WOMAN POWER – Layten Pryce epitomises resilience of the highest order

Manchester, Jamaica:

Her early life was coloured by destitution and hardships so great that her parents had no choice but to give her up for adoption.

She spent days wondering how life would unfold for her as she struggled to acquire even the very basic necessities of life.

But there is something about a woman who knows exactly what she wants, even when the odds are stacked up against her. And that is Layten Pryce.

“I was adopted by a great mother, Mrs Joylin Bent, who took the best care she could of me. After leaving high school, I went in search of a job and got one working minimum wage in a wholesale. But during this time, I had two children, and I came to the realisation that the money that I was earning on minimum wage could not take care of us. It was at that point that I decided I needed to find another way to earn more money. However, the odds were stacked very high against me,” she said.

With two children, no school-leaving certificate, no diploma, no degree, no skill, and no experience, Pryce was now more resilient in her efforts to make a life for herself.

“There were times when I felt like giving up, especially when my kids were small. It was rough. I used to live in the ghetto on the gully bank, meaning I lived right on the edge of a gully where garbage was dumped. The environment was very unhealthy. I remember at one point I had to wash on Wednesdays and Saturdays because if I didn’t, there would not be enough clothes for my kids to wear for the rest of the week. I used to wear the same clothes every week… .”

Pryce said that the compounded effects of having to ask her boss continuously for advances as her pay wouldn’t last the week and living in unfavourable conditions impacted her sanity.

“The room that I lived in was more like a straw house. Whenever rain fell, I had to pack up everything to one side because there was a big hole in the ceiling. I have been through it all. After seven years of working in the wholesale, I decided that enough is enough and I had to find a better life,” she said.

She added: “I decided that I’m not going to let this stop me. I thought to myself that there must be something that I can do. I remembered the text, ‘ Knock and it shall be opened, seek and ye shall find’. I went searching and knocking, and that’s when I found Internet Income Jamaica.”

Pryce said that she borrowed money from her landlady, took a leap of faith, and went to the class.

“I’m happy I took that step. Today, I’m an online entrepreneur and a motivational speaker. I’ve been working online since 2015. I created my first online course, which can be found at www.getpaidtotype.com. This course is not only sold to Jamaicans but to persons all over the world. It teaches persons how to be a transcriber. Over the past few years, I have learned many skills. I’m now a transcriber, website designer, blogger, vlogger, Internet marketer, affiliate marketer, social-media marketer, business owner, speaker, and I’m adding author to my list shortly,” she said.

Having moved from having no experience to honing several skills, Pryce said that her greatest accomplishments are not her titles or acquisitions but her children.

“My greatest accomplishments are my kids because it’s after having my kids that my eyes were opened to what is really going on around me. I could have proudly named them ‘Degree’ and ‘Diploma’ because I’ve accomplished so much since giving birth. I have bought land and built my house to ensure my kids have a roof over their heads. I travelled more, I have more skills, I have an online business where I employ hundreds of Jamaicans on a yearly basis. I opened an offline business because I decided I’m building a legacy for my kids. My kids are my greatest motivation. I have also started my YouTube channel, where I talk about earning online. You can find me on YouTube @LaytenPryce,” she ended.

familyandreligion@gleanerjm.com