Growth & Jobs | Woman grateful for layoff that propels her to start online business
Published:Tuesday | October 10, 2023 | 12:09 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
IF THERE is one Jamaican you will meet who is grateful about being laid off three years ago during the pandemic, that is entrepreneur and twice teenage mother Shally Hall.
After being laid off in 2020, she was introduced to the NCB Foundation’s Level-Up Programme, which was implemented in partnership with Internet Income Jamaica, and was able to build an online business called UR’VA Consultancy Group.
In an interview with The Gleaner immediately after the launch of the NCB Foundation’s Level Up Programme recently, which underemployed and unemployed persons with online business ideas can now apply for online, Hall said online business has only been booming for her since she completed her training with the programme and was given wings to venture out on her own as an online businesswoman.
After registering and enrolling in the programme, and having to state what online concept she intended to pursue, Hall said the idea of becoming a virtual assistant came to her, and she acted immediately on establishing this new career path in the virtual space.
“There were so many ideas that popped up in my head as it relates to virtual assistant, and one of them came to mind when we did a course called Management for Construction Companies. Running the entire back office for them, we did their scheduling, telephone calls, getting new prospects for them, and being their point of contact for American agencies,” Hall, who registered for the programme mere hours before its deadline, explained to The Gleaner.
She said she also liked the Property Management course, which she pursued as part of the programme with Internet Income Jamaica, which helped to build her online management skills.
Hall said her experience with the programme was amazing because not only did she get “the actual material to work with, but also the coach, the teachers, and the support groups”.
“We learnt from each person. We learnt from our classmates, not to say we sat in a class and just talked – asking questions and we answering them – but we formed our own opinions, discovering what works for you and what does not,” she told The Gleaner.
“And the Facebook that we used to propel each person so they not only built on our hard skills, but our soft skills, were drawn out, and that is amazing!” she said.
Before being laid off, Hall told The Gleaner that she was a committed employee and has been ever since she started working at the age of 18, when she knew that she had to start caring for her two children.
Hall got pregnant at age 15 during her final year at Ferncourt High School in 1998. After giving birth, she became pregnant again some months later.
“Mi always seh, mi never learn mi lesson! Mi get pregnant again at 16 years old,” Hall told The Gleaner before laughing as she reflected on her mistakes, which have made her into the strong woman she now is.
“One comment that I will always remember is when one of my uncles said, ‘What are you doing there [being pregnant again]?’ You, Shally, a go dead poor’. That was a catapult for me,” she said.
Hall used comments like those to motivate herself to pursue excellence not only for herself, but also her children. After giving birth to her second child, she started job hunting and was employed by three companies.
“I did three jobs. I did one from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. at North East Regional Health Authority. At 5:30 p.m., I went to Pineapple Hotel as a receptionist, and on the weekends, I worked at STATIN’s office,” she shared.
“Another thing that I had on my mind was that my children nah go to any primary school because dem nah go get the level of education I want them to get ... and it happened! I sent them to private school. These are the things that drive me in life. [My] children have to get a proper education. They cannot say that mommy did not give them the best of the best, and that’s how I made the difference,” she said.
Hall said between the age of 18 years when she began working and up to 2020, it was only three months that she never worked in her entire life.
She said after being home for the three months, she knew that she had to return to the world of work, and the first job she applied for, she was lucky enough to get it.
Fast-forward to 2020, while a part of the Level-Up Programme, Hall told The Gleaner that she resumed working online after her online classes ended.
“Sometimes classes finish and I’m running my computer a good 16 hours just to get out there, finally getting online, where I wanted to be, and that’s how it got started [in] 2020,” she said.
Hall disclosed that 2021 was a good year for her because that was when she made her first cash-in of US$500.
“The next year there was more. I couldn’t believe it! In 2022, there was much more,” she said.
Hall now encourages struggling Jamaicans who are underemployed and unemployed to register and try to cash in as well.
The NCB Foundation Level-Up Programme for 2023 aims to showcase the importance of digital skills in today’s economy while celebrating the successes of past participants. It will also lay out the road map for this year’s programme, highlighting how the NCB Foundation aims to invest $30 million into improving the lives of another 3,000 Jamaicans.
This year, the Level-Up 2023 programme is expanding its reach to be even more inclusive, welcoming participants from a variety of life experiences and backgrounds, and intends to cater to individuals with disabilities and those who have previously been incarcerated.