Newsletter

Outlook for 2012 is Encouraging Barbados’ economic growth prospects in 2012 for the medium term are encouraging once the international economy settles down.  This is the view of the Central Bank of Barbados (CBB) recent report on the economy’s ...

Small Business Vital to Economy, says Kellman THE ECONOMY WILL NOT IMPROVE unless more small businesses were created and those already operating were valued, Minister of Industry Denis Kellman has told Barbadians.  He said Government would ensure...

SBA and Ministry of Family Create Endless Possibilities Endless Possibilities has become a reality for 30 young people, thanks to the collaborative effort of the Ministry of Family and the Small Business Association (SBA).  Earlier this week, at t...

Assist Small Businesses The Barbados Government wants commercial banks to plough some of their profits into venture capital to assist small businesses.  Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Senator Darcy Boyce, said so in an address t...

Barbadian Businesses Must Build Partnerships or Else  Barbadian businesses seeking to take advantage of the opportunities available in the EPA must consider partnering with foreign businesses, as a means of overcoming barriers to market entry. This p...

LACK OF FUNDING COULD HINDER YOUTH DEVELOPMENT  Even amidst the current economic strains and substantial cut-backs in public and private funding, one organisation has secured some assistance for another year to implement a national youth developmen...

 SBA to Increase Board Members At a recent Special General Meeting of the Small Business Association, members passed a resolution to increase the number of directors on its Board.  SBA president Celeste Foster confirmed that the board...

Minister Kellman Offers Helpful Advice There is a need for small businesses to engage in business networking to drive more opportunities for entrepreneurs.  Denis Kellman, Minister of Industry, Small Business and Rural Development, made this po...

SBA Concert Delights All  One night of awesome talent!  That's the treat patrons got with the compliments of the Small Business Association, which began its week of activities with a concert at the Jackie Opel Amphitheatre last Sunday.  One of ...

The SBA Unveils New Look & Expanded Small Business Week 2011   The Small Business Association recently launched a new logo design and slogan as part of its rebranding initiative earlier in the year.  The association further introduced an ...

Preparing the EU Market for Caribbean Exports A study has been done on the agri-food distribution sector in Europe as part of an initiative to prepare more European market access for exporters from Barbados and the Caribbean.  Lincoln Price of the ...

STRATEGIC GOAL For GROWTH Barbados is now in its fourth year of recession which has affected the opportunities for our young.  Every year between 3 000 and 4 000 people graduate from schools, colleges, universities and other institutions of l...

BARBADIANS wishing to have a better understanding of the performances and challenges of the local manufacturing sector can do so by way of the latest on-line publication of the Central Bank of Barbados.  The Central Bank of Barbados has just launc...

Grants to Prompt Innovation Caribbean firms looking to increase productivity, boost exports, expand employment and contribute more to economic diversification and growth stand to benefit from non-repayable grants ranging from US$100 000 to US$...

Review of Barbados' Economic Performance for the First Six Months of 2011 The winter tourist season saw a turnaround in arrivals after two years of decline.  However tourists have spent less while vacationing on the island.  As a result there has...

SMEs - Still the Catalyst for Economic Growth In both developed and developing economies the major contributor to economic growth and employment creation continues to be small and medium enterprises. Across all industries and sectors, SMEs are shown...

Small Contractors Need More Opportunities With regard to the Caribbean Contractors and Construction Incorporated (CCCI), there has not been the kind of success to date relative to the awarding of tenders.  So said Lynette Holder, CEO of the Barbado...

Government to Improve Access to Loans for SMEs Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) should soon have an easier time accessing loans from commercial banks, says Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Chris Sinckler.  The Finance Minister has...

Put Your Ideas Into Action “This society must stop rewarding lazy genius.”  This is the view of the Principal of the Garrison Secondary School, Matthew D. Farley, as he gave the feature address at the Barbados Small Business Association’s (BS...

CHSB Offers Input on SMEs The Cave Hill School of Business (CHSB) at the University of the West Indies has lined up a team of experts who are fully aware of what Barbadian entrepreneurs require to grow their exports.  Bryan Toppin, Programme Manage...

