SINCE migrating from Guyana several years ago, Saran Nurse has remained actively engaged with causes related to the development of the country of her birth. She has been a driving force in the Queen’s College of Guyana Alumni Association’s New York chapter, co-chairing the association’s annual student conference that engages hundreds of high school students.

In her capacity as co-chair she has also spearheaded the social innovation portion of the conference where students are tasked with developing a sustainable solution to an issue in their local school environment. She is motivated by the promotion of entrepreneurship as a pathway to economic advancement and also as a means of empowering, disadvantaged groups and marginalised populations.

Saran Nurse is a New York-based Guyanese entrepreneur and philanthropist who is passionate about entrepreneurship education and has led workshops and classes on entrepreneurship. She strongly believes that entrepreneurs are not necessarily born; rather they can be taught and developed.

PURSUING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
As an only child she states that her mother has been her best friend and biggest motivator. She credits her interest in the pursuit of economic and social justice for disadvantaged and marginalised populations, in large part, to the influence of her mother, Hyacinth Massay-Thomas who works with, and advocates for persons living with disabilities. Massay-Thomas is currently the Administrative Director of the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre at Carmichael and Church Streets, Georgetown.

Saran’s path to a career in business and entrepreneurship is somewhat circuitous. She attended Queen’s College through to Fifth Form where she focused on the sciences. “While not at all passionate about sciences, I felt that entering the science ‘stream’ was what was expected of me. However, after completing CXC in Fifth I knew that I had no desire to continue with science education so I enrolled in the accounting programme at the University of Guyana,” she said. “I attended the University of Guyana for a year and, at the age of 17, left Guyana to attend Florida International University (FIU) from where I graduated with a double major in Marketing and International studies within three years.”

ONE OF THE YOUNGEST EXECUTIVES
She told the Pepperpot Magazine that she became one of the youngest executives of the Burdines Department Stores upon graduating from the FIU. She noted that this was despite the prodding from several of her college professors who recommended that she pursue a doctoral degree. However, she was determined to apply her business education to practical use and so she accepted a position as an Associate Buyer within the stores.

Saran said that in the quest to make herself more marketable as a business executive, as well as to deepen her understanding of business, a few years later, she decided to pursue a Graduate Degree in Business and accepted a scholarship to attend Georgetown University where she received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1998.

She was recruited by American Express and moved to New York upon completing graduate school in Washington DC. She worked in a variety of marketing roles in American Express’ Consumer Card Services Group and Small Business Services division.

A LOVER OF PETS
Saran says, “Ironically, growing up I never had any desire to be an entrepreneur but like many people in corporate America, I grew restless and yearned for a career with greater creative independence, autonomy and most of all I wanted to do something I was passionate about.

“I have always been a pet lover – as an only child, my dog was my surrogate sibling. Realising that there was a huge pet population in my local neighbourhood that was not being catered to, I looked into the feasibility of opening up a pet store there,” Saran said.

She said that she did some research, determined that there was potential for a pet store, left her job at American Express, attended the New York School of Dog Grooming and shortly thereafter opened up the first Kiki’s Pet Spa & Boutique store.

She states, “Kiki was the name of my childhood dog; she taught me the true meaning of compassion and unconditional love. My business bears her name as a tribute to her.”

INFORMING HER PARENTS
She states that the most difficult part of deciding to start her own business was informing her parents that she was giving up a secure corporate career to, not only take the risk of opening up her own business, but to open up a business that would focus on pampering pets.

“While the relationship local Guyanese have with their pets has changed over the years, at that time the idea of making a living off of pampering pets was completely alien to most Guyanese. The rest, as they say, is history,” Saran said.

The lovely young lady is now in her 15th year of being in the pet business. During this time she has opened, closed, sold and consolidated a total of seven stores.

Becoming a business owner
Kiki’s Pet Spa & Boutique offers pet grooming, doggy daycare overnight boarding, dog-walking and cat-sitting. She said that being a business owner has helped her develop a passion for entrepreneurship, a passion which she happily shares with others. She has helped and coached some of her employees, as well as others to open up businesses of their own.

Saran has recently extended her interest, experience and passion for entrepreneurship into an intellectual endeavor, and, last year, after having not attended school for almost 20 years, she returned to school to pursue a doctoral degree. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Public and Urban Policy Programme at the Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy at The New School.

Further studies
She explained that the doctoral programme at The New School places heavy emphasis on activist scholarship, social justice, issues of race and the effects of current and historical discrimintation and oppression on people of colour. She further states that her research focuses on inclusive entrepreneurship as she is interested in understanding how entrepreneurship can be effectively utilised to reduce racial inequality and the disparate impact government policies have had on black entrepreneurs versus entrepreneurs of other racial and ethnic groups in the United States as well as in Guyana.

“My advice to young women is to follow your passion regardless of what others say, but also make sure your passion is coupled with a plan, and, that the plan is a feasible one.”