Business honours urged to achieve Scotia Vision

Former Scotiabank Vision Achiever participants are encouraging business owners to sign up to be part of the programme before February 26, when applications close.

For a number of years, Scotiabank has partnered with ActionCOACH to deliver internationally recognised coaching sessions to SME customers. The Scotiabank Vision Achiever programme offers a variety of capacity-building business courses that if properly implemented, have been known to transform the efficiency and profitability of companies.

Trecia Reid McCalla, director of Shades of Elegance and a past Scotia Vision Achiever participant, said that the programme would "help you understand how to get your business off the ground".

What stood out for her was the importance of systemising.

"A successful business should be set up to operate whether or not you are there," she said.

Reid McCalla has since expanded her services to additional clientele by opening new locations.

Equally rave reviews were provided by Patria Kaye Aarons, CEO of Sweetie Confectionery, who shared: "I would not have been able to grow my business the way I have if I didn't know the things I know now - things about growing my business and running the business day by day and hitting my targets."

Aarons said that she would not have expanded into new markets or developed a new business line in the time frame that she did had she not been part of the programme.

PARTICIPATION CRITERIA

Businesses interested in being part of the programme are invited to sign up based on their ability to meet the following criteria:

- Applicants must be a sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, or limited liability company.

- Must be above the age of 21 and a Jamaican national.

- Must complete an online application form at www.scotiavisionachiever.com by or before deadline of February 28, 2017.

- Business needs to be in operation for at least two years.

- Business should have earned at least US$150K in the last fiscal year.

- Should have good credit history.

The Scotiabank Vision Achiever programme is one of a number of initiatives offered by the bank to support the development of SMEs in Jamaica. The 17-week transformational business course is designed to impart the core competencies required for running a profitable business, to include sales, systemising business processes, marketing, and understanding business financials. To date, over 130 businesses have benefitted from exposure through this programme.