By Dillon Goring
THE Start and Improve your Business (SIYB) Course focuses on helping to establish and develop small businesses as a strategy for creating more and better employment for women and men, particularly in emerging economies.
Lyndell Danzie Black, Director of the Cerulean Incorporated (Guyana) is working in partnership with clients from the Small Business Bureau.
The programme is being funded by the International Labour Organisation and is a partial fulfilment for her entity to become an international trainer with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

“The objectivity of the training is to introduce what the ILO (International Labour Organisation) has branded Start and Improve Your Business. This has introduced to over 100 countries around the world and that programme targets entrepreneurs, new startups, so what has happened is Global Entrepreneurship Week but because of COVID, a decision was made to do something in observance of the week,” Black told the Pepperpot Magazine.

Ten clients of the Small Business Bureau will be trained on how to develop their businesses towards meeting international standards while creating more employment.
Black revealed that entrepreneurship seems to be easier for youths than adults, nevertheless, the number of start-ups for businesses seems fewer among young people.
She noted that this might be as a result of training, lack of awareness, limited financing options and limited policy directions that are specifically targeting youth entrepreneurship.
Black explained that there are marketing barriers that youths face, but that can be countered by training and development.

The future of Start and Improve your Business (SIYB)
The brand of the Startup and Improve Your business would take the market by storm, Black opined.
She also noted that the market will respond more positively with the introduction of capacity training and the recognition of an internationally recognised certificate from the ILO on the conclusion of the training programme.

“I feel very very honoured to bring the ILO Certification to Guyana through the SIYB,” Black told Pepperpot Magazine.
It was noted during the interview that the voices of youths need to be more vocal in the conversation of entrepreneurship.
Hence, this training is timely, she said, because of the number of young people who leave university without options of starting a business or employment.
“ I think it is time to change the narrative and start speaking about owning your own money. We all cannot be employers, somebody needs to do the job. We need to have more employed,” Black was quoted as saying.

It is against this backdrop that the company Cerulean has launched an invent entrepreneurship programme that targets young people between the ages of 17 -35.
According to Black, leaders within the community, business people and other entrepreneurs where young people reside are being called on to invest in youth.
“This can be done by purchasing a rural invent voucher and giving that to a young person as a gift for Christmas. We are going to be pushing this in the following weeks, because it is a good gift for the Christmas holidays. ‘I am investing in your future and here you are,’ this would give them the opportunity to learn 20 skills in entrepreneurship,” Black told Pepperpot Magazine.
Black continued to emphasise the point that we must change the narrative in our minds as young people to talk about owning your own business and becoming your entrepreneur.
“We will not just be looking for the sponsorship of community leaders, but we will also be allowing them to come in and host a talk session regarding involvement in their sphere of influence,” she noted.

She added that the initiative serves as a great way to build generational wealth.
It was noted that the vision of Cerulean is to create a platform for Caribbean people to impart knowledge to other Caribbean people.
“We are a homegrown, Caribbean brand, so that we think that our people are good enough to impart knowledge to other people,” Black said.