ABOUT THE EPISODE
In this episode of Entrepreneur With Me, Mayer sits down with Lamont Bourne, a former bookstore owner from Clarendon, Jamaica, to unpack the full arc of building and scaling a community-rooted business from the ground up.
Lamont shares how he left a career at a university bookstore to open his own shop, Turning Pages, in rural Longville Park before expanding into Old Harbour and later May Pen. He talks candidly about forming a FedEx drop-shipment partnership, running back-to-school health fairs, sourcing books internationally, and building a loyal customer base through genuine, personalised service. He also opens up about the toll of repeated break-ins and rising crime, the tough decision to consolidate locations to protect his family, and why he ultimately chose sustainable, strategic growth over expansion for its own sake.
The conversation closes with reflections on leadership, legacy, and the Jamaican proverb that still guides his thinking today: "one one cocoa full basket."
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Being impactful and memorable in every interaction builds long-term loyalty far beyond any single sale
• Market research and community insight can justify bold, unconventional business locations
• Strategic partnerships (like a FedEx drop-shipment point) can diversify revenue without major overhead
• Treating every customer — big spender or small — with the same care builds lasting word-of-mouth
• Growth should match your comfort and capacity, not competitors' pace or pressure to expand
• Family safety can and should outweigh business ambition when risk escalates
• Strong internal culture and leadership at the top filters down to consistent customer service across locations
• Small, consistent actions compound into meaningful long-term impact ("one one cocoa full basket")
BEST MOMENTS
"Once you treat people well, they're always gonna come back."
"You have to be strategic about growth because getting too big can also harm you."
"You recognize that it was about to change you, and that's not who I am."
"Even to this day... people remembered about you. Those are the things that they carry."
"Don't try wanting to do everything or too many things one time. Build from the ground up."
"If you are given lemons you turn it into lemonade... it is your opportunity to do good with whatever hand you're dealt."
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ABOUT THE HOST
Hosted by Mayer Morrison on Entrepreneur With Me, a podcast featuring honest conversations and personal lessons on entrepreneurship, content creation, and building a business from the ground up.
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Hosted by: Mayer Morrison
Executive Produced by: Mayer Morrison
Produced by: Kyle Exell
Edited by: Kyle Exell