The President of the Barbados Small Business Association Mrs. Celeste Foster thinks that Barbados needs to review its approach to business incubation for a greater employment of its knowledge-base economy. Foster, believes that the world has moved on from the old model, where start-up businesses are given only a physical location and the related support. She suggests, in order for such a programme to be relevant to a country and to thrive it must be part of an eco-system and linked to the national strategic goals.

The Barbados Small Business Association (BSBA) walked away from a recent Study Tour to Europe with a very high grade based on reviews and commendations given by its fellow Intermediary Organisations (IOs) from across Europe. ............More

 CFSC LAUNCHES MAJOR SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMME   Caribbean Financial Services Corporation located at Collymore Rock, St. Michael    Caribbean Financial Services Corporation (CFSC) today launched its Accounts Receivable Factoring Programme,...

Business Officials Visit Europe to Study International Best Practices European Commission - Brussels, Belgium A contingent of 7 officials representing Government, the small business sector and the wider private-sector, left the island yesterday as ...

Is Barbados Soon Out of Recession?   Economic growth has been cited as the main feature of the first quarter review of  Barbados' economy, but are we coming out of the recession?  Economist Dr. Winston Moore and Dr. Justin Robinson, lecturers at ...

Mentorship is a key element of a thriving economy, according to the head of a BarbadianVenture Capital Fund. Dr. Basil Springer, Project Managerof the Barbados Entrepreneurs' Venture Capital Fund (BIM Ventures), believes successful mentorship relationships are essential for propelling economic growth in Barbados and the Caribbean, and is pleased with the results of advocacy efforts to place this issues on the front burner

The Need for a Success Mentality When such a question is asked, the response will certainly be fuelled by one's own experience within the sector and capped with the many stories and myths we have heard over time:  The rush of emotions associated w...

BSBA Staff and Industry Partners Benefit from PED Training Members of the Barbados Small Business Association are well positioned to benefit from a series of training workshops, currently being facilitated under the Promoting Economic Developmen...

  Export in the Region for Barbadian Manufacturers looks Promising   BARBADIAN manufacturers have made promising contacts for the export of local products in St. Lucia.  This is also thanks to the efforts of the Barbados Investment and Develo...

The Barbados Small Business Association has done it again.    In collaboration with the Bank of Nova Scotia the association added to its training programme a series of workshops focused on addressing key managerial deficiencies within small busi...

25 Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs Regardless of your definition of success, there are, oddly enough, a great number of common characteristics that are shared by successful businesspeople. You can place a check beside each characteristic...

Be unconventional but rational. This was the view put forward by Michael Lee Chin, a Jamaican born Canadian based investor, to the audience at the February luncheon seminar of the Barbados International Business Association (BIBA) at Hilton, Barbados..............

Price Gouging - Fact or Fiction? DeCourcey Eversley, Director of Fair Competition at the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) believes that consumers need to be armed with a better understanding of excessive pricing and also that it takes time to investi...

It was the decision of the Barbados Small Business Association to attract experienced persons such as architects, engineers, accountants, project managers and quantity surveyors, who are at present successfully carrying out professional works within the industry, to come together and work with the small contractors

BSBA Developing Entrepreneurial Spirit in the Youth  Following the success story of last year’s Enterprise in Action Youth Programme, the programme recommenced in September 2010.  The primary aim of the programme is to increase the awareness o...

Foster: Use Power Small businesses in Barbados were recently told they have more power than they think  and they need to exercise it in an attempt to drive prices down. More Also in this Issue... Welcome to Our New Home Mia Mottley Advises BSBA ...

Members' Meeting on the Move Dear Member, Please be advised due to the unavailability of the Horatio Cooke Auditorium at the Barbados Public Workers' Cooperative Credit Union due to renovations, we will be unable to conduct our monthly Members' Meeti...

C.A.S.M.E Elects a New Board of Directors The Caribbean Association of Small and Medium Enterprise, CASME, has elected a new Board of Directors coming out of the Annual General Meeting held in Barbados with fourteen eligible member countries in atte...