What Party?! - Young entrepreneurs find treasure in trash
Published:Tuesday | November 20, 2018 | 12:00 AMKimberley Small/Gleaner Writer
Over the past two years, four entrepreneurial Wolmer's Boys' School past students have proven that cleanliness is vital, particularly on the party scene. From their experience on the dancehall and concert scene, they conceived a business idea, which is now fully formed and functioning.
The four young men saw a gap, where event planners relied on their exhausted team to clean-up after parties. There they saw a market for cleaning services.
"We've been involved on the party scene for a while, either keeping or attending. We realised the need for it. We tried it and it worked," 24-year-old Romario Creary told The Gleaner.
What Party?! started two years ago and is led by Creary as chief financial officer; Oliver Turnbull, director of business development; Nicholas Griffiths, director of marketing and communications; and Matthew Levy, chief operations officer. Though they now function managerially, their initial jobs were more hands-on.
FIRST GIG
The first event they tackled was "a house party, where the four of us were doing the clean-up ourselves. It was a small house party, but we were fully masked. We didn't want anybody to see us," Creary shared.
It didn't take long for the young men to realise that there was nothing to be ashamed of, as they had stumbled upon a gold mine.
"Those promoters were pleased. We started to grow."
These days, What Party?! calls on a pool of 15 to 20 workers, so the original four cleaners can focus on administrative matters. The team boasts a growing client list which includes event staple Main Event Entertainment.
According to Creary, the What Party?! team's schedule for the Christmas season is already filling up, as their social media promotion over the past month has gained traction.
"It's been a very fruitful experience," he shared.