Impressive UG Business Expo 
I must express my appreciation to the people who called and sent messages expressing their gratitude for the fearfully and wonderfully made article last week. Your feedback certainly increased the flow of my adrenaline and endorphins.

I recently experienced such a heavy creative flow while attending the UG Business Expo.
I attended the second Annual Diaspora Conference and the students invited us to visit the exhibition. Instead of browsing for a few minutes, it turned into an hour and half.

I was blown away by this exhibition and interacting with the brilliant students from the respective teams. The innovative and creative business ideas paired with great enthusiasm were evident at this Business Expo by the first-year students from the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation.

Please allow me to share them with you.
1. A-Listers QUESTGY. Personal assistant app and website to offer personal assistant services
2. Team Blend and Beyond. Assorted alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails
3. Business Prodigies Naturally Me Curls Love deep conditioner (100% organic hair product)
4. Chic20 Chic Twenty. Designing and customisation of clothing
5. Demiurge Investment Inc. A freshwater fish farm
6. Dream Builders The Taste of Nature. Healthy teas, shakes, and snack bar
7. Dynamic Developers Ultra Clean Express Laundromat business
8. Effortless Glow Natural Skincare Products. High-quality soap and body scrub products
9. Elite Events Décor & Planning. Event planning and management services
10. Innovative Minds Compost Creations Vermicomposting (organic fertiliser)
11. MagnifiScent Quality long-lasting aromatic candles
12. Mission Pawsible Doggy daycare
13. Pacesetters Rainwater Harvesting. Rainwater harvesting system
14. Passion Entrepreneurs Natural blend organic hair growth oil
15. Team Eldorado Guyana Nature Paradise Tours Vacation packages to the hinterland
16. Team Innovation and Creativity QT Arts Co. High-quality resin crafts
17. Team Inspiration Notorious Donut Delight Gluten-free donuts and other products
18. The Achievers GrocerEase Online platform for grocery ordering and delivery
19. The Hawkers Winery. Local wines
20. Visionary Guyana Lit. Scented candles
21. Young Professionals Smooth Touch Organic body and lip sugar scrub

Dr. Leyland Lucas. Dean, School of Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation and his team should be congratulated. “Students, when challenged, rise to the occasion and demonstrate an incredible ability to be innovative. These are primarily in the first year of their studies at the School of Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation (SEBI) within the University of Guyana (UG), along with their colleagues from other faculties. They take a course titled ‘Sociology of Enterprise’ whose genesis could be traced back to the days of Professor Ken Danns. Using a team-teaching approach, we’ve gotten students to understand the relationship between theory and practice. Developing ideas and demonstrating the ability to actualise them in the form of business entities are reflected in their work. As part of the national push to promote entrepreneurship and self-employment, it was rewarding to see the kinds of products and services students created. We must now take this to the next stage. In collaboration with other UG units, we will be working to further advance these business entities and provide them with
all the guidance to pursue funding and commercialisation. We at SEBI look forward to the growth of these business entities and their successful launch,” Professor Lucus said in his remarks.

The entrepreneurial journey can be challenging, but when your why is compelling and you are solving a problem, those businesses can do exceptionally well. The businesses were created as an assignment, but I believe many have the potential for success.

I am sharing some more info on some of these businesses that are determined to move forward to make their mark in the business world and they shared some info regarding their businesses.

Quest Guyana Inc.
Quest Guyana Inc. is a website that has been designed to help users find the best services available in Guyana. The idea for Quest Guyana Inc. was born out of a need for a more efficient and reliable way to find service providers in Guyana. The founders noticed that many users struggled to find reliable and trustworthy service providers and wanted to create a platform that would solve this problem.
The team members at Quest Guyana Inc. worked closely together to develop and implement the website. They collaborated on various aspects of the website, including website design, development, and maintenance. Each team member brought a unique set of skills and experiences to the table, which helped to make the project a success.
The future of Quest Guyana Inc. is bright as the company continues to expand its reach and increase its revenue. Plans for the future include expanding the database of services available on the platform, increasing marketing and advertising efforts, developing new premium features, and increasing the number of premium subscribers on the platform. Overall, Quest Guyana Inc. is committed to providing the best user experience and the most comprehensive database of service providers in Guyana. The team members are driven to make the platform the ultimate solution for all service needs in the country.

Notorious Donut Delight
In mid-February 2023, a group of 20 students was formed from the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, University of Guyana, and a new business idea was birthed, and plans began to kick start. The initial planning stage was a bit tedious and somewhat frustrating for some: persons shared the negative and positive effects of the business, and of course, the positive outweighed the negative, so we went with the idea. Nonetheless, all members were onboard and ready to make this business plan a success. During planning, a name was created “Notorious Donut Delight”, and all members agreed to it.

Notorious Donut Delight will strives to offer freshly made gluten-free doughnuts and other products such as smoothies, bubble tea, walnut brownies, coffee, peanut butter oatmeal bars, doughnut muffins, and cakes to persons with gluten intolerance or celiac disease, health-conscious individuals, vegans, fitness enthusiasts, and trendsetters in and around Georgetown. Notorious Donut Delight understands that its customers are health-conscious but have busy lives with little time for preparing healthy meals.

Unlike its competitor(s), the snackette will alleviate target customers’ pain points by providing delicious doughnuts and other healthy treats that are also healthy for the entire family. Notorious Donut Delight uses healthy ingredients sourced from supermarkets around the region. The menu focuses on healthy meals using only gluten-free ingredients and locally made coconut flour.

The business is a partnership company owned by 20 shareholders. Notorious Donut Delight is expected to be headquartered in Georgetown, Guyana, and plans to begin operations in August 2023.

During my interaction with the students, the name Diana Robin was mentioned many times, so I decided to find her, and her enthusiasm was contagious.

The business expo was the practical outcome of the ‘Sociology of Enterprise’ course taught to all first-year students in the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation and those from cross-faculty programmes. The aim was to expose students to both the theory and practice of entrepreneurship. The students were required to develop a business plan for an innovative product or service and then to take initial steps to implement their plan. The intention was for students to understand that they do not necessarily have to seek work in an organisation after they graduate but rather for them to see the feasibility of starting and growing their own business. The course was taught by several subject experts throughout the semester and included guest presentations by agencies and business owners.

I am excited about these new businesses. Next week you will be reading about others who need your support to succeed as we continue to celebrate this beautiful journey called life Beyond the Runway.