Good Intent mother and businesswoman shares the challenges of both roles

BUILDING a business can be likened to the building of a community. It begins with a mere idea and evolves with the intention of developing something strong and self-sustainable. Time, hard work, and resources are exhausted to create something worth marvelling at. At the far end of Good Intent, Jenele Benett owns one of the village’s more notable supermarkets. The multimillion-dollar establishment was birthed from a small stand over three decades ago. Today, her business has become a pillar of the community.

The woman behind the business is 30-year-old Jenele. For the mother of two, entrepreneurship is a new venture. After dedicating herself to teaching for more than a decade, Jenele turned a new page in life when she took ownership of the store she runs today. Thrown into a field she knew nothing about, Jenele fought to manage, develop, advance and grow the business she was handed.

The move from teacher to mother
Jenele began moulding young minds as a young teacher just out of school. She taught at a number of schools across the country. Jenele described her time as a teacher as having created some of the happiest memories of her life. She felt at home in the classroom, gazing at a sea of fresh young faces.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that she had a profound and genuine love for her profession and the children she taught. Jenele is particularly fond of going the extra mile for the children under her care. She has taken it upon herself to help children in and out of the classroom. She says she does it simply for the love of it. “Teaching was amazing. I was one of the teachers that loved to teach. I did it because I love teaching. I never did it for anything else,” she said.

After meeting her now husband almost four years ago, Jenele left the classroom to undertake an entirely different task: motherhood. When she left the field of work, Jenele was eight months pregnant. She quickly resumed working in the store but still longed for the classroom. “I miss my kids, I miss classroom interactions, I miss the whole thing,” she said.

During this transition, Jenele called on the two most influential and inspirational women in her life, her mother and mother-in-law. She shared that, “In terms of teaching, my mother was actually my role model. She taught for over 35 years at the nursery level.” In child care Jenele again sought advice and solace from her mother. She expressed that, “Coming over to children, my mother along with my mother-in-law were great help with the baby.” Jenele was preview to a unique situation. Being a teacher has given her countless interactions and immeasurable experiences with children. But as much as she knew her way around a classroom, motherhood, Jenele says, was an entirely different ball game.

Although her years of teaching have given her experiences with children, the shift from the classroom to the home was drastic. Jenele explained that as challenging as teaching was, being a mother was full-time job, one where the children did not leave at the end of the day. Jenele shared that, “In the classroom, you have the children and then they go home to their parents. My mom and mother-in-law were there to show me the do’s and the don’ts. I was so accustomed to the eight to three and then the children go.”

Entrepreneurial endeavours
The charmingly named ‘Rite Price Supermarket’ Jenele is in charge of today is located in Good Intent. The establishment was founded decades ago by her husband’s family and has evolved throughout the years. Jenele admitted that she bore a few inhibitions when she married her husband a few years ago and was offered the opportunity to manage the supermarket. “It was scary at first,” she stated, “To know that it is my responsibility to not only make sure that everything is okay. I am here, but I have employees I have to look after, too.”

“I inherited this business. My in-laws owned and operated it before and they migrated. So my husband and I had to take over,” Jenele shared. She further explained that bearing the brunt of the business’ wins or setbacks was daunting. But she has persevered, growing her business in the last year amidst its competitors.

For the time she has been dabbling in entrepreneurship, Jenele says that she wishes to see more support for the local market. As a self-proclaimed patriotic Guyanese and business owner, Jenele urges her fellow countrymen to support the goods and services produced locally as much as they can.

She stated that, “In terms of business, in terms of our tourism aspect and in terms of our music. I am a diehard Guyanese and I support my own.” Jenele urges Guyanese and entrepreneurs everywhere to never forget where they come from. For her, remembering where she came from brought her to where she is today.