– Realising his dream of having his own small business

After working at several places, Hardat Pearce wanted to become self-employed. He bought a tractor to begin this goal, but soon after, he began having issues with his employees and decided to quit his job and began cutting wood to sell.

The wood business started at the roadside, and today, it has grown into a lucrative small business from his home at Lot 9 Annandale Public Road, Essequibo Coast.

His simple but firm motto of his business is “Firewood is my business”, and it is a sign displayed prominently in front of his premises.

Pearce is however, regarded as the next best thing since sliced bread as it relates to wood for wedding, jhandi, cremation, t-shore and form board.

The 66-year-old celebrated his birth anniversary on Sunday last and is looking forward to many more such observances.

He is a native of Annandale, Essequibo Coast but journeyed to Pomeroon River, where he met and fell in love with a girl named Stella.

When Pearce set eyes on Stella, he knew he had met his wife, and they got married and had five children.

Today, this couple has a nice home and they take care of their surroundings and keep their house brightly decorated and has a fitting décor which reflects their kindred spirit of the kindness of giving.

Pearce used to work at two different places for some years before he began planting 40 acres of rice and reared some cows.

After he bought the tractor and encountered the issues with his workers, he decided to undertake the responsibility on his own. He started to cut wood in Lake Capoey Village and sold it at the roadside.

It was after a lot of people began requesting his services for certain wood for functions he got deeper into his small business, which blossomed.

The wood business has been in existence for the past 35 years, and he has locals of Lake Capoey Village that would cut the wood, and he would buy it from them.

“I would prepare the cremation site with all the woods needed for people at a cost attached at the La Union Cremation Site, and it is a business that is always in season,” he said.

Pearce told the Pepperpot Magazine that he gained a lot by becoming self-employed and being self-sufficient is a great blessing to him and his family.

He, however, credits his success to the unwavering support of his wife, Stella Pearce, who has been by his side since day one and still is to date.

They have been together for the past 45 years and it is a union that only gets better with time.

The Hardats have 11 grandchildren from five children. The eldest resides overseas, two are teachers, and another is a lecturer at the Technical Institute in Essequibo, and the last boy works with his father in the wood business.

“I believe that the children did well because of the good values instilled in them at a young age, and they had the will to make something of themselves through hard work and determination. I am proud of their accomplishments academically and very pleased they are all employed and contributing to society,” he said.

Pearce stated that he ensured they benefitted from a solid foundation and education and from nursery to university, they had the opportunity to attend to follow various career paths.

This elder is also rearing some ducks in his backyard and stores all the woods for his small business at his home, and he is licensed to do so.

Pearce renews his various licenses with the authorities as required but has to journey to the city to do which is quite a bother and time-consuming.

Meanwhile, Stella Pearce is a homemaker who came from very humble beginnings and keeps everything in and around the home in order.

She is from Seriki, Pomeroon River and had to leave school to work to assist her mother in their small business of making coconut oil and cassava beard.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that she has seven siblings and they processed 500 dry coconuts to make oil, and usually the next day, they would prepare 200 cassava bread.

“It is rained that day I would have to bake the cassava bread on a ‘tawa’, then placed to dry and it was all done manually and it required patience, time, skill and a lot of hard work,” she said.

Stella got married early and she started a family young, but today, she has no regrets because all her children are grown and are doing well for themselves.

She has a lot to be thankful for and it was because she knew what hard work brings and wanted the same for her family.

Stella has a knack for décor designing and would make decorations for her home from vines and flowers which adorn her doorway and other parts.

She is quite the designer and came up with some interesting designs in her home, which is eye-catching and out of the ordinary.