Producing pears (or avocados) could be an opportunity for you to capitalise on. According to Lawrence Weathers, a native of Mocho in the parish of Clarendon, this industry is massive and has an incredible amount of untapped potential.

The head of the Avocado Society of Jamaica, Weathers, said: "It is my ambition and my vision... to essentially place Jamaica as the leading avocado grower in this region of the hemisphere."

Since there are strong markets and healthy prices for the fruit and its byproducts both locally and globally, Weathers is advocating for the cultivation of at least 500 acres of land in avocados.

In this episode of Impacting Jamaica with host Tameka Gordon, Weathers emphasised that he wants to see small farmers in the sector turn from "farming to a business" as they sustain themselves and their families. He insisted that the avocado business is a lucrative enterprise.

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Crystal Daye of Dayelight Publishers says that "your business will not grow more than you," and she advises business owners to search for tools and learning opportunities to progress and polish their creativity.

Her argument is that in order for women to succeed in society, "we must be continual learners...a part of learning is asking for help."

Her successful career as a writer led to the establishment of Daylight Publishers. After discovering that her first book had become an Amazon best seller in only two days, she immediately set out to develop her own publishing and marketing company.

She also had the desire to help others realise their dreams of writing and publishing their own books by imparting her knowledge to them and assisting them in the process.

Daye shares more in this episode of Impacting Jamaica with host Tameka Gordon.

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Since taking over her husband's carpet cleaning firm eight years ago, Ingrid Murray has significantly increased annual sales. She believes that knowing your "why" is essential to business success.

"Anything may be exchanged for money. Any concept you have may be made into money,” she says, urging female company owners to "remain determined."

Prospect Cleaning Services, her business, has achieved a remarkable feat for a minority woman-owned business by being placed 1001 by Inc 5000 magazine for 2022. Additionally, the business was chosen as New York's top woman-owned enterprise for 2021.

She explains that in order to monitor the financial development of their business, female business owners must have a solid understanding of accounting fundamentals. She claims that "understanding how to budget [and] knowing your numbers" is one of the most crucial skills for women running businesses.

Find out more in this episode of Impacting Jamaica with host Tameka Gordon.

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Yvonne Witter swore she would never walk in the footsteps of her family to become an entrepreneur. But fate would have it no other way.

A Jamaican business facilitator and consultant based in England, Yvonne felt that black businesses were not benefitting from the systems in place to help the small ones, so she set to work, building her company that now empowers these businesses to scale and build capacity.

“I wanted to see change, and I thought the way to do that was to set up my own company to create change,” Witter tells host Tameka Gordon in this episode of Impacting Jamaica.

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Ferone Bryan describes his company as the first hourly car rental entity Jamaica. “I aim and shoot,” he declares as he reflects on the start of his car rental business. “We figured this out in August, and we started in November (2018) so it was that close.”

Minute Car Rentals has grown tremendously since its inception, through its unique business model of partnering with motor car owners to use their cars for hire and in this way, expanding its fleet without the capital expenditure. At the same time, this business model creates passive income for the car owners.

Having started with just two small Suzuki Alto motor cars, the company is now in expansion mode because, for Ferone, a marine engineer, the time to be optimistic and take business risks is while you are young.

In this episode of Impacting Jamaica with host Tameka Gordon, he advises other aspiring entrepreneurs who may be fearful of stepping out to “just go for it!”

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Tyrone Napier believes his years of apprenticeship kept him out of trouble and going down the wrong path.

He is now keen on imparting the knowledge and skills he has turned into creating his company, Napier Patterns, Mould and Castings, to the younger generation.

“It has made at impact on the architectural landscape of Jamaica,” he said. “Every parish I go I see aspects of my work on buildings.”

In this episode of Impacting Jamaica, Napier talks about the importance of his craft and its contribution to the society. 

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Jamaica is blessed with an abundance of plants that have been used over the years for their medical value.

Martello Melville, founder of Ja-Jireh Herbal Limited, has made it his mission to leverage Jamaica’s natural bounty to boost the medical tourism market and support the country’s economic growth.

It was a vision that kick-started the company recalled Melville who declared: “I believe it will provide a source of inspiration as we progress”. In this episode of Impacting Jamaica, he tells host Tameka Gordon about the effectiveness of his products; and much more.

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The niche of heritage tours in Jamaica remains a relatively untapped source of adventure and revenue.

“A lot of people live here and do not know what exists in and around their communities and the country in general,” shares Gwaroko Tours Jamaica founder, Adrian Reid.

His quest is to monetize his passion for exploring Jamaica’s treasured sites while teaching both local and visitors about the country’s rich history. 

The fledgling tour and adventure company was stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now Reid shares his plans and how he managed to hang in there during the pandemic to continue his dream.

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From selling out a box in a fast food store, to selling on the overseas market. That is part of the story of a small Jamaican business owner. Christal-Ann Thompson has always wanted to become an entrepreneur and has tried several ventures before starting Honey Vera in 2014.

She toiled night and day to push her business forward. “Every second of the day is very important,” declared the entrepreneur who will allow no challenge to stand in her way.

While the route to having skincare and haircare products that are now popular in many households has it fair share of ups-and-downs, her personal story is also captivating. She has had to clean floors, scale fish, and bake and sell, before finding her true niche.

COVID-19 came and interrupted her traditional business, but not even the virus was able to quench her entrepreneurial spirit. Christal-Ann shares her amazing story of triumph with Impacting Jamaica host Andre Jebbinson.

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Here’s a business for you – pear (avocado) production. Lawrence Weathers, who hails from Mocho in Clarendon, says this is a huge industry with huge potential.

“It is my dream and my vision… to basically position Jamaica as the leading avocado producer in this part of the hemisphere,” declared Weathers who heads the Avocado Society of Jamaica.

Weathers is pushing to see at least 500 acres of land under avocado production as there are good markets and good prices for the product and its byproducts – locally and internationally.

In this episode of Impacting Jamaica with host Tameka Gordon, Weathers emphasized that he wants to see small farmers in the sector shift from “farming to a business” as they provide for themselves and their families. “Avocado is a viable business,” he insisted.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.