us off the campus. Prof Wint was a good man.
LN: What are the items your mother and others sold during that time?
Tenesha: Anything that students needed to eat, different snacks, bottled water or juice. Students would buy before class, between classes and after class. At that time, campus did not have as many food places, as you have now, so students would always buy from us. Not only that, because we were close to the classrooms, students, and even lecturers, could get a quick snack or a bottle of water on their way to class or between classes.
LN: Are these kiosks free or do you have to pay rent?
Tenesha: No. They are not free. We have to pay rent, and I hear talk of increasing the rent.
LN: How profitable is this business?
Tenesha: We can make a money. With my husband, it helped to school our three children. I can’t leave my husband out of this; he has been my rock and big support.
LN: Talking about raising three children, does any of them help you in the business, in the same way that you helped your mother?
Tenesha: Two of them help sometimes. My son runs the shop on Saturdays. He works on campus, so he has his own job.
LN: Is this what you have always wanted to do?
Tenesha: No. But, by helping my mother, I learned the ropes and ended up continuing the business after she stopped, although I was doing my own thing even before she stopped.
LN: Would you say that this is a family business?
Tenesha: Well, it started with my mother with children helping in the business. In our business, there was a time when I was the only doing all the selling and so on, because my husband had to work and my children were small. There are other family members with their own businesses at UWI. For example, my brother runs a business over in Arts and Education and my sister operate a stall for my mother. This stall is close to the Norman Manley Law School. So, the business spirit is in the family.
LN: What has been your experience regarding the attitude of students, lecturers and others who buy from you?
Tenesha: Good. Everybody supports our business, especially the evening students who always need a quick snack before class. Many of them are usually coming from work and need a quick snack, a juice or water.
LN: Where do you buy goods and how do you decide what to sell?
Tenesha: We used to buy most of the things from wholesale, downtown. To know what to sell, I listen to my customers. If they asked for something and I don’t have, I write it down and try and get it next time. You must listen to your customers.
LN: What are some of the challenges you have faced doing business on campus?
Tenesha: In the old days, we faced problems running around with our goods and having to replace goods when the security took them away. Also, we had to find time to go downtown to buy from wholesale. It’s not so bad now, because delivery vans and trucks come on campus, so we can purchase from them.
LN: What about the security of your goods?
Tenesha: Sometimes we have problems securing our goods. People have broken into our stalls, more than once. But when you do business, you can’t give up.
LN: Do you plan to pass on the business to your children?
Tenesha: Well, no definite plans. If after I stopped and they want to carry on, then that would be good. As I said, my son helps sometimes, mostly on weekends.
LN: What are some of the lessons you have learnt over the years of doing business?
Tenesha: You must save and invest; you can’t eat out the profit. From this business, I was able to join with my husband and raised three children and get our house. I wish I was exposed earlier to ways to invest, like purchasing shares and so, on.
Young people starting a business need to study and know all about what they want to do before they go into business. You also must plan and ask question about what you want out of the business. You must be prepared to work hard. Running a business is hard work. I come to campus early and leave late every day.
Another lesson is that we must be honest and stand up for principles. For example, if a customer leaves a cell phone at the stall, you must put it up until the customer comes back for it. I tell anybody who works for me to treat customer fair and with respect. In doing business, nothing beats common sense and being street smart. University does not teach this.
LN: Do you believe that UWI could do more to supporting people who do business on campus?
Tenesha: They have given us support in many ways. Remember where we are coming from ... running all over the place to now be part of the UWI family in offering a valuable service. But, yes, they could offer courses or training on managing finances and investments. Some lecturers give suggestions on how we can manage our finance better. But it would a good thing for UWI to offer some form of training.
Part of the ecosystem
Tenesha and other vendors on the Mona campus are true entrepreneurs and must be considered important parts of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Jamaica.
The late American poet, Maya Angelou, said “the idea of education has been so tied to schools, universities, and professors that many assume there is no other way, but education is available to anyone within reach of a library, a post office, or even a news-stand”.
In the Jamaican experience, we can say that rich and complete education resides at the stalls of entrepreneurs on the UWI Mona campus. Check them out next time you are passing through the campus.
More anon!
Lawrence Nicholson, PhD, is a senior lecturer at the Mona School of Business & Management, University of the West Indies, author of Understanding the Caribbean Enterprise: Insights from MSMEs and Family-Owned Businesses and a former director of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group.lawrence.n.08@gmail.com
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