Youth Entrepreneurs in Focus | Best friends come together, start clothing business

Both Chantanya Warmington and Shaquilia Moncrieffe understand the importance of partnership in operating their company, Glamdons. Founded in December 2018, their business specialises in selling both male and female clothing.

For these best friends, the push to start a business came from the increasing cost of clothing.

“What motivated us to start this business was the overpriced cost of clothing,” Shaquilia said.

“So we thought that if we could source the same items, in terms of style and quality as other retailers, we would sell those items at a more affordable price.”

These entrepreneurs recalled that they received their greatest experience in the service organisation, Key Club. Being a part of Key Club not only gave them the experience to manage a company, but also imbued in them important qualities such as discipline and time management.

They had to master these principles as they both came from different year groups and were heavily involved in school.

“Despite our differences in year group, we both had to learn how to manage our time to balance extra-curricular activity and school as both were quite demanding, “ Chantanya told The Gleaner.

“The club not only taught us to be leaders, but it showed our strengths and weaknesses.”

NOT A SMOOTH ROAD

But even with the experiences gained through Key Club, the road to achieving financial independence was not smooth.

They recalled that one of the major decisions they had to make was identifying the best platform on which to advertise their business. Viewing social media as cheaper and, increasingly, as viable when compared to other advertising options, the entrepreneurs thought it would be ideal to start off small by selling their items through an Instagram business page.

Shaquilia and Chantanya emphasised the importance of encouragement from others, including friends and family.

Said Shaquilia: “We have got support from our families, friends, and even persons who have just seen us and admire our efforts as young adults. It has truly been a motivating experience as it has shown that anything you want in life, you can achieve it, regardless of your struggle or background.”

Their advice for other students interested in pursuing business is to “have a goal, do your research, plan, and execute”.

Their challenge to new entrepreneurs is to be adaptable in an ever-changing market as it is easy to lose hope. Even when plans go awry, never lose track of the vision to achieve financial independence.