Speaker presentations began at about 1:20 pm with the warm and insightful Naomi Garrick , owner of Garrick Communications who is best known as The PR Chick . Here are some snippets of the nuggets of wisdom she shared with the audience .
Start your year with gratitude instead of lamenting about the things you didn ’ t accomplish in the previous year . Revise your goals and set a theme for the year that will help you chart new goals .
Determine if your “ why ” is strong enough for your goals . If not , rethink those goals .
Create a personal brand mission statement . This defines who you are and what you stand for ; it gives you the direction you need to build a successful life .
Embrace these three principles : value , clarity and communication . Know the unique value you bring to your niche because that ’ s what helps you stand out . Be very clear about your value so that you can communicate it effectively to those who matter .
The only way you can level up is if you continuously develop yourself . Read these two books : The Alchemist by Paul Cohelo The One Thing by Gary Keller
Issue � : January ����
Dan Dan continued his comical role as the Master of Ceremonies ( MC ) by inviting about ten of the entrepreneurs present to come to the stage and share something about their brands . This provided a great opportunity for these entrepreneurs to practice their elevator pitch and gain some social media followers .
Neisha Yen-Jones then gracefully moderated the panel discussion . The panelists were Dr . Sharon Smith from Mona Entrepreneurial and Commercialization Centre ( MECC ), Kadia Francis from The Digital Jamaican , and Dr . Price . The discussion focused on the value of social media for entrepreneurs and the need for Jamaica ’ s business landscape to change from necessity entrepreneurship to opportunity entrepreneurship . The hustler mentality needs to change ! Entrepreneurs need to be more proactive about finding and creating opportunities for business growth .
Krystal Tomlinson , the keynote speaker , then came on stage and delivered an awe-inspiring presentation . She likened entrepreneurship to the process of sowing seeds . Some key points from her presentation include :
You have to be prepared to do the groundwork of sowing the soil . Your business won ’ t grow if you aren ’ t prepared to put in the work . Embrace the possibility of rejection and failure . It ’ s a natural part of the process . Convince yourself about the merit of your business before you try to convince others .
Be comfortable with the word “ no ”. Know how to frame rejection . People are saying “ no ” to how you have framed the idea ; you have to know how to adjust your pitch to make it difficult for them not to say “ yes ”.
Find a dream that ’ s worth failing a few times for .
Be careful of the type of soil you drop your seeds into . In other words , be careful of who you share your ideas with .
Create space for your success . Not everything is urgent and important . Attendees were treated to a variety of giveaways throughout the event . It culminated with an informal meet and greet session where people exchanged business cards , laughter and nothing but good vibes .
This event was a breath of fresh air for young Jamaican entrepreneurs . Dr . Price hopes to make it an annual event for the next 5 years . She also hopes to create a digital platform where more opportunities and insights can be shared with the Rise and Shine community throughout the year . The possibility of a special Rise and Shine grant for local entrepreneurs also exists . If you want to be a part of this growing brand , follow the Rise and Shine Jamaica page on Instagram @ riseandshinejamaicaexpo and visit the
website .
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