KAREN Bacchus-Hinds possesses a passionate entrepreneurial spirit that applies to both her business and her day-to-day life, a practice she instilled in her routine as a secretary who later became a successful businesswoman.

Bacchus-Hinds spent years building the foundation of a business that is today a household name for quality literature and books.

She is the owner of New Era Business Enterprise, which has two branches, one at the Courtyard Mall, Robb Street, Georgetown, and the other at Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) at Timehri, East Bank Demerara.

Bacchus-Hinds is a very kind and passionate woman with a friendly, approachable demeanour and is easy to talk to.

She has a wealth of knowledge about books, including our very own authors and their locally produced books about Guyana, among other things.

Bacchus-Hinds was born on September 15, 1965, in Berbice, Guyana. She attended St. Winfried’s Primary School and then Indian Educational Trust College, Georgetown, Guyana.

Midway through her years at the Indian Educational Trust College, she transferred to Coltress Secretarial School in hopes of becoming a secretary.

Shortly after finishing secondary school at 17, she began working as a clerk at Twiga Construction Company Limited.

Birth of New Era Business Enterprise

Bacchus-Hinds stated that she wanted freedom and control over her own business  and finances. She established New Era Business Enterprise on January 1, 1996. In addition to her passion for books, she saw a need to improve the education sector and eventually  decided to sell educational items.

Bacchus-Hinds wanted to fulfil her personal ideals, centred on shaping young minds and, by extension, contributing to a culture of early childhood education; the best way to do that is through a bookstore.

In the beginning, the business was based at her home, where she wholesaled trade books and children’s stationery to stores and libraries.

The books she sold included cookbooks, cake-decorating books, floral-arrangement books and all books related to trade.

The stationery comprised Crayola crayons, drawing books, modelling clay and paints. She then recruited a team of outdoor sales agents to sell the items door-to-door.

In 2001, with three daughters, she established her first retail outlet in Georgetown, Guyana, where she continued to sell the same products.

The business started off with a small workforce of three people, including a cashier and two indoor sales agents.

From there, her business expanded to a workforce of nine people, selling many more education-related products.

She also opened another outlet at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in 2007, where souvenirs, crafts and books were sold.

In 2007, her husband, Orin Hinds, accepted a job opportunity in Trinidad, so she migrated there with her family of five.

Despite the move, she still had control over the finances, important decisions and the day-to-day operations of the business.

Bacchus-Hinds possesses several key traits that would make a person an entrepreneur. She can be described as highly motivated, proactive, innovative, opportunity-oriented, a persistent problem solver and someone with strong team-building skills.

She is not solely motivated by money but understands its importance in business.

The businesswoman spends most of her time proactively tending to the business, making sure everything runs smoothly.

Bacchus-Hinds can be seen making calls to her business associates and suppliers daily.

In addition to being highly motivated and proactive, she is also innovative and opportunity-oriented.

Additionally, her business is one of the few in Guyana that is fully managed and staffed by females, with males later employed as the business grew.

She has even created a customer request book that allows her customers and clients to request specific products.

Furthermore, Bacchus-Hinds is a persistent problem-solver with strong team-building skills.

She stated, “In business, every day there is a problem and you have to solve it in a manner where everyone is satisfied.”

Overcoming challenges

In 2005, a large flood covered the entire East Coast of Guyana. Unfortunately, her business was one of the places that was flooded, filling the space with about four feet of water. Thankfully, there was inventory on the second floor of the building. She noted that the business was ultimately negatively impacted, as people were not shopping for non-essential items as much as they had before.

On the bright side, New Era Business received an award from the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. in 2006. After 10 years of hard work, New Era Business was recognised for its benefits to Guyana’s local community.

The award was presented in recognition of the company’s pioneering efforts in developing the education sector and for conducting business with social responsibility.

In 2007, VAT (Value Added Tax) was introduced in Guyana for the first time, which led businesses to slow down. In the same year, Bacchus-Hinds decided to expand her business and open a store at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

This expansion generated additional income and revenue, but there were many challenges in running both businesses. The issues her business encountered also affected her personally.

Besides minor financial problems, Bacchus says she did not face many major problems. She has successfully run her business for more than 20 years and credits her staff and a strong support system for helping her do so.

Amid the trials and tribulations, she and her business have helped to create a better community in Guyana. New Era Business Enterprise has ultimately added value to the education system and the local community of Guyana.

In her store, located in Georgetown, they sold books and innovative materials that were not previously available on the market. Items such as nursery school books and teaching aids were sold. Soon after, they began selling more children’s items.

They sold educational toys and quality games from brands such as Mattel, Lego, VTech and Hasbro, which were rarely sold locally.

In the store located at the airport, they mostly sold locally made products and souvenirs. This gave local artists and craftsmen an opportunity to sell and showcase their craft.

Unlike their competitors, they listen to the public and supply products as needed. Her business is very adaptive and changes its products throughout the years to keep up with technology and the ever-changing market.

Currently, the business continues to sell souvenirs, books and teaching aids and has started selling magazine subscriptions.

She does not expect any major challenges in the years to come, but she says that business is unpredictable, so she is prepared to deal with any issue that may arise.

Ten years after the founding of New Era Books, however, she has become one of the best-known female faces in the local business community and, as Auntie Karen, a popular figure with children.

Her vision was not always as well-defined as it is today. It began, she said, with a love of books, an entrepreneurial spirit and a determination to grasp the business opportunities that emerged with the growth of the private sector in Guyana.

Earlier this year, Bacchus-Hinds hosted an exclusive book exhibition, titled Voices of Guyana, featuring books about Guyana and by Guyanese authors, at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel. More than 100 books were on display and for sale.

Bacchus-Hinds told the Guyana Chronicle that she recently realised that Guyanese need to read more books written by local authors and about Guyana.