IN recent years, the business landscape in Guyana has seen a rise in youth entrepreneurship, as more and more young persons see the need to be self-sustaining in an increasingly profitable society.However, many of these youth entrepreneurs are not able to successfully promote or grow their businesses, as finance still remains a major stumbling block.

Moreover, social pressures, fear of failure, and lack of support are responsible for many of these youth-based businesses collapsing shortly after being opened.

Despite these major hurdles, however, 20-year-old female entrepreneur Grace Williams is battling to ensure that her business does not become one of the many start-ups which quietly died away. Grace’s business, ‘Everything Bella Events’, is now a little more than a year old, and despite the slow returns, Grace said she is battling through as she wants to be someone whose potential young entrepreneurs can look up to and see that age should never be a factor as long as one works hard and steadfastly pursues one’s goals.

One of the major hurdles a young entrepreneur confronts, she said, stems from society’s reservations about the young doing as good as job as someone who is along in years.

While her business focuses on the upper niche in society, as those persons most often lack the time to plan their own events, she said anyone is welcome to patronize her business, as different packages were created with different needs in mind.

The three packages currently offered are bronze, silver and gold, which range from partial planning to a full-service experience.

Currently, the business caters for a host of events, such as birthday celebrations, conferences, promotions, fashion shows, and even commemoration events.

“Whatever your events’ needs are,” she said, “we will be able to accommodate.”

Asked about the idea behind her business, Grace explained that she has always been very organized, even from a young age. While in her late teen years, however, she realised there might be a market for her skills, and thus began the journey of owning her business.

The mission behind the business, she said, “is to make the clients happy,” and also to provide jobs for others, such as caterers, decorators and DJs.

‘Everything Bella Events’ has, within the time of its opening, catered to a commendable number of clients, and has several more lined up in the coming months.

Event planning, Grace believes, is slowly gaining traction in Guyana, and while she recognises that a considerable amount of time may elapse before her business really ‘takes the market’, she maintains it is something she believes in and is steadfastly committed to pioneering its popularity.