The “hectic and wild” experience of shopping with her sons inspired her to create an online market place that would specifically serve local Bermudian business owners. Shopping online offers a convenient way to browse the marketplace. She says “I don’t have time to go to town. I don’t have time to go to a million different stores. If all the stuff was online, I would be shopping Bermuda more frequently – shopping locally more frequently.”
Courtney’s passion and drive for her country has resulted in Cahoot. She has set her sights on changing the way Bermuda does business. Initially the point of the site was to sell services, but later was rebranded to focus on selling products instead. It took about a year for the website to get going, but it has been successful; winning two 2014 Bermuda TechAwards.
This constant giving of herself can conflict with her family life, though her organisational skills usually keep the two evenly balanced. Embarrassed, she admits that she sometimes tweets at the park while her sons are playing, but it is obvious that her children come first. “Cahoot is like my third baby,” she says. “I worked hard. It’s a pivotal moment in my life where I figured out what I can offer to Bermuda”. To other Bermudians who have an idea of what they can offer the island, Courtney says “don’t be afraid to reach out to people, to bounce ideas off of people. Don’t be afraid to start something”. As a mother of two little boys and the founder of a successful business, she can attest to the power of perseverance when you have something you believe in. Courtney has learned a lot about herself through the process of starting her own business; she can proudly say: “Everybody wants to be a change and this is what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to change the way Bermudians do business”. Cahoot is not a faceless corporation, it is a personal business built around relationships and passions.
“Oh boy, it was difficult at times. The main thing is to just push through, write everything down, get organised. Make a marketing plan".